Month: June 2018

  • Up in the Swiss hills

    It has been a busy couple of days. I’ve been buzzing around Switzerland visiting herb farms and gardens up in the hills surrounding Basel. It might seem like an odd way to spend a couple of days, but it’s not; I’m here for work, to see the people behind Swiss herbal sweet brand Ricola. It…

  • Sunset over the Downs

    This post was supposed to be titled “Nerd Prom” and be celebrating S and I enjoying a night out for her work – but I forgot to take enough photos of us to merit that. Luckily, Mother Nature came to my rescue. Last night S and I got all dressed up and headed up to…

  • The art of the smart t-shirt

    Is it ever acceptable to wear a t-shirt to a formal occasion? It is not a question I have ever really pondered because I’ve thought the answer was simple: No. That is until this weekend. To mark Father’s Day on Sunday, my sister Kate and I had got our dad tickets to The Play That…

  • Going round The Rink at Southwark Playhouse

    Southwark Playhouse is a real jewel in London’s theatrical crown. Over the last couple of years I have seen lots of brilliant shows there, from Pippin to Working. But last night I saw one of the best things I have seen, not just at Southwark but anywhere. I was a late replacement to join S…

  • Blogging on the go

    I read something the other day which made me think. Like many other bloggers out there I have blogs which I have followed for ages. They are created by writers who I used as inspiration or a how-to guide when I started out and whose work I still follow and try to learn from. A…

  • Talking gin with the master of mixing

    More than a decade ago Desmond Payne was sat at a bar in Japan. But he had a problem. Tonic in Japan tastes different and it was ruining his gin and tonic. “So I looked around me,” he says. “And I thought: ‘What are people drinking?’ Tea. Green tea mostly. “Does tea and gin work?…

  • Grabbing a coffee Hiit in St Albans

    I am, and have always been, a big fan of what Agent Dale Cooper would call a “damn fine cup of coffee”. Ok, I am also a fan of a slightly dated pop culture reference. Sue me. Actually is it possible to have a dated pop culture reference? If it’s dated is it still pop…

  • Dressing for short men: Topman jeans

    Shopping for jeans can be a very testing experience, primarily because jeans are quite a personal item of clothing. If you wear jeans then, chances are, you wear them a lot. So you want a pair which are comfortable, wearing, stylish and – most of all – which fit. The latter is a problem for…