When you ride a bike you feel free. With the wind. Ecologically ‘on-message’. Pollution free. You are holier than all those thous in their toxic, polluting, climate-changing cars, vans, buses and aeroplanes. But when you’re in a car, those same bikes are a pest. They are insects to be trodden on. They are IN THE – Read More-
What do you keep in your shoes? Ok, your feet. That’s generally the case. But what about when you pack for a trip? Do you ‘fill’ your shoes, as I do? Or do you leave them empty just in case a group of uniformed security border controllers mistake a bottle of baby powder (yeah! Why – Read More-
Ok, these things are the ones that will kill you: smoking, obesity and… Yes, there’s a new ‘social killer’ on the block and its not, like, ‘buses stepped in front of’ or ‘people with knives’ or even ‘slow death by Brexit’. No, its lack of sleep. Because apparently we Brits don’t sleep enough. Only whilst – Read More-
Its a funny thing. Summertime in the City gets very quiet, particularly on Fridays. People ‘working from home’ (phah), taking a day off to have a long weekend, its always the same. Come Friday the City quietens down. Which is fine for the commute but another indication of how work patterns have changed and are – Read More-
‘This Wimbledon is the best ever! But isn’t it? Really??’ We have this conversation every year. Its always brilliant but the one that’s before your very eyes is, by its sheer immediacy and total… there-ness, the absolute best. Best shots, best rallies, best dresses, best thing to watch, RIGHT NOW, with no reverting to memory – Read More-
Boris Johnson doesn’t play tennis. He thinks he does, in those ridiculous pink floral shorts, but he doesn’t. He’s as ‘sporty’ as a kilo of extra-mature cheddar. To play tennis you have to look like Roger Federer. Or like me. You have to have grace, elegance, a tennis racquet, style, a winning serve and a – Read More-
So you leave home Monday morning, earlier than usual due to staff shortages, but you’re buoyed by the lovely weekend, spirits lifted like the American women lifting the World Cup (female variety) on Sunday afternoon, its bright and sunny, Wimbledon’s around and it feels like ‘there’s everything to play for’. Then you arrive at the – Read More-
When you read about Italian food, they seldom mention whose side that nation fought on in the war. Similarly, you rarely find a Siamese restaurant, not cos the food’s shit but just because they call it ‘Thai’. In reviews of American diners or purveyors of vast quantities of smoked meats (America doesn’t really do ‘cuisine’ – Read More-
There’s a fascinating article in today’s paper telling all fathers exactly what they need to know about daughters. But, like, who’s it for? Everyone who is a father of daughters already knows everything. And we had to learn it ‘from first principles’. And basically, if you have a daughter, or, like me and Spurs Paul – Read More-
So the printer at home started doing funny things. Like dragging half a ream of paper into the carriage at one go, then saying ‘paper jam!!’ Like, ‘no shit!’ And ‘well who fucking jammed it???’ I showed my brother. Who comes round to play bridge every week, but as he’s a professional compooooter troubleshooter and – Read More-