How learning to ride became a journey of self discovery.
Category: Experiences
Getting the ring fixed
A cunning plan with a golf ball | A sunny riverbank | Nudists After that proposal in Paris 12 years … More
The best places to watch the London marathon
A spectator’s guide to the London marathon.
“Vine leaves! We just want vine leaves!!”
Why do some tourists act differently in restaurants on holiday? The other day I was at a beach cafe with … More
So, what does it mean to be ‘acting suspiciously’?
A few days ago I was surrounded by four policemen with automatic weapons who were asking me what I was … More
Just one of those days when the travel stuff goes wrong
Kuala Lumpur | Ubud to Gili Trewangan | Inventing the Lost Phone Dance I knew that my travel expertise, if … More
The F*** word, the trickiest word in the English language
F word is perhaps the most varying and interchangeable word in the English language. Mesmersing, confusing, even bamboozling, sometimes cool in the right company and nearly always crude and vulgar.
The rose bush that didn’t give roses
See that rose bush above? Beautiful isn’t it? It is ever so deceptive and if you enlarge the picture you … More
The awkward incident of the cat in the afternoon
The lengths I go to to protect my cat. Honestly. It was so embarrassing I haven’t seen my next door … More
Bird talk: how an innocent childhood hobby got the whole class laughing
Preface: in the 1980s the word bird was used as British slang to mean a girl or a woman. It … More
My mum, the pilot
A young girl was once told that women should not fly aeroplanes. My mum just went on to do it anyway and became a teenage pilot.
My Mum the Pilot
In honour of International Women’s Day, I’m reposting a blog post I wrote a few years ago which was featured … More
A Merry Assamese Christmas (repost)
Man, those Assamese really know how to party. Here’s something I’m reposting from a couple of years ago, fond memories … More
A funny incident in the men’s loo
Men’s bathroom protocol | What goes on in the men’s loos? | What is a loo? | A funny incident| … More
The stages of going bald
It’s a very tricky time when when a man goes bald. Give him a break, it’s tough man. What’s hardest … More
Finding a face in a marathon race
I WOULD run a marathon but I’m ashamed of getting overtaken by a man dressed as a gorilla in a … More
Where was A-ha’s ‘Take on Me’ music video shot?
Who’d have thought, the little café round the corner has a proud secret – it was the location of one of the most famous MTV music videos of all.
Ever fallen in love with a stray dog you shouldn’t have fallen in love with?
The pack of beach dogs that played in the glinting waves, trotted purposefully onshore and shook off their sea-drops. Heads … More
Mistakes on a Train: a Helpful Traveller Goofs Up
Travelling can bring out the very best in us; we help each other with heavy luggage; we give up seats; … More
Miss Freeman’s woodwork class: the end of my days of mischief
It took a moment of brilliance from a school teacher to turn me around and push me on to the straight and narrow. Her name was Miss Freeman and she taught woodwork .
Moonlight on the Waves
When lovers first meet on a chance encounter, there’s usually a chain of random events unfolding up to that moment. … More
Where to propose in Paris
I had always said to my then girlfriend Sarah that I would never propose to her in Paris; ‘it’s too … More
The Revenge of the Typo: How a Print Error Nearly Ended My Career
We all make typos don’t we? Of course we do, because we bloggers are human and proofreaders are luxuries. Nevertheless, … More
What is Cambridge blue?
Last weekend we went for a long punt in Cambridge; we glided on the glinting River Cam in a flat-bottomed … More
The fox in the box
One evening a fox was dying in my back garden. Its fur was patchy, its eyes were sad and watery, … More
Going bald: the journey through pain and pleasure
Once, when I had hair, I revelled in it joyously; I had a quiff that sat up proud like a … More
My Lost Brother
Winter outstays its welcome by the end of February – the low sunlight through bare branches holds no warmth, the … More
Me, Myself and Wine: reflections on a dry month
Drunk at age 15 months, making wine at age 13. Dry January has given me space to resist and reflect … More
A soliloquy from your discarded Christmas tree.
Bejewelled and adored for 12 days, the centre of a family. Now jettisoned like rubbish amongst the black bags. I … More
The Missing Child
A few years ago, I found a lost child in a shopping mall. (First published in The Eclectic, June 2010) … More
Hey Loons 