A week or so ago, a friend asked me whether this was the end of the world? Seemed to be a quite amusing question at the time, but in retrospect, it did make me think. But no, I don’t think 2020 is the end of the world; we haven’t reached the ‘off to hell in a handcart’… Read More »
Somewhere in the bowels of this website, there’s a post entitled ‘About music’ which I wrote over 10 years ago. It served as an explanation, reason or excuse for my indulgence in playing the guitar, a journey hampered by limited talent and no knowledge of music theory but fuelled by wishful thinking. The post provided an account… Read More »
Boris’ Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Boris in Wonderland) is a modern tale that tells of an idle, flippant and complacent being who fell through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, populist and nonsensical creatures. Synopsis Chapter One – Down the Rabbit Hole: Boris, a dishevelled layabout in an ill-fitting Oxfam… Read More »
What a great way to celebrate St Andrew’s Day by becoming a Scottish Landowner. Yes indeed! Having taken advantage of a Black Friday deal on a couple of bottles of Single Malt, I suddenly find myself the Laird and lifetime leaseholder of one square foot of Islay, tucked up close to the Laphroaig Distillery. If… Read More »
In the day, the discovery of ‘new’ music was down to tuning into radio stations, maybe watching a TV programme, or very simply heading for your local record store and browsing through the trays. Nowadays, it’s all down to algorithms. Listen to something online, and before you know it ‘we have recommendations for you’; because you listened… Read More »
Its Thursday 9th July – I’m hosting another lockdown Zoom call for about 20 people at 5:30pm. At 5:25pm, I bring up the Zoom App on my iMac with a couple of mouse clicks. The call is set up on the Zoom schedule, so all that is needed now is to click the start button, but there’s still… Read More »
On each of the last three Sundays I competed in the Bentley Priory Social Distancing 8K Event. A fine event, held in Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, which provides a good challenge with its undulating, all weather pathways. As my days of participating in running events are history, I opted to walk. In the true spirit… Read More »
Solitary confinement isn’t a lot of fun, but today I was let out on special license, with a shopping list. My local supermarket isn’t the biggest, has an idiosyncratic stock control system, but the staff have a reasonable command of English and are generally quite helpful. Regular visits are a necessary chore, best dealt with… Read More »
A few days into social-distancing, self-isolation, or solitary confinement, whatever the authorities call it, I was so looking forward to the neighbourhood throwing open their windows (not too many balconies around my way!), and bursting into patriotic songs, like ‘We’ll Meet Again, Don’t Know Where, Don’t Know When”, “Only the Lonely”, “You Ain’t Going Nowhere“… Read More »
I’m not too sure how this all came about, well I am really, but it’s the law of unintended consequences, if there is such a law. I can attribute photography to be one of the more innocent pastimes of my youth, which has now become an incredibly enjoyable ‘senior’ activity. I have vague, early recollections of… Read More »