To tinker; 'to attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way'. Now. I think it would be a fair assessment to say that I've never been the handiest of chaps when it comes to repairs or general DIY. Indeed, as a teenager, I once found myself locked out of the house... Continue Reading →
'Hi! Come on in! Have some gin! I've put tea & biscuits in it!'. Ok, so I've had more conventional welcomes (though none have ever been quite so enthusiastic!). And I'll admit to perhaps being a little apprehensive. But if I'm honest with you... he had me at 'gin' and 'biscuits'... But first - I... Continue Reading →
We all know THAT theme tune... An angelic choir sings. A full orchestra plays. A school bell rings. As a self indulgent sax solo fades, replaced by the sound of screeching tyres and a car horn, one of the most famous addresses in the cartoon world appears on our screens; '742 Evergreen Terrace'. And the... Continue Reading →
I can't watch '24 hours in A&E'. When 'One Born Every Minute' appears on my TV set, I'm watching from behind a cushion. I can't even watch 'Embarrassing Bodies' without cringing in horror! When I see white coats, scalpels and '10cc's' of something medical flash up on my screen I may as well be watching... Continue Reading →
Three. It's a magic number. Yes it is...Well, at least according to the 1990's smash hit from everyone's favourite hip hop outfit 'De La Soul' that is! But let's hold it there for a moment. How much can we really trust the opinions of 'De La Soul'?...Just how structurally sound are the foundations of this... Continue Reading →
It's Wednesday, around 12.37pm. And I'm having a 'mare'... 'But how did you get to this point?' I hear you gasp. Thanks for asking. I should probably start over... It's 28th December 2016 and I'm back in Evian, France, with the sense of having returned to the scene of a crime. A crime against gin!... Continue Reading →
If suggestions from the popular festive tune are to be believed, then on the first day of Christmas someone’s true love actually gave them ‘a partridge in a pear tree’… Now don’t get me wrong - I don’t want to come across as ungrateful. But this just isn’t the gift for me. I know nothing... Continue Reading →
Ah, Christmas. A time to reminisce over Christmas’s past and the innocence & joy that this festive time of year brings with it. But it was during such a moment of festive reflection that I was recently struck by the one thing that has been missing from my life all these years. You see, throughout... Continue Reading →
Cast your mind back. Nope, a little further than that...a little further...wow, not that far! Ok, I'll help you out.... It's the 18th June 2016. It's an unusually warm British Summers day and all is well in the world. The England football team are in the European Championships, with a sense of palpable national expectation... Continue Reading →
It's Tuesday, 3pm in Vancouver. And it's hot. It's almost too hot...An elderly lady, walking her well groomed poodle, has just informed my wife and I that we should be careful walking along this particular street. Not the response I was hoping for, given we'd only stopped to ask directions. But I remained un-phased. Don't... Continue Reading →
The Gin Shelf 
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