Author: Chris Mads

  • The similarities between VAR and Brexit

    Montgomery T Bear is a writer and adventurer. He is also, obviously, a bear. Born in the forests of Sweden, he has travelled extensively and now resides in London with his landlord Mrs Wilson. I’ve been very excited by the World Cup this summer. Well it seems fairer to say I have been caught up…

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    The Great Masked Ball

    Tonight S and I donned our best masks and finery and headed off to The Great Masked Ball. This Swan Lake-themed immersive theatre and dining experience was one S stumbled across via those kind folks at Design My Night. In the vein of so many of these sort of events, we received instructions and invitations…

  • The summer of the waistcoat

    A few years ago a young man sat at a desk in a small English town and rubbed his hand across a clean-shaven chin. As he sipped a cup of tea he peered out of the window at what was, presumably, a fairly mundane view, and contemplated the world going by outside and his place…

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    This is why we can’t have nice things

    I still remember the feeling; that sinking in the pit of my stomach. My heart was in my mouth and I hardly dared take a breath as the results were announced. I had taken my chance and had my say, but I knew thousands of others around the country had done the same and now…

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    Fun in the sun at RHS Hampton Court

    First off, apologies for the long silence. It has been a crazy couple of weeks and one side effect of writing for a living is that blogging can seem like a busman’s holiday when things get hectic at this end. I’m not sure why. I’m probably not doing it right, but there you go. Either…

  • 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…