You know, people thank God for all kinds of things. For their health; for their cats; for the scraps of batter at the chip shop. I understand these. But I’ve always been a bit bemused that people want to thank God it’s Friday. That Friday Feeling is surely a myth because Friday always seems to …
It hasn’t been the greatest week at work. Not that the work itself has been bad; some of it has been a joy. But you know how it is from time to time; and I’ve been finding it hard to know exactly how to be. In private it’s easy: I can curse and let off …
It’s been a longish week, as weeks in January are wont to be. There have been the usual dark, early morning bike rides and bus journeys to get to work. So, no change there. But yesterday my boy Silas went off on the travels he’s been planning forever, and although he’s happy, I won’t see …
The end of November is frightening. December arrives and we’re suddenly sliding inexorably towards the holidays, towards the end of term, towards rest - but also towards deadlines and cut-off dates. These, to me, are moments of extreme stress. Once, when I was a student, I found myself very, very lost on the wrong side …
Although it was a very long time ago, the fact remains that I was once a child, and a child with all the boundless weirdness that only children possess. But even I am puzzled by the child I once was. My eating habits in particular marked me out as an odd little boy. Fancy foods …
I have not been sleeping well lately. This is not a problem with actually going to sleep. I am excellent at going to sleep. Along with ‘having warm hands’, going to sleep is one of my superpowers. I can go to sleep anywhere, any time; on a bus, on a train, sitting down, standing up. …
A couple of weeks ago I went for a walk. And then, last Friday, I took a long ride on a bus. These were wildly divergent experiences. The walk was on Dartmoor, and was as bleak and magical and terrifying as a walk in South West England can be. Starting in the north of the …
I am not a young man and so it’s a relief, midway along the journey of my life, to find I am mostly not lost in the dark forest. I can do my job. I have helped raise children I am proud of. I know how to hold a knife and fork. I am, at …
It used to be the case that our house was full of unaccountable noise. In the night, there were bangings and crashings. Doors opening and closing with tremendous force. Whispering voices in the small hours, then howls and sudden bursts of cackling laughter. It was like living in a horror movie and it was, frankly, …
I bought a pot last week, while I was on holiday in Cornwall. It’s a simple pot: six inches of heavy stoneware, with a muted, speckled, grey-green glaze and faceted sides. There’s something ancient about it, something almost Japanese. But that’s enough Antiques Roadshow. Point is, it’s on my desk now, giving me enormous pleasure …