It’s not been easy for me to come up with an over-arching philosophy to live by, but gradually I’ve nudged my way towards living with compassion. Daily life is constantly presenting situations, mostly involving people, that frustrate, anger, disappoint … and compassion provides a tool to turn all of these...
I’ve been waiting for the iPad Pro for over a decade, a truly magazine sized, laptop replacement and sketch pad; a device for browsing those coffee top table books that I rarely look at now. The original iPad was too small and too heavy and didn’t work as a sketch...
This post documents a superb circular walk around London, following mostly waterways, that I did with my eldest daughter, Steph, during August. The weather was fantastic, London was heaving with people, but we experienced a different tranquil, fascinating side to London that was new to me. I highly recommend this...
For most of my life I’ve subscribed to the low fat, high carbohydrate philosophy of eating, what I’ve actually eaten has varied quite a lot but it’s safe to say that it’s been dominated by wheat and oats, in all it’s forms, but mostly bread. Fresh foods have mostly been...
Over the last couple of years I’ve rediscovered the pleasure of writing on my blog, in 2014 I wrote more than 365 posts and got into quite a groove, but this year I’ve blogged less frequently. I’ve always fancied writing a diary too, so it seems opportune to combine the...
Windermere is my favourite lake, not just because of it’s scenic beauty, surrounding fell views and vibrant atmosphere, but because of it’s practicality. It’s quick and easy to get to, there’s lots of parking, fantastic cafes to top and tail the walk and endless walking variety. This post chronicles one...
Now that I’m retired I need to watch what I spend and an important part of that is not travelling too far from home for great days out walking. The ‘Lytham Loop’ is an important part of that strategy, I can cycle to Lytham and do ‘the loop’ and it...
I go on holiday about 12 times a year and my favourite, out of season, holiday location is The Bay, just south of Filey Town, but still only a short walk away from it’s wonderful sweeping bay. The Bay looks like a reconstruction of a traditional village, but the whole...
We discovered Arnside as a family when we stayed there in a holiday home a few years ago and fell in love with it. The holiday was curtailed when I collapsed on the bedroom floor and inexplicably went into hypothermic shock and had to be wrapped in sleeping bags for...
I came late to programming, being too old to discover it at school, and my first introduction too it didn’t go well. I was forced into writing assembly code to control a traffic light in electronics class at university, torture. I soon forgot everything I’d learned, keen to block all...