2 days agoMember-onlyThe greatest gift…?Is a book the greatest possible Christmas gift? I think it might be. My friends and family know what to expect from me this time of year. There will be no expensive baubles, no designer perfumes and aftershaves; no boxes of chocolate or candy purchased at the last minute. Almost…Books2 min readBooks2 min read
5 days agoMember-onlyCrystal’s kissA chance encounter. A single kiss. Remembered for a lifetime. — I’d be lying if I said that the attraction was not purely physical; at least to begin with. It was Christmas Eve 1983 and, together with around 20 of my closest male and female friends, I was in my local pub celebrating the festivities as only a group of 18-year…Kiss3 min readKiss3 min read
Nov 23Do people really read like this?Apparently, there are people that find a long book anxiety-inducing. — What has become of the gentle art of reading? I have just read a guide to online writing in which it was suggested that modern readers are daunted by “too many words” on the page or screen. The writer of this insightful piece, therefore, proposes a layout principle that he…Reading2 min readReading2 min read
Nov 22The first time I nearly diedExcruciating pain and infection oozing from my pores, and yet I still refused medical help. — It began not with pain but with sickness. I awoke and made it to the bathroom just in time before the vomiting began. It came from deep within; like my body was desperately trying to expel something it found particularly objectionable. It was less than 24 hours since I had…Death4 min readDeath4 min read
Nov 21Member-onlyScared to stopHow a temporary, stop-gap career switch became an all-consuming passion that I just can’t quit. — At 10am on Monday 23 February 2021, I looked into a camera and said: “Good morning and welcome to The Break Fast Show.” It was the first episode of my new LiveStream show and the first time I ever uttered those words. I had hosted live shows for almost a…Grief And Loss6 min readGrief And Loss6 min read
Nov 20An ode to the man-hugWhy men should just man-up and hug. — I am English and I do not, therefore, come from a long line of huggers. In fact, I can recall just one notable man-hug during my formative years. It came from my father when he was the Best Man at my wedding. Maybe the lack of hugs in my youth…Men3 min readMen3 min read
Nov 20Member-onlyWhen did I stop laughing?It turns out that youth is not the only thing wasted on the young. — George Bernard Shaw famously once wrote: “Youth is the most precious thing in life. It is too bad it has to be wasted on young folk.” The older I get, the more I agree with the basic sentiment. But youth isn’t the only valuable resource afforded to the wrong people…Laughter2 min readLaughter2 min read
Nov 18Member-onlyA mother’s crueltyI thought my father was impervious to pain. But I reckoned without his mother. — A firework exploded in my father’s face when he was a child, requiring him to undergo several painful skin grafts. I was with him when he was stung on the tongue by a wasp at the beginning of a five-hour fishing match. He completed the match with barely a word…Mothers3 min readMothers3 min read
Nov 17Back to his tiny lifeMy grandfather returned to London after the Second World War. And he never again left the city of his birth. — Neither of my grandfathers ever spoke about their experiences during the Second World War. They both died before I turned 20 so perhaps they considered me too young. Maybe I didn’t ask the right questions. …War3 min readWar3 min read
Nov 14Member-onlyThe door un-knockedIt was a door that once opened to a lifetime of happy memories but that is now closed, permanently. At least for me. — I was 10 years old when I first knocked on that door. If I had known just how momentous that knock would be or that I would one day earn my living as a writer, I might’ve made a note of the date. But I didn’t. I had been invited…Childhood Memories3 min readChildhood Memories3 min read
