Listened to any of Pushkin’s podcasts? They pump out some great ones. A favourite is “The Happiness Lab”, which lives up to a promise showing how our brains are not always our best guides for our well-being or progress. Another one – “Against the Rules” – is just as...
We’ve been looking at rural properties. One near Little Hartley looks special. Why? It sounds ridiculous, but it’s the driveway. It has a long, winding, tree-lined driveway lined with well-established liquid ambers. As you near the home, the trees open...
A tell-tale our family is on holiday is a jigsaw puzzle. A Stackpool holiday isn’t a holiday without a tricky new puzzle. The puzzling can take all holidays, with the puzzle spot remaining frustratingly off-limits for non-puzzling activities until the puzzle has...
I used to sell shoes. Florsheim shoes. I thought I was pretty good at it. However, my mates used to say anyone could sell shoes when the shop is just outside the foyer of a Hilton Hotel. “What do you expect? If you’re going to sell fancy shoes, you’re in the perfect...
I’ve messed up again. I’ve used a story in two of my books incorrectly. The story is of a small group of WWII refugees scared so witless they have paid a guide to flee through freezing, mountainous, and enemy-infested terrain into safer territories. The...
Ever over-eaten? To almost being sick? My mother, Meg, had no sympathy for such a thing. Like sunburn and talking too much, she reckoned you only had yourself to blame. That’s the tricky bit. Realising you are the problem. Similar to the feeling of over-filling an...