Category: Journal

  • Getting stuck in the office kitchen

    If you work in an office you will be well aware of the perils of the dreaded office kitchen. It is a melting pot of pointless conversations, social awkwardness, passive aggressive post-it notes and magically disappearing milk. Some people use it as a refuge to escape their desk for a moment, but others desperately try…

  • Supporting the Hammers – for a night

    “I’m forever blowing bubbles…” Actually I’m not. I feel like I should admit early that I am not a West Ham fan. My dad, however, is and for his birthday my sister and I had plans to take him to a match. So this evening we wrapped ourselves up, draped ourselves in maroon and sky…

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    Honey, they shrunk The Guardian

    There is a new tabloid newspaper in town – but it has a familiar name. The Guardian has joined the ranks of newspapers which have shrunk down to fit in with today’s more hectic, on-the-go lifestyle. Let’s be fair, the times when you could sit at the table or on the sofa and peruse a…

  • The colours of London

    If you’re in London right now then we can agree on one thing – it is a bit cold and miserable. Before Christmas the cold, dark evenings have a certain romance about them. It is the frosty nights before Christmas, where lights twinkle and lovers scurry through the streets huddled together against the cold. But…

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    Walking Prague

    Once Christmas is in the bag people’s attention turns to New Year and the next round of festivities. This year S and I decided to escape the usual parties and head away for the arrival of 2018. We hopped across to Prague for some days wandering the cobbled streets and wrapping up against the cold.…

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    Shall we give the usual resolutions a miss?

    I don’t hold with New Year’s Resolutions. They are often knee-jerk reactions or changes you would have made earlier if you wanted to. Mark Twain summed them up best in this piece, which I found courtesy of the truly wonderful Letters of Note website. So I am going with a few simple lifestyle changes for…

  • Happy New Year

    Wishing people Happy New Year on a blog like this always seems tricky – so I am going to keep it simple. I am leaving the photos to good old Instagram and their #BestOf2017 and I will simply raise a glass to each of you and a year well spent. Here’s to 2018. #travel

  • Diving into Christmas

    Christmas is here. I will keep this one pretty brief and just wish you all a very merry Christmas. I’m back with my folks for the day. In our house Christmas involves engaging in the classic festive pursuits of eating, drinking, relaxing, opening presents…and diving into the pool. Well the opportunity arose and it seemed…

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    Did you know Jeremy Corbyn won a peace prize?

    I am not a big one for slagging off the press and ranting about media bias. There are a few reasons for this; I have, on occasion been part of the problem, and I am aware that a number of factors will play on whether a story sees the light of day or not. Among…

  • Time’s Person of the Year 2017: The Silence Breakers is perfect and hopeful

    Can we take a moment to appreciate the gulf between Time’s Person of the Year 2016 and the People of the Year 2017 please? Last year, United States President Donald Trump graced the cover. He claimed he was set up to do so again this year, something the magazine has refuted. Thank god he hasn’t.…