Haikus from the Past – everyday life in September 2011

Dip into these 30 haikus from September 2011, to find out what life in London was like a decade ago.

A very coffee New Year: are we a nation of caffeine junkies?

Happy New Year! *small phut of a damp party popper going off* Yes, it’s the first blog of 2015. And, as is traditional, it’s the time of year for writing lists of resolutions, looking back at the past 12 months or looking forward to the trends for the new year… so, in the spirit of […]

Choose your seat with care: a plea to the commuters of London

This isn’t so much a blog as a plea to the commuters of London. I’ve been travelling to work on trains for many years and one bit of commuter behaviour has always puzzled me. Actually, scratch that: it hasn’t puzzled me, it’s annoyed the hell out of me. First, let me set the scene. You […]

The hazards of bus travel: public transport nightmares

And so, the first post of 2014: a new year and the time when bloggers turn to tales of resolutions for the coming 12 months… but being contrary, I’m going to share a short story with you instead, written a couple of years ago when I was still a card-carrying London resident – as you’ll […]

The agony of the middle-aged runner – running, fitness and creativity

There comes a time in a man’s life when he feels the need to take up running. Call it a mid-life crisis, call it a desire to improve your health, call it a need to wear inappropriately tight lycra – it boils down to the same thing. We get a bit flabby around the tummy […]

Somebody pick up the phone – why music shouldn’t be background

As someone who hot-desks in several different offices, and as a regular commuter on trains full of business people, I’m often subjected to other people’s dubious choice of phone ringtone. Now, we all want our ringtone to be individual – there’s nothing worse than a phone ringing and three people around the meeting room table […]

We are sorry for any inconvenience – getting your messaging right

Back on the topic of commuting once again… It’s been a week of trauma so far for Britain’s commuters and the rail companies whose services they use. The ‘UKstorm’, as it was hashtagged on Twitter, managed to wreak havoc on the rail system before it had even arrived. The vast majority of rail companies in […]

The joy of commuting

Yesterday marked my return to the office after a month in Australia. The change in the weather was hard enough to cope with – going from 30+ degrees and sunshine to 13 degrees and drizzley rain was never going to be pleasant – but the return to commuting was an even more bitter pill to […]