There is a good reason why this blog is appearing on this site and this is about to become clear. That said, I should probably temper my excitement, but dare-I-say-it, I might have stumbled inadvertently upon a breakthrough in my world of book non-sales. A Phoenix might have been clutched from the flames in more…
The success of this blog will depend on its tone. It is a subject I am most often asked about and one which does feature in my writing but only by implication. Pride is something we should be mindful of. It is one of the seven deadly sins and with good reason. Up there with…
Heading to the Cancer Research charity shop with my black bags, I have mixed emotions because any feelings of altruism I might have are overshadowed by the thrill of decluttering our home. Outside McDonalds are tens and tens of scooters all parked up. Leathered riders, in-between jobs are smoking and jabbering to one another in…
Like in all things human, there is a hierarchy within comedy. Comedians understand this and we accept it. Not all comedians are the same. Some comedians are funnier than others and the funniest comedians tend to be the most famous although not always. It is often said that well-known comedians can work less hard (get…
The last blog of an eventful and somewhat blighted year which began with a lockdown and ends with a quasi-one in the UK with people duly terrified by messages from our leaders imploring us to be very afraid. But Christmas arrived anyway and remains most people’s favourite time of the year. A time for family…
A week of landmarks and sporting incidents colliding to reveal and expose human traits and quirks which I imagine (or hope) we are all subject to. Patrick’s 17th birthday was additionally exciting this year because all his big brothers were in London and free to celebrate. Tom was ensconced in a palatial London hotel for…
It is expected that my memory is increasingly unreliable. Huge swathes of my past have gone forever but then occasionally little vignettes recur. A happy memory is offered up that I am grateful to be reminded of. A recent example involves the Banana Cabaret, a long-standing comedy club in a huge South London boozer called…
We are familiar with adrenalin junkies. We see them online doing very stupid things. Feats that normal people marvel and laugh at in equal measure. People leaping between buildings or base jumping or diving off cliffs… And as compelling as these feats are, I always fret because having survived, they are likely to seek out…
Just like sun tans, holiday romances and/or friendships rarely endure. They’re usually things of their time and place and they can’t easily be replicated or prolonged. Although not always, as happened to us some 18 years ago on a disappointingly cold all-inclusive holiday in Turkey when we encountered a couple with four very young children…
I am aware that people can develop a phobia about opening their mail. Old school mail I mean, the stuff that comes through our letter boxes although I expect that this fear applies to electronic mail also. I understand this phobia or anxiety. Despite my frequent email culls, rather unhelpfully my inbox keeps a tally…
