Welcome to any newbies

This is written more in hope than expectation, but at roughly ten past ten tomorrow morning, Insight Radio will broadcast a short chat-ette that I had with Simon Pauley and this might just bring a few curious seekers after truth (or something) to these pages, so to try and demystify for any newbies.

Item One on the agenda: you're very welcome; I really hope you enjoy the endless stream of nonsense that I feel the need to send out into the ether via these pages. Do keep scrolling and reading if you're enjoying yourself. Please note I do have some fairly strong opinions that I occasionally express in no uncertain terms on these pages. Most postings are light hearted, but sometimes I just need to let off steam. Some people will agree with me, some people won't - please feel free to send comments. All comments get published unless they're libellous in general or rude about me in particular. You can be as rude about me as you like (libel laws notwithstanding) but you'll have to open your own blog for that.

Millbrook is the most populous village in Cornwall (just - and the statistic is argued over in some circles); it has two close neighbours, the postcard-pretty Kingsand and Cawsand where the photo below was taken in The Halfway. The (slightly older) fellow on the left is Peter Knight (no blog name for him, he's quite well enough known already, try Googling his name) and the other one is me, The Millbrooker.

I was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa back in 2003; I still have fairly decent central vision, but almost no peripheral sight at all. I currently work on about 40% vision (that's a pretty rough estimate, but I haven't been checked for a long time) and get around using a white cane to avoid barking my shins too often and to let other people know that I might not spot them before an embarrassing collision.


Item Two: quite a lot of people who appear on these pages get given stupid names by me; it doesn't mean much, except that I get some amusement out of it. Some examples whom you'll meet quite often herein. Firstly, my lovely wife - Mrs The Millbrooker:
Mrs The Millbrooker and I are more or less joined at the hip, so much so that our good friend Dong says that if we're ever apart we walk with a limp. That brings us nicely onto Dong and Shazzerooneypoos. Shazzerooneypoos is particularly honoured in these pages in that she seems to have umpteen different names: Auntie Sharon, Little Lush Lewis...and on and on.


Here's a few of the regulars, from L-R Mrs The Millbrooker, Cannonball Pam, The Hoover, Dong, Chrissie (no blog name yet), Shazzerooneypoos and YarMatt.


Until they head off to university this autumn, Mrs The Millbrooker and I share Millbrooker Towers with a brace of younger persons: Wizzers who's eighteen and terrifyingly well organised as well as having a terrific singing voice and some not inconsiderable artistic talents. Bloody hell. At least some faults would be good. And Depitty Dawg who's very nearly twenty and spends lots of time nodding to music with his mates as well as skateboarding in unsuitable places and travelling to exotic climes (he's in Mauritius as I write). Here's Wizzers singing with The Tony Harris Band in The Devon & Cornwall, my favourite pub (which just happens to be in Millbrook):

Lastly in this introduction, I'll mention Dozybean and YarMatt along with their small person, Wriggly Baby. Dozybean is Mrs The Millbrooker's eldest offspring. YarMatt (it's Breton for "cheers") is her small but perfectly formed man. You can work out Wriggly Baby for yourselves.There's a million and one others who keep finding nonsense written about them in these pages; if you keep coming back or if you read through the archives, you'll meet them. Apologies to The Sump and Mrs The Sump, Liability and Richie "comb-over" Meeson, Russell and Mark from the D&C, Milly and Trickers, Piers "Tea-Time" Taylor, The Leaderene and Mr B, Frankenkeith, BathNick and to everyone else whom I couldn't fit into this short intro for newcomers.

Actually, I could just about find room for Frankenkeith, seen here on the right with Richie "comb-over" Meeson showing how he got his blog name:Thanks for dropping in - do call again and do keep listening to Simon Pauley's morning show on Insight Radio. I should be making semi-regular and (mercifully, I expect) short-ish appearances with Simon talking about "Insight Endeavours".

Coming up soon - The Millbrooker goes to the opera (tomorrow as it happens - Rigoletto in the open air at The Royal William Yard in Plymouth). Perhaps that'll form part of a broadcast chat with the effervescent Mr Pauley...

Pip pip.