Last month, Mrs P and I went to see Paul McCartney at the O2 Arena. Yes, acoustically it’s a terrible place to go see a concert, and he’s in his 80s and yes, he’s going to include far too much dross from his newer albums. But apparently you have to go see Macca at least … Continue reading My Favourite
A belated happy new year, anyway. How was your 2024? If you’re reading this, then you survived it. That’s the important thing. It was ok, I guess. I live for travel, so on that basis I give 2024 a C-. I didn’t get in any long haul destinations. But I did tick off four new … Continue reading Happy New Year
It’s time for my annual brag, based on my survival and the failure of others to make it this far. Let’s start with William Shakespeare. Terrific writer and all, but couldn’t handle his syphilis. Allegedly. Next up is Napoleon. He conquered a big chunk of Europe, albeit temporarily. We have both met our own Waterloos … Continue reading I Win : 52nd Edition
Travelling around the world gets easier every year. Pandemics permitting. It used to be tougher. A lot tougher. The most fabulous property in Bournemouth is now a museum, the Russell-Coates, dedicated largely to the globe trotting exploits of the very wealthy Victorian couple that it is named after. Rich not only financially, but in leisure … Continue reading The World
I've just had a long weekend away in the Baltics; first stop Tallinn in Estonia. It's a delightful city. Very pretty, compact and with plenty of history. The history of the last few hundred years is entwined with their large neighbour to their east, Russia. Because the Ruskies have repeatedly occupied the land known today … Continue reading Free Speech
Last month, I took Mrs P for a posh birthday lunch. And by posh, I mean extravagantly expensive. Far more expensive than I’d choose for my own birthday meal. To be fair, I smoked for 32 years and would struggle to discern any notable difference between a £15 Prezzo pizza and a haute cuisine £50 … Continue reading The Soft Launch
The election is less than a fortnight away, and the main parties have published their manifestos. As I understand things, what we have on offer is this: The Labour Party are going to start renaming everything, the first two words of which will be 'Great British...'. The Tories had a crack at this a couple … Continue reading The Manifestos
The Mexile 