A Disorderly Retirement
I have finally got round to making a photobook of my trip to Africa last year and it started me thinking about the most amazing sights I have ever seen. The wonders that made me stand and gape in awe. I refuse to use the word ‘awesome’ because I think it has lost all meaning…
One of the reasons for moving somewhere new is the longing for a fresh start. The desire to feel reinvigorated and enthusiastic. Long-time residents know this and move quickly to recruit newcomers to join Neighbourhood Watch, make cakes for the school fair and weed the community garden. The people who’ve lived there forever have long…
There is something quite joyful about seeing objects used in imaginative and unexpected ways. I remember watching someone on TV a few years ago transforming a shopping trolley into a seat. Now admittedly it didn’t look that comfortable and I don’t think that shopping trolley seats have exactly caught on, but still, you have to…
I was out of commission for a few days with the dreaded sick bug, but then I emerged to a miraculously new and improved world. Somehow in the very brief time I’d been gone we’d arrived at the sunlit uplands we have dreamed of for so long. I’d like to think that my welcome return…
I need to make it clear from the start that I’m not in favour of the language police. I know the French have the Académie Française to preserve the purity of their language, but I suspect that no-one pays much attention to it. English is a wonderfully rich language and if people feel the need…
Put like that, it doesn’t sound very appealing. Still, as I look around this room, I count ten items of furniture, of which five are old and five are new. When I say ‘new’ I mean not second-hand. In fact, I bought one of those supposedly new items of furniture 43 years ago. Upcycling and…
It used to be that the weather was our most popular topic of conversation, giving us an excuse for a harmless moan. But we seem to have moved on to something a bit more sinister and now we’re all talking about technology. For instance, is AI a good or a bad thing? It’s capable of…
I really dislike being referred to as a consumer. Yes I do consume things, but it isn’t my whole being. I walk, talk, breathe, sing (quite badly) and many other things besides. But my main function in life is not to spend money and buy things, so I am staging a rebellion. Christmas in particular…
January can be a very bleak month when you live in the northern hemisphere. The days are short and often grey. The wind blows, the snow flies, the rain drenches, the ice lies in wait. If you’re a fan of winter sports and live in a snowy country, January can be wonderful, but for the…
I am very attached to Spotify, even though I know I shouldn’t be. I’m not sure if it’s because of Spotify that so many musicians are struggling to earn a living, or if it’s the music companies that are failing to distribute the royalties they receive. Perhaps both. Still, if you’ve got rid of all…