A Disorderly Retirement
This week we have been clearing out the loft. It would have been much more exciting if we’d had an attic to clear out instead. Lofts are so dreary – forgotten spaces in the eaves, smelling of old suitcases and mouldering clothes – but attics are so much more glamorous, containing the promise of adventure…
People say that life is short, but I think they’re wrong. Maybe it’s short compared with the age of the universe (13.8 billion years old apparently), but if you’re lucky I think it’s really quite long. I know this is true because when I look back on my 1960s English childhood it seems like something…
I’ve been wondering if you can take the philosophy of make-do-and-mend too far in peacetime. I relish that way of thinking, but am concerned about turning into a parody of myself. Although I suspect this happens to everyone by the time they reach 50 anyway. People just seem to become more and more of what…
This week I’ve been wondering how you know when it’s time to go. I’m not talking about whether you really should leave your friends’ house as the evening wears on and first they start yawning extravagantly and then one of them reappears in their pyjamas with their toothbrush in hand. I’m talking about when you…
Jasper (the cat) doesn’t realise how much of a threat he is to the environment and he wouldn’t care if he did. In fact, he enjoys the best of all possible worlds: living in a comfortable, warm home with regular meals and doting owners, while following his own natural instincts without any conscience or –…