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
British Campsites: How to be Good (and How to be Evil)
Camping in Britain. There’s a right way…and a wrong way. So here’s both. Spoil Ye Not Look for pitching sites that have already been used – but not overused. Aim for the ones that have already been churned into a quagmire, or are so spectacularly well-kept that they can only be bowling greens or prized lawns. Why do this? Because … Read More
Reader’s Digest books: Read and Digest
It’s recently struck me that Reader’s Digest, one of the most popular magazines in the world, is a paper-based blog. Staunchly populist – and conservative and anti-communist, depending on the era – the magazine has been publishing condensed news stories and adverts in a visually arresting fashion since 1922. It’s uncluttered, breezy and the kind of thing you’d read when … Read More
Train Travel In The New World Order
For some time now, I’ve been working diligently behind the scenes to secretly bring about a brave new global order. (I haven’t talked about it before now for hopefully obvious reasons). There will be many sweeping changes, and I look forward to discussing them with you – or, to be more specific, telling you about them in advance. For example, … Read More
Foundations
There’s one rule you should always follow when dining out in York, and it’s this: look up. My home city is head-scratchingly complicated. Thinking of opening a restaurant within the walls of York? Welcome to a heritage minefield, where you can’t unlatch a window without applying for planning permission first. Everything around you is deeply and highly old, and old … Read More
6 Ways to Crank the World Back into Shape
Fevered Mutterings v3 – October 5th, 2008. Cranks will save the world. Nothing to do with Jason Statham, thankfully. No – I’m actually talking about mechanical power. And it’s something I feel strongly about. Philosophy. Labor-saving. Labour-saving. However you spell it, it’s become a curse. The theory is great. We use technology to make our lives more efficient, allowing us … Read More
Tea Bags and Glad Reps
(Fevered Mutterings v1: 10th February 2005) Some people look down on tea-making. The job title tea boy is synonymous with the lowest rung of the task ladder. If you’re making the tea, you’re probably a temp or you’ve been very bad (“what do you mean, you crashed the server? Oh, go and make the tea”). In my mind, this is … Read More
TV Is What Films Will Be When They Grow Up
I’m a reluctant cinema-goer nowadays. This is because broadly speaking and generalising wildly, I’m a grown-up. Please excuse me the following rant / soliloquy. (I like to vent occasionally: it makes me a better person the rest of the time, in theory). Right. I love a good story (and yes, I’m a scifi/fantasy geek, but not exclusively). I want my … Read More