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HOVErheard*: The Tattoo

HOVErheard*: The Tattoo

Two very reasonable parents discuss the tattoo their student son has just got on his arm. You get the sense the parents have had some wild days themselves and are hardly prudish. Mother is doing most of the talking. Mum: It is very big though, isn't it? Boy: No, it's not. Mum: And well, it ... Read more »
Eton couldn't run a state school

Eton couldn’t run a state school

I'm embarassed to say the Prime Minister and I share Eton College as an alma mater. But unlike David Cameron, I had the greater privilege of learning more than a thing or two in the state sector. If Cameron had been to a comprehensive like me, he'd know that Eton just doesn't have what it takes to ... Read more »
Royal Jelly Mould with Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Rose

Royal Jelly Mould with Princess Elizabeth and Margaret Rose

I picked up a thing the other day in a charity shop and I can't really find anything about it online. So I throw it over to you. Do you know anything about this glass jelly mould with the images of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose on it? I intend to sell it on eBay, so I asked that ... Read more »
Sue Bailey's Funeral

Sue Bailey’s Funeral

Sue Bailey was buried on Thursday. She was a close and dear friend to me for many years and I was privileged to attend her funeral. Let me share some reflections, for those who weren't there. It was a small gathering. Eleven people. Mostly family. It was raining. In woodland, near London, there ... Read more »
The peaceful, natural burial ground at Clayton Wood

The peaceful, natural burial ground at Clayton Wood

My friend Sue writes at London Cemeteries and described her visit to Epping Forest Burial Park recently and how it changed her view of burial. Like her, I previously favoured cremation (or even burial at sea, in my more eccentric moments) until I visited a natural burial site. Cremation ... Read more »
The language of civil partnerships matters

The language of civil partnerships matters

It's astonishing that New York has only just legalised gay marriage. There are some very touching pictures in the Guardian. The word is right though: marriage. And changing the law in this country does, to a very large extent lie with simply changing a few words. I'm pleased that we have civil ... Read more »
What did the Prime Minister know? And when did he know it?

What did the Prime Minister know? And when did he know it?

The resignation of Rebekah Brooks was inevitable. That Sir Paul Stephenson has resigned too, on the same day as Brooks’ arrest, is remarkable. Surely David Cameron is next in line. I’ve been saying it on Twitter and down the boozer for at least a week. Tonight, even Iain Dale thinks it’s a ... Read more »
In praise of Christopher Hawtree

In praise of Christopher Hawtree

One of the great surprises of the City Council elections in Brighton and Hove in May (Yes, yes, the ones where I got absolutely thrashed by the Cllrs Kitcat), was the victory in Central Hove ward of our very own local eccentric Christopher Hawtree. Needless to say, when I call someone eccentric, I ... Read more »
Contrition from the Chancellor of the Exchequer?

Contrition from the Chancellor of the Exchequer?

... Read more »
Argus Apostrophe Ouch

Argus Apostrophe Ouch

I can't help thinking that this frankly awful error is the result of Newsquest cutting staff, especially those wonderful sub-editors who are fastidious as a class. Hear me now. You can't run a newspaper on a shoestring and maintain your reputation and readership. The cracks are showing at the ... Read more »
Reading List: January 2011

Reading List: January 2011

(I’m sticking to my 2010 resolution to read a book a week. Here’s what I read in January 2011. And excuse the tardiness, I'm clearing out scribbles that I haven't blogged yet.) Instinct, Ben Kay. Insects. Bloody big insects and bloody thousands of them. I grabbed this in December because ... Read more »
Reading List 2010: Entertainments

Reading List 2010: Entertainments

Back in at the start of 2010, I resolved to read a book each week for pleasure over the course of the year. My total at the end of the year was 48, which isn’t too bad. The general election campaign gave little time for reading and I blame that for my falling short. That said, I did read The ... Read more »
Blogging 2011

Blogging 2011

I’ve been blogging in various forms, and on different sites and platforms, for pushing a decade now. I’ve blogged as myself, helped others blog and also ghost written bloggery (usually in a corporate context) too. This site has been my personal blogging home for more than a few years but I am ... Read more »
Worst Royal Wedding? George IV and Caroline of Brunswick

Worst Royal Wedding? George IV and Caroline of Brunswick

(A little guest post I did for someone else as a favour. Shameless recycling) The prize for the worst Royal Wedding ever could easily go to the man who would become George IV. He was Prince of Wales at the time and later Regent. George married his first cousin, Caroline of Brunswick, in 1795. ... Read more »