This blog has been difficult to write, and many might find it difficult to read. It is about the death of my oldest and closest friend. Not to write something about Neil would have been unthinkable; after all, we had known each other for over sixty years and during the last fifteen of these, since…
Being At Home in One’s Space
Buying a house is exciting. Doing the renovations that make the new house feel right is demanding and important and can go on for years. Indeed, after selling our big family house just before I retired and using the proceeds to buy two ‘replacements’- one, our current home in the suburbs of London and the other…
Benjamin and John Were Wrong
As a young adult, when friends stayed at our house for more than a few days it raised real difficulties. The problem was that houseguests obliged me not only to be polite and sociable, but also to forgo some of my everyday and precious routines. Accordingly, it suited me to follow an adage which was,…
Cars and Me – a New Rapport
In the last weeks I have realised that there are things about cars that are important to me, and this must have been the case for years. Until now I have seen my attitude to them as one of general disinterest. As a child I rarely played with toy cars, and later, unlike some of…
In Praise of Bus Drivers
Over the last weeks buses have proved a life-saver. The problem has been that walking even short distances has been difficult - it is my right knee this time that is giving me trouble! Despite this difficulty, by knowing the network of bus routes that we have nearby - and there is a choice of…
