New year letter

Dear Ant Well done for making it to the end of another year and the start of a new one. … More

What you read in 2015

This blog would be nothing without its readers. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, made a comment or a … More

Dear Michael I picked up your book the other day and wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying … More

It’s complicated. Say you are out and about and want to buy a cup of coffee. I’m not going there, … More

‘There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as … More

An event of this magnitude Overshadows the destruction of the Berlin Wall And the troubles in the Caucasus. –Robert Rehder, … More

I first met Maurice in the sitting room of a mutual friend, a lifelong Labour supporter, the night after the … More

‘80% of success is showing up.’ -Woody Allen I was chatting with a student the other day when I said … More

That CK Williams has died. More than two weeks ago! One of my heroes. This is the first thing I … More

Those kind and wonderful people at Change This have just released a new batch of free, downloadable manifestos. These articles … More

Now for the other life. The one without mistakes. –Lou Lipsitz A year ago I found myself not looking at … More

A friend recently asked me if I was writing. I replied, as I always do, saying that it was going … More

The Soho Hospital for Woman (IV) I am out in the supermarket choosing – this very afternoon, this day … More

I had bumped into a friend at the cash machine. We greeted each other, as we always do, with a … More

In the rift between what is going to happen and whatever we would wish to happen, poetry holds attention for … More

Sporting occasions are bad. Or the Corbyn result, that was hard. I seem to remember (no one else does) a … More

Goulash A crucial ingredient is the right frame of mind so abandon all ideas of getting on. Stop pedalling, dismount, … More

The afternoon was drawing to a close when I knew I had hit the wall. On its own terms there … More