A wet mid-October day here in West London. The weather has prompted numerous pieces on this Blog in recent months, including observations about the snow in early March and the summer’s heatwave. Here’s another one. Three weeks ago, in late September, we had a mini-heatwave, with temperatures hitting 27 degrees centigrade (80 Fahrenheit). One weekday… Continue reading Soaking up the sun
The school holidays are upon us. My 11-year-old daughter has finished primary school, something that has been anticipated in various posts throughout the academic year, like this one about her most recent sports day. In September she starts at secondary school (senior school, or High School if you prefer). The last three terms have mainly… Continue reading Things you should know before you go to secondary school
When my father was in the Guards, back in 1950s Ireland, part of his training involved Ordnance Survey-style maps. Some of the Guards were new to the concept of contours, the lines that indicate how steep or gentle a gradient is. They didn’t get it straight away. You’re probably familiar with the idea. The smaller… Continue reading The 4-Ring Man, and empty crisp packets
Earlier this year, London’s free evening newspaper The Standard revamped its Puzzles and Games section. It now takes up two pages rather than one and has new challenges. There is a Battleships puzzle every day. (I haven’t got to grips with that one yet.) The Mini Codeword has returned after an absence of a year… Continue reading Planning journeys, and attention to detail on the London Underground
At the risk of sounding like a Grumpy Old Man here’s another minor irritation, prompted by some incompetent driving that I witnessed earlier this week. It concerns “Baby on Board” signs that some people display on the back of their cars, and the words below might be useful for anyone who has ever wondered whether… Continue reading “Baby on Board”
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes.” That’s how the saying goes. When I first heard this phrase it was attributed to the comedian Billy Connolly. It has also been attributed to the Victorian-era art critic John Ruskin, the explorer Ranulph Fiennes and the fell-walker Alfred Wainwright, as I noted in… Continue reading “There’s no such thing as bad weather”
As earlier pieces have noted, including this page on the Lyrics Menu, I spend a lot of time listening to, and thinking about, the words to pop songs. That’s why there’s a category for them on this Blog, but I think about lyrics far more than the 20 pieces published here so far would suggest.… Continue reading “Bobby’s Girl”
Our fridge is a little on the cold side. If you push things to the very back of it they might freeze. This is acceptable for bottles of water but not for cucumber. Last week a bottle of alcohol-free beer exploded after it spent too much time at the back of the middle shelf, so… Continue reading How to deal with frozen beer
Back in the 1990s I read many books by Carl Hiaasen, crime novels set in Florida. I enjoyed them enormously, and my recollections of them have merged into an indistinct mix of plotlines, characters and memorable phrases. The memory that comes to mind most often is of a character who always parks in the shade.… Continue reading “Always park in the shade”
As this year has progressed I have talked and thought a lot about privacy and secrecy, and the difference between them. It’s been the Big Idea of the year for me. I hope that you know the difference between privacy and secrecy. I hope that the people around you know it too. The more I… Continue reading Privacy and secrecy
The Compartments 