One of the many things the pandemic dislocated is the start and the end of the year. What even were January and February 2020? A forgotten prelude, unconnected to the real 2020, which began when we went home from the office in March. When the shops and the schools closed shortly after. When the sunContinue reading “A Year in Books, 2020”
Category Archives: In My Life
On Noticing
I’ve been working – or at the very least, sitting at various desks, typing – for about 18 years. Before I had a career, I thought what I would do was write literature, or at the very least, serviceable novels. Then I spent a few years as a technology journalist, and another few as anContinue reading “On Noticing”
A Year in Books, 2017
I’ve had trouble sorting out what I read last year. The books themselves aren’t sorted. We moved in November – so they’re still all piled up in the corners of the house, like snowdrifts. Paperbacks I’ve not seen for a decade or more are sitting right at eye level, while my copy of one ofContinue reading “A Year in Books, 2017”
A year in books, 2015
I always seem to read the same number of books a year. A lot of things change, but not this. I’ve been recording it for ten years or so, and it’s always 24 or 25. It’s not one every two weeks; I cram at Christmas and in the summer. Maybe now my body just knowsContinue reading “A year in books, 2015”
October cycling BHAG update
It’s starting to get dark earlier; 7:30, 7, 6:30 so that now it’s dark when I leave work, not just when I arrive. Sometimes I find cycling at night dull; there’s a flatness to the city, a literal lack of light and shade. But there are some good rides in the dark, when it’s notContinue reading “October cycling BHAG update”
July Cycling BHAG Update
July is supposed to be midsummer, but here in England it’s not so sure; the weather is sketchy, blowy and cool, the sun fleeting. Sasha has fixed the troubles with his road bike – fitting hand built wheels with strong spokes in place of the good-looking but fragile stock ones – so we tend toContinue reading “July Cycling BHAG Update”
London to Brighton charity cycle ride, this weekend
Speaking of cycling – yes, I realise it’s pretty much all I do on here now – this weekend I will be pedalling 55 miles from London town down to the seaside in aid of the British Heart Foundation. I’ve got a heart, you’ve got a heart, and some cash would make both of ourContinue reading “London to Brighton charity cycle ride, this weekend”
The 2011 Cycling BHAG
At work at the moment, we’re contemplating the BHAG (pronounced ‘bee hag.’) The BHAG isn’t an old crone. It is, perhaps, slightly monstrous. Certainly, it should provoke a small amount of fear, a smidgen, a brief, cold press up against your heart. Mainly though, it should be inspiring. The BHAG is the Big Hairy AudaciousContinue reading “The 2011 Cycling BHAG”
If I Was Yours
In honour of them wining the Grammy, and because this is the first V. day I’ve spent on my own for eight years. Though that isn’t as entirely sad as that sounds; it’s both absence and space. If I was scared I would And if I was bored You know I would And if I wasContinue reading “If I Was Yours”
The best book I read last year was The Odyssey
2010 was often a rotten year, both in books and out of books. Not that I am blaming the books you understand. If anything, there was comfort to be taken from the fact the pages did not misunderstand me by being full of sweetness and light. Instead the books I read were often frustrating, fullContinue reading “The best book I read last year was The Odyssey”
The Wired Jester 