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

British Campsites: How to be Good (and How to be Evil)

MikeachimThe Everyday10 Comments

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

MikeachimThe Everyday14 Comments

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

MikeachimThe Everyday12 Comments

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

MikeachimThe Everyday5 Comments

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

MikeachimThe Everyday4 Comments

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

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(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

MikeachimThe Everyday2 Comments

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