Women

Biographies

I recently moved from reading fiction to biography. Why do readers like biographies? The obvious explanation is the desire to know more about the subject and the times in which he/she lived. My own interest lies slightly elsewhere – namely, would I like to have met the subject? The first [...]

January 17, 2026 // 0 Comments

Brigitte Bardot

I was saddened by the passing of Brigitte Bardot and thought it inaccurate to dismiss her as a talentlrss bimbo and later eccentric recluse. She was a fine dancer training in the same ballet class as Leslie Caron ( not many people know that). Both Joan Crawford and Rits Hayworth were excellent [...]

December 29, 2025 // 0 Comments

Coverage of the Ashes

England’s performance in the Ashes is dire. The First Test was over in two days and the second at Brisbane may not last much longer. The coverage on TMS and TNT matches the poor performances. TMS have recruited Daniel Norcross – a buffoon – and, if you are really unlucky his analyst [...]

December 7, 2025 // 0 Comments

And God Created Woman (movie 1956)

It’s well known that this film made the careers of Brigitte Bardot, and its director Roger Vadim – as well as put Saint Tropez on the map. Less well known is that it was an early film of Jean Louis Trintignant, arguably France’s finest post war screen actor with whom Bardot had an affaire [...]

October 12, 2025 // 0 Comments

Dora Carrington/Pallant Gallery

Was Dora Carrington an entitled, hedonistic member of the Bloomsbury set or a talented artist not properly recognised as she was a woman? I went along to see her exhibition at the Pallant Chichester yesterday and came away with the latter view. She was admitted to the Slade – where under [...]

April 26, 2025 // 0 Comments

Greta Scacchi

One of the reasons why I enjoy the repeats of Bergerac is the casting of the young actors and actresses who appear on it. In the first series – made in 1981 – appeared a young actress aged 21. I thought at first she was Liz Hurley because of her fine facial features. In fact it was [...]

March 20, 2025 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/Tea at the Grand Brighton

In all the years I have been reviewing for The Rust I have never covered afternoon tea though it is now a popular though not inexpensive experience: Bob Tickler’s charming P/A Polly once paid £200 for tea at a high end London hotel. This may be as hotels are still recovering financially from [...]

November 1, 2024 // 0 Comments

Gabriel’s Moon/William Boyd

A newly published William Boyd novel is a big literary event especially for his legion of followers. The general critical view is his recent novels fall short of his earliest West African ones and Any Human Heart. He is a master story teller and Gabriel’s Moon conforms to that. There are [...]

October 9, 2024 // 0 Comments

Fiorentina File: Fiorentina 2 New Saints 0/Conference League

I had never heard of the Welsh side New Saints. I had to google them to discover they have won the Cymru Premiership League 16 times. They are based in Oswestry, Shropshire, and must be the first Welsh team to visit the Artemio Franch. I was anticipating an easy victory but it was anything but. [...]

October 4, 2024 // 0 Comments

Jamaica Inn/Daphne du Maurier

oAfter reading non-fiction it was a pleasure to return to a Daphne du Maurier novel I had not read. Jamaica Inn showcases Daphne du Maurer’s ability as a writer: she can tell a good story and conveys a fine sense of location and atmosphere. The story’s heroine is 23 year old Mary Yellan [...]

September 9, 2024 // 0 Comments

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Fulham 2 Brighton 1

January 25, 2026 // 0 Comments

No doubt about it. Fulham have got the wood over us. Even Marvo Silva admitted a draw would be the fairer result. In Carlos Baleba we had the most effective player on the [...]
The Tanner Report: Fulham 2 Brighton 1

January 25, 2026 // 0 Comments

This was a highly enjoyable victory, all the more so as undeserved. For long periods Fulham were not in the game but ended up winning it. When I asked a group of Fulham [...]
Sussex sport

January 20, 2026 // 0 Comments

Last night I watched Brighton HSFC draw 1-1 with south coast rivals Bournemouth in a game sometimes labelled El Coastico. The Seagulls started brightly but it was the [...]
THE ALFRISTON

January 19, 2026 // 0 Comments

In the many years (I know, I don’t look !!!) that I have been reviewing English country hotels I have seen a massive change in them. Twenty years ago they were little [...]
Biographies

January 17, 2026 // 0 Comments

I recently moved from reading fiction to biography. Why do readers like biographies? The obvious explanation is the desire to know more about the subject and the times in [...]