Ever Decreasing Circles 15 Aug 2013 | 03:06 am

My phone rang today. Nobody ever phones me, apart from my wife, who likes to find things for me to do. I was almost grateful until I heard the unmistakeable acoustic of an Indian call centre: "Hi, I'm...

Three Quotes 12 Aug 2013 | 04:17 am

This isn't really a blog post, but just three quotes that struck me during the last week. They are all far longer than 140 characters, so Tweeting wasn't an option: 1941 - Czechoslovakia "Some Czech...

The Seven Year Itch 9 Aug 2013 | 03:50 am

In a couple of days, this blog will be seven years old. From what I've read that's unusual, as many blogs reach the end of their natural life much earlier. That said, I'm aware that this blog doesn't ...

The Ladybird Book of the Recession - Part Three 2 Aug 2013 | 08:07 pm

This is a hotel. It is a place where people can sleep and eat, if they are away from home. They are called guests. Many people work in the hotel to look after the guests. The lady is called a rec.....

Going Back For Air 23 Jul 2013 | 01:17 am

In literature and film, the general consensus seems to be that it is a mistake to revisit the past. Places and  people change. Any attempt to return to the scene of a long-cherished memory can only en...

Mrs Woolf and Mr Bennett 2 Jul 2013 | 06:10 pm

During a recent illness, I had to spend a few days in bed and quickly became very bored. After an unrewarding browse through Twitter, I remembered how much comfort I'd derived from reading Of Human Bo...

All Tomorrow's Parties 28 Jun 2013 | 03:10 am

I was in Smith's earlier today, waiting for my wife to buy a present for a child's seventh birthday party. There seem to be more parties than there are children in my son's class. I don't understand i...

The Ministry of Abandonment 22 Jun 2013 | 01:41 am

Middle England 14 Jun 2013 | 01:40 am

Today I set off on another futile quest to find some stock for my business, driving 135 miles to a meeting that lasted for five minutes. The address sounded promising enough and I envisaged a vast ind...

Meetings With Unremarkable Men 8 Jun 2013 | 04:04 am

This morning I set off on a 140-mile journey, for a meeting that I knew was probably going to be a complete waste of time. It was my fault. I'd approached a recycling company to see if they had any b...