oliver postgate

In the lands of the North, where the Black Rocks stand guard against the cold sea, in the dark night that is very long, the men of the Northlands sit by their great log fires, and they tell a tale...

the swiss lounge was a sadder place this morning with the news that oliver postgate had died. not that 83 isn't a good age but it seems a shame that he ended up in a nursing home rather than just keeling over

i was reading the book that changed my life anthology the other day, mainly because i've been thinking about posting something about the how books can impact what we do in our daily lives, when i came across a quote from billy collins. it wasn't so much a book that changed his life he said, but every book.

so while there are several keystone literary moments that i might pick it's as well to remember that these all came from somewhere and, along with jackanory, the littlenose books, postgate in particular opened my eyes to stroy telling and the possibility of imaginative fiction

so you'll forgive me a tear in the eye today as i remember noggin the nog, nogbad the bad, ivor the engine, the clangers, the soup dragon and the genius that is bagpuss.

goodbye oliver postgate and thank you