While Ben Stokes and Mark Wood were polishing off the Australian tail at Trent Bridge on Saturday morning, I was in the cellar. There are three things to take from that. First, that in the forty-one years since I first went to a test match I’ve seen very little that was as thrillingly unexpected or …
I was climbing with my son Silas yesterday. We’ll be doing that a lot this holiday. It’s brilliant fun – but it makes me anxious. Although the wall is only around four metres high, there are no ropes or harnesses, so if you fall, you hit the ground. I’m not brave and some moves make …
I went out for dinner on Monday night with my three children, Miriam, Esther and Silas. Miriam’s away at university now and Esther heads off in September, so the opportunities for us all to be together are increasingly limited. This dinner was special though, because until my birthday later this month, we are 100 years …
I went to a party last weekend, on the edge of Dartmoor. It was brilliant. Lots of old friends, more fun than I thought possible and even better than I’d hoped or expected. There was a cricket match for goodness sake. The party celebrated a combined 100th birthday for the hosts, an 18th for their …
Later on this evening, I’m going to be meeting up with some people I went to school with. There will be some very familiar faces, some I know less well, and more who’ll barely remember me, but the reason I’m going is for the handful I really love. These are my oldest friends, who have …
I am an art historian by profession and I work in a museum. The past is my business. I’m supposed to know something about it and to be able to teach about it. If I had one, therefore, the temptation to use a time machine would be very great indeed. Imagine the thrill of being …
There are three boys in my family and they like to climb, so quite often we head for an indoor wall near us to go bouldering. Bouldering is climbing without ropes, solving technical problems at no great height and with comforting safety mats in case of a fall. However, even though the walls aren't that …
Every so often, I have to travel for work, to teach or do some research. It’s great. I love travelling and I’m aware of the huge privilege it is to see new things and places, to talk to new people. The part of travelling I relish least, though, is the preparation. I stress about making …
I am constantly being showered with gifts. Every website I visit, every link I click on, every restaurant I eat at wants to offer me something: exclusive access, free postage, free pizza. Even if I just want yoghurt I’m told I can have some as a gift if I’ll only buy twice as much as …
So, last night, I’m at home, cooking macaroni cheese. Now, my macaroni cheese is good. It is rich and golden, it is unctuous and gorgeous. It is an artery-hardening, full-fat delight. There is much cheese, of many varieties. And that’s the problem. There are three boys in my house, Sam, Silas and Linus, and they …