‘For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Tom - Matt’s bigger, little brother!’...cue laughter. Dammit. I’ve got to hand it to him, that was a strong first line and a rapturous reaction. The sort of opening gambit that would ensure his audience would pretty soon be eating out of his hands, willing him... Continue Reading →
We were in close proximity, and engaged in a standoff that had been waged more times than I cared to remember. And as the war of words continued, locked in a battle of who could hold their nerve the longest, I knew I was going to lose my bottle... And I mean that in the... Continue Reading →
If you’re anything like me, the activity of recycling comes hand in hand with the daily debate of ‘...wait. Is this thing even recyclable?!’... It’s a moment of blind panic that quickly subsides as I remind myself that, yes, of course glass bottles are recyclable! (empties being somewhat a hazard of the trade I’m afraid).... Continue Reading →
Life is very seldom black and white. And perhaps that’s never been more true than at the current time of writing, with Coronavirus in full swing. You could say that living in the grey is proving to be more than a little...unique. But if there’s one thing that unique times call for, it’s an equally... Continue Reading →
And just like that, completely unexpectedly, she announced it was over. I was devastated. At ‘19’ I knew that I liked her. At ‘21’, I was in love. And by the time we got to ‘25’ we had decided to set a date! I felt like the luckiest guy in the world. The venue was... Continue Reading →
‘But Pink is a manly colour!’ she protested, the frustration and sheer exasperation starting to show, as the debate raged on. The battle lines had been drawn... It was the very early 1990’s, and I was around 8 years old. And the subject of this heated exchange? A pink coat. More specifically, MY pink coat.... Continue Reading →
I always find it amusing when I hear people use the phrase ‘did you grow up in a barn?!’. The general rule of thumb when this throwaway, semi passive aggressive, remark is dropped is that the perpetrator will have left a door slightly ajar or perhaps strewn an article of clothing askew on an armchair.... Continue Reading →
I sat there, my head in my hands, feeling nothing short of mortified. With the feeling of helplessness setting in, a single tear rolled down my cheek and on to the table. This was my hell... My mom had just served up dinner and had enthusiastically pushed the plate towards me. But upon seeing what... Continue Reading →
So there we were. Two children, stood in front of a rather fancy looking patisserie counter, confronted by a perplexed (and by now mildly annoyed) looking French lady with her hands on her hips. But how did we get to this point?...Allow me to explain. I forget the year... but we’ll say it was around... Continue Reading →
As a kid, I’d always fancied myself as being a bit like Bruce Willis. Not in a creepy ‘Sixth Sense’ or ‘Look Who’s Talking’ kind of way... specifically in a ‘Die Hard’ kind of way! (from any of the original trilogy, but excluding the 4th film. That was rubbish!...sorry Bruce). Yep. If anyone was to... Continue Reading →
The Gin Shelf 
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