I’m sitting on the couch in the house in Oxfordshire looking at photographs taken and listening to audio recorded while we were in Spain last
Year: 2009
Weekending
Yesterday – Saturday – was fun. I spent most of the day judging at a Hunter Trial at Ascott-under-Wychwood. This meant sitting in a car
Dun travellin’
(for now, at least) We are back in the land of the very peculiar people. I say this because I am still getting many phone
More travels
So we’re back from Liverpool. Soph (bless her), has unpacked, shoved a load of washing on and is upstairs splashing around in the shower. I
Scouseland
We are in Liverpool. Our very nice hotel is on the waterfront next to the Liver Building. Last night, as we walked around the docks,
Room service
Hi there, said Soph. Can I order two hot chocolates for room 302 please? We really know the meaning of the rock’n’roll lifestyle, two top
Levelling off
This Reality podcast episode 60 is up and finally – finally – we’ve hit on the correct method of getting the levels and balances right
Speaking of shallowness
He said, breaking the Merseybeat theme that seemed to have somehow grown around the last few posts… Have I told you about my time down
The Air That I Breathe
After my Hillsborough post I received an email from a previously anonymous reader in Germany. Hello previously anonymous reader in Germany. In her email the
Ferry ‘cross the Mersey
This weekend I’m heading north from this corner of Oxfordshire to Liverpool. Woo! The plan is that I’m going to meet LizSara and Miss Smidge
It was twenty years ago today…
Let’s get one thing clear from the start. I detest football. It is, in my eyes, a game played by a professional class, the top
Oi, Morrissey!
You’d better rewrite the lyrics to ‘America is not The World’. Especially the bit that says: In America, The land of the free, they said,
Day 4 of the holiday
I was awake far too early, so I quietly slipped downstairs where I internetted whilst listening to inLight (because they really are as good as
Day 3 of the holiday
I teetered out of bed, fetched mugs of tea and bowls of cereal and we sat in the morning debris of our duvet-set, eating and
Day 2 of the holiday
Continuing the shift from what passes for our normal Bank Holiday behaviour… For some reason we woke up early this morning, 07.00 early. When we’d
Two kids, a pair of Mics, random chat and good music
Yep, This Reality Podcast episode 59 has been released on the world. It’s like musical goodness, but with conversational badness on the side. Well, with
Day 1 of the holiday
In a massive swerve from the (our) traditional unfocussed bumbling about the place, today we have been busy. We cleared out the spare bedroom, dismantled
Yay it’s Saturday. I mean Friday!
The Friday Bank Holiday that is known as Good Friday is upon us. I’m not celebrating it for the holy day that it’s become latterly.
Oh. Is it lunchtime already?
That would account for the feeling of ravenous hunger then. So. Sainsbury’s then. The Sainsbury that is dangerously close to my primary lair in Westminster
Sorry I’m late, I needed a poo
A long commute can be very beneficial. I get free WiFi, a 13 amp socket, free breakfast, free copy of The Independent and sufficient space
Podcast poll #8
(these go out on twitter, the results will be discussed in This Reality Podcast, episode 59 which will be recorded/released this weekend) Podcast poll #8:
A day in the life of…
A librarian? This Reality Podcast episode 58 has been released. In a massive experiment this episode is co-hosted by a listener who shares just one
Hello Towson University
If you are doing some research would you like access to my old blog? If not… Have a nice day. 🙂
BBC Switch? It’s all a load of shit
BBC Switch is the brand for BBC content aimed at UK teenagers. The brand launched on Saturday 20 October 2007 on BBC Two. It includes
Best wishes
To fellow equestrian, my mate going back many years and occasional commenter here, Vicky, who had a fall with her horse Rupert. Vicky has fractured
Podcast poll #7
(these go out on twitter, the results will be discussed in This Reality Podcast, episode 58 which will be recorded/released next weekend) Question: Podcast poll
Musical stuffish
I’ve published the podcast’s first gig review over here. inLight. A truly excellent band. You will be able to listen to 1m 22s of their
I’m thinking about unusual clothes
A couple of hundred years ago I used to have a pair of flairs (or was it flares?). Not the namby pamby flairs that the
Podcast poll #6
(these go out on twitter, the results will be discussed in This Reality Podcast, episode 57 which will be recorded/released this weekend) Podcast poll #6:
If a picture paints a thousand words
Then why can’t I paint you? The words will never show the you I’ve come to know. I guess my street cred is now in
Competition news!
I’m late with this but better late than never. It was a tough fight. And some of you used mean tactics, tactics which showed a
I am apparently a real day starter
So the day begins with the usual run from Oxford in to London. And we have the customary table for four – two seats facing
Podcast poll #5
(these go out on twitter, the results will be discussed in This Reality Podcast, episode 56 which will be recorded/released this weekend) Podcast poll #5:
Well do something about it!
We are back from County Kildare. This road sign is a common one (well, we saw it twice): So if you knew that a piece
Weekend stuff
It has to be a really early bed this evening. We need to be at Birmingham airport for an 06.30 check-in and an 08.00 departure.
The ecstasy and the agony
Juxtaposed title with apologies to Irving Stone, amongst others There is so much shit and grief going on in my life at the moment that
Podcast poll #4
(these go out on twitter, the results will be discussed in This Reality Podcast, episode 55 which will be recorded/released this weekend) Question: What sins
The Funniest Thing In The World Today
There’s an old saying that runs along the lines of ‘owners grow to resemble their pets’. Or perhaps it is that pets grow to resemble
Scratching on a piece of (digital) paper
I am writing again. The second novel (Helicopter!) has stalled because I can’t get the characters right. I need to pull back and possibly try
Where being bright does not mean being intelligent
There have been hundreds of miles of accumulated column inches produced about the 2009 season of the British quiz programme ‘University Challenge’. The primary reason for
Sunday not Bloody Sunday
What could be better than driving up to Stratford on a Sunday morning? What could be better than spending four hours with Amy and her
The Daily Mirror; the epitome of literary skank
And then… hours later (presumably after someone pointed the error out to at least one of the many editorial staff employed by the Mirror Group):
Stream of subconscious
This is just going to be a run through the randomness of the day Saturday has been a really weird day. There was a definite
The remains of the day
I am on the way home. It is 21.17, I’ll be home about 22.40. I’ve been up since 04.45. That, my friend, is a loooong