Every so often, I dare to look at why BBC Question Time is ‘trending’ on Twitter. I usually wish I hadn’t. Thankfully, I spend most of the year outside the UK, so I never actually get to watch the programme itself, unless I happen to have had a few sherbets and my dad doesn’t fancyContinue reading “Time to Question”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
可憐的中文 好建議 – Poor Chinese language. Good advice
If you have 10 minutes to spare, take a look at this. I think they are all collisions in Taiwan, except for one, which appears to be in the UK (which is appropriate, since I’m not suggesting this is an exclusively Taiwanese problem). If you live in Taiwan, you can hardly have failed to seeContinue reading “可憐的中文 好建議 – Poor Chinese language. Good advice”
A Sudden Loss of Consciousness
Of all the things I could have passed on to my son, this is the last thing I would have wanted. He can have my bikes, my books, my tools, my love of Radiohead and Gabriel-era Genesis, and my deeper love of custard and doughnuts, and custard doughnuts, but why would he want to haveContinue reading “A Sudden Loss of Consciousness”
The State of the Nation
Just a snapshot, today. A mental snapshot, if you will. Picture the scene. I am riding along. Some bloke is heading towards me on his scooter. He has just gone through a red light without looking; he is not wearing a crash helmet. When I say heading towards me, I should clarify. He is headingContinue reading “The State of the Nation”
Resolve
As a result of an unforgivable oversight on my part, in the past few days I have been in touch with an old friend. He got me thinking. Thinking about home, about friendship, about respect, about getting old, about cycling, about Leicestershire and about this here titular resolve. I rarely make resolutions, if ever. TheContinue reading “Resolve”
Nine. 9. Nein.
Call the police. Somebody stole nine years of my life and replaced it with my beautiful son. Noooo! How can it be? Nine years ago I was holding him in my arms for the first time. I could not have been happier. The relief, after a very protracted labour, was intense. I blubbed like aContinue reading “Nine. 9. Nein.”
I Am the Voice of Reason
They say that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. I reckon that in the land of the deaf, the bloke with the voice of reason is wasting his breath. When I had a (proper) job, I was taught, nay required, to give a rationale for every decision, every action. NothingContinue reading “I Am the Voice of Reason”
Playtime
I took my children out to play today. In fact, I take them most days, weather* permitting. I suppose I should consider myself rather fortunate that I have the time and opportunity to do so. Indeed I do. I think I mentioned it elsewhere, but it was the sight of children playing happily that openedContinue reading “Playtime”
Language
I was listening to something earlier and wondered when it was that we became so bothered by one of life’s certainties. More precisely, when and why did someone decide that it was somehow inappropriate to say or write that someone has died? Just imagine: Bruce Willis stars in the blockbuster, Pass Away Hard. Cutting Crew’sContinue reading “Language”
Pocket Poetry
Happy the Man Happy the man, and happy he alone,He who can call today his own.He who, secure within, can say,Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today. John Dryden I’m not a great fan of poetry, but this was given to me by one of my staff when I quit my job. IContinue reading “Pocket Poetry”
2020 - A Year of Perfect Vision 