In July 2015 my Mum was scheduled to fly over from Adelaide and stay with us here in Bristol for a couple of months, because it’s nice to get away – especially in winter. In May 2015 one morning I woke up and immediately knew something was wrong, and confirmed …
2015 has been interesting for me – it felt like I didn’t have much at all in the way of spare time or spare money with which to do stuff. That’s not to say that we didn’t have any fun, but the time really rocketed past & seemed to be …
My Dad passed away on November 7th following a short and fairly unexpected battle with cancer. We had his funeral on Friday the 14th and though we’re all sad that he’s gone, everyone’s been saying that they thought it was a beautiful and celebratory service for a generous and warm …
Saturday September 6th 2014 was an important day. I was away at Maltstock in The Netherlands (one of the best whisky festivals on the planet), but my mind was frequently on a little back-street pub in Clerkenwell – The Gunmakers. For on that day was the farewell party of Jeff, …
In Soho, the walls have noses. I’d heard a few times from cab drivers and London trivia goons about there being a nose in Admiralty Arch, and that – for example – as part of The Knowledge exams that cab drivers take they’re told to drive from somewhere like “The …
I’m usually pretty cynical about the effect of online petitions, however one turned up in my inbox this morning through the form of a blogpost by the excellent beer writer: Mr Pete Brown. The matter in question is that of the UK’s “beer duty escalator”: a tax measure implemented by …
It’s just past the middle of Movember, and you’ve had to endure my constant pleading for funds for a couple of weeks – so I thought I’d treat you all to a glimpse of how this year’s sub-nasal adornment is going… After an initial gestatory Chopper phase, I brandished the …
As someone who spends a fair bit of time around booze at the moment, there’s a teeny weeny little issue that’s been bothering me for a while, and like any niggling issue it has grown over time to be a source of disproportionate frustration. The problem is when someone’s describing …
Mid October already?! Well, as anyone who’s known me for any length of time will be able to tell you, that time coincides with only one thing: the preparatory phases for… MOVEMBER Starting on October 31st with a clean-shaven face, then participants in Movember grow as much of a moustache …
Among the things I already do to over-occupy the fleeting amount of spare time I have on this little blue-green planet, it seems the latest addition is thatnks to the enthusiasm and cooperation of The Whisky Guy – Mr Darren Rook – and booze blogger Mr Billy Abbott: a new …
