My Waterloo

Train travel is all the rage. New/revived sleeper services are springing to life across the continent. There are new glacier train services in Switzerland/Northern Italy. I have my eye on quite a few train trips. It would be madness not to give them a go. As a railwayman,I get fantastic discounts on rail travel across …

Twenty Twenty Three

The frequency of my posts here dwindles further with each passing year. But on my other blog, I post as regularly as I ever did. No more. No less. One post a year. Every January 1st, like clockwork. Or calendarwork. A collection of photos from the previous year, curated according to a strict set of …

The Abyss

I went to the Lightroom in Kings Cross last week to take my seat for the Moonwalkers experience. It was fabulous. Worth the entrance fee? Well, £27 seems a bit steep to me, but I got in half price with my student card so I was happy. It’s an all consuming experience, blasting away at the …

I Win: 51st Edition

Today is the one day of the year that I let myself have a little bit of a gloat over other folk dying. Ha ha, you died. I didn't. Because today is the day I hit another birthday, and get to an age that other far more distinguished folk didn't. I've reached 51. Not every …

Don’t Be A C*nt

Once upon a time, in an English class I was giving in Mexico, the students wanted to discuss swear words. Bloody, piss, shit, wank, fuck were duly explained. Eventually someone asked about the worst word in the English language. What does c*nt mean? You just can't say it in civilised society. Even in the movies, …

Autumn

We made it to October 14th this year. And it was Mrs P who succumbed. Normally it's me, suggesting - very sensibly - that we test it out to make sure everything is functioning correctly. But this year it was her. I got a text in the evening to tell me she's put the heating …

Apple Day

I have sort of settled into a three year product upgrade cycle with Apple. One year I buy a new iPhone, the next an iPad and the year after that a new Apple Watch. This year, it was the Watch’s turn. I have a Series 6 and this year they released the Series 9. I’ve …