Stratchcarrick freeze out and a Manx tale to boot

Richard Lutz is caught out by the cold, and other things.

Lockdown Christmas: Sinkies by the sea

Richard Lutz lurches towards a Christmas with tiers.

Printed on the wind

Richard Lutz is blown away by the flags that blow away.

Setting of the sweet sun

Richard Lutz bids farewell to a friend.

Covid Chronicles: the last hurrah

Richard Lutz grabs a handful of meadowsweet and delivers his last food parcel. 

50 shades of you know what

Richard Lutz tours the geometry of a grey Evenlode valley.

This cup of land

Richard Lutz explores 2,000 years of history in the Cotswolds.

The fingerprints of man on the edge of winter

Richard Lutz roams through another week.

Two takes on Africa and the tale of the dragon

Richard Lutz dips into African theatre twice and finds a lost church.

Root problems and other tales

Richard Lutz painstakingly looks back in anguish at the week that was and a spring that will be.

Breaking out of the city

Fancy a short break not too far from the madding crowd?

Disunited Kingdom

As soon as Scotland gains independence, Steve Beauchampe’s emigrating there.

Bookshelves and other stories

It’s been a varied week for Richard Lutz, from emptying the house of books via walking in the woods to dealing with British Gas.

Review: Henry V at Stratford

Richard Lutz takes a seat for that most patriotic of Shakespeare plays .

Military resistance

Richard Lutz ponders the cash Britain spends on defence and asks whether it’s really worth it.

Newsroom days: Rising without trace

Richard Lutz continues his early assault on the world of journalism as a cub reporter.

Days of My Youth: 2nd June, 1975

Richard Lutz walked into his first newsroom 40 years ago today – 2 June, 1975. He revisits his entry into journalism that began a slow rise to mediocrity.

Election reflection from a Tory point of view

As the dust settles, Tory euphoria and Labour gloom has yet to subside. Dominic Fisher examines the possibilities a new government will bring.

JCB’s £193,000 of donations to Tory MPs

Richard Lutz explains how Midland Tories received £193,000 worth of donations from a construction giant.

Coltman Wood: War hero celebrated

Andy Goff and some of his relatives joined a large crowd to watch the official opening of a WWI arboretum.

Bitter together

Despite Thursday’s Scottish referendum result, the longer term direction of travel is towards independence argues Steve Beauchampé.

Seering Times North of the Border

Scotland takes stock of the vote against Independence.  And John Knox, a former BBC political correspondent, forwards this letter from Edinburgh.

Independence Vote: A Fortnight To Go

John Knox, who until recently covered Scottish politics for the BBC, files this report.

Mulling It Over

Richard Lutz heads towards an edge of Britain rarely visited.

Calling all actors….

Local thespians invited to have twice the fun.

Major facelift for Lichfield Trent Valley

City station to be upgraded.

Is There A Tiger In Your Garden?

Nature lovers are being asked to check their gardens for tigers in a bid to help conservationists studying the effects of climate change on moth distribution.

Local Music festival a resounding success

The first ever Lichfield Rocks festival raised over £2,500 for St Giles Hospice in Whittington.

So hot, we could have been in Delhi

Andy Goff spent a balmy evening sampling the delights of Indian cuisine and hospitality while learning about Air India’s plans at BHX.

Any hope for butterflies?

Sir David Attenborough is urging the public to take part in the world’s largest butterfly count to assess if species are recovering after their worst year on record.