Writing, Research and a Devon and Cornwall history hub
"Stuart Fraser's tireless enthusiasm... sensitivity and tact are a credit to his profession"
- Eden Project founder Tim Smit in 'Heligan: The Complete Works' (Channel 4 Books).
I’VE been in newspapers on and off all my working life, and edited a few. These days I’m responsible for the news and features content of the Sunday Independent. So: would I print a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammed? No, I would not. Because the Prophet, peace be upon him, isn’t hurting anybody. And to […]
IT seems scarcely believable that today, we enter a General Election campaign just like any other General Election campaign. Labour says the Tories wreck the Health Service, which is true, but then so do Labour. The Tories say Labour will put up taxes, but then so do the Tories. The Liberals say they’ll work with […]
WHEN I first knew it, 20 years ago, Cardinham was a relatively peaceful outpost of the Forestry Commission, a few hundred acres of Cornish woodland criss-crossed by largely empty tracks in which management, my old collie Max (the Crab rest him) and I could ramble and enjoy the countryside. Now? Sweet Jesus. On sunny Sunday, […]
This is the blog for December 15th 2014, re-posted today owing to the original’s tragic loss while my website was being improved. Brother Fiddle’s comment has also gone the way of all flesh. It is my dearest wish that further improvements will not take place. Of course things were better in our day. They always […]
Many people say the thing they like most about winter is lighting the fire, pulling the curtains, shutting out the cold and wind and huddling round your own warmth. A time of retreat, of drawing inward. It seems sensible. Who would be out in this world? Here I am by the window, fingers flying over […]
THERE aren’t many situations in which I prefer humans to animals. Not many at all. I mention this because, as some of you may know, there has been a spectacular outbreak of multiple vomiting here at Fraser Towers. Everybody and everything has been at it, apart from me (I haven’t got time for vomiting, and […]
INTERESTING, Saturday night. As I was working on producing the Sunday newspaper, there broke the story about the 16-year-old girl with mental health problems being held in a police cell because no NHS bed was available for her. Devon and Cornwall Police’s Assistant Chief Constable, Paul Netherton, broke the story on Twitter by criticising the […]