A Scilly Swim (But Not Yet)

MikeachimThe Everyday5 Comments

The approaching shoreline is an arresting one. A few yards up the cream-coloured beach it’s England – well-kept hedgerows, chalk-dust paths, everything with that tamed look so welcoming to Anglophiles. Except this is the Atlantic. All around, the UK continental shelf is having one last fling with the open air – a scatter of low granite islands, nibbled inwards with … Read More

What Is A Staycation?

MikeachimThe Everyday12 Comments

As the leaves turn golden and Christmas approaches, our thoughts naturally turn to what truly sucked about 2009. Top of my list? “Staycations”. Oh, you horrible, horrible word – a wretched portmanteau of “stay” and “vacation” (and perhaps a silent “bullshit”). British media coverage has been intense. Every newspaper, every radio presenter – such as this one – and every … Read More

Workin’ on the Chain: 16 Reasons We Need Bikes

MikeachimThe Everyday15 Comments

It’s the British National Bike Week – and on Thursday, I’ll be attending the University of York Cycle Fair (PDF). Please excuse me while I enthuse wildly on this subject. A Matter Of Fact Remember those long summer holidays where you bronzed your limbs by cycling helter-skelter down country paths, enjoying the movement of the pit of your stomach when … Read More