In 2016 I chose three words to focus on during the year, following a suggestion by Chris Brogan, and I repeated this in 2017, 2018 and then 2019, when I chose: responsible – source – alive. How did I do in 2019? Responsible – I believe outsourcing personal responsibility to government, large technology companies and … Read more
Ticket to ride This ticket started me on a journey 50 years ago on Saturday, 2 August 1969. I didn’t know it at the time, but that train journey from Paddington to Ilfracombe, on the north coast of Devon, would bring me to the place where I would live 50 years later. We had a … Read more
My trusty lawn rake must be 29 years old. My Dad gave it to me, I think, as a birthday present the year Mrs Z and I moved into our first house, which had a garden some 50 feet long by 11 feet wide. To me, this was paradise. The house I was born in … Read more
In 2016 I chose three words to focus on during the year, following a suggestion by Chris Brogan, and I repeated this in 2017 and then 2018, when I chose: nibble – rest – clear. How did I do in 2018? Nibble – I succeeded in making a lot of changes and once I had started, … Read more
I’m not a fan of clipart or stock photography. I think this comes from seeing so many web sites and brochures showing pictures which have nothing to do with the organisation publishing them. If a company wants to demonstrate that it has happy, smiling employees, why not feature photos of its people rather than stock … Read more
The clock in our kitchen stopped working at the weekend. It’s a quartz clock with a battery in it, nothing special, but it’s useful for keeping an eye on the time when cooking or when we need to go out or do something at a specific time. We changed the battery, but it wouldn’t go. … Read more
Yes, feet are essential and my feet are essential to me. I walk a fair amount, usually between 15 and 22,000 steps a day, but I didn’t always. When I was younger, I used to cycle a lot, but then stopped when I started work and got a car. For quite a few years I … Read more
I am working with a business colleague to launch a new business exhibition in the area. It’s quite exhausting, but also frightening to get this off the ground. A lot of preparation has gone into it and we are just starting to promote it. We’re at the stage when you do things and get no … Read more
I was astounded to see that I started this blog 10 years ago with the entry: Drama coming . . . . . . soon. This was a reference to my heavy involvement in amateur dramatics at the time and my role in publicising six or seven productions every year. Since then, I have blogged … Read more
I was exhausted this morning and didn’t make it to the beach, much to the disappointment of deep spaniel eyes – we’ll go tomorrow, I promise. This made me realise that I needed to relax today and I decided to make a cake ,as I find baking very calming. The other day, we had been … Read more
I have always enjoyed photography, although for much of my life did not spend much time on it. Moving to live by the sea and walking with our dogs have given me plenty of opportunities to take more photos. Five years ago, after we lost our dear two spaniels and there was a lot of … Read more
It’s said that time heals or that painful memories grow less painful. 46 years ago, doctors were scratching their heads for five weeks as I was jabbed, x-rayed and subjected to all manner of medical tests, because they couldn’t find out what was wrong with me. (Some of those close to me say they still … Read more
There seems to be more advice on how to avoid procrastination and improve time management than we could possibly take in, but they can still remain a problem. There are many reasons for procrastination – from tiredness to fear, lack of motivation and boredom – and getting to the cause is a good idea. Why … Read more
Reading the news can be depressing. Institutions and organisational structures everywhere seem to be failing and instead of reforming, improving or replacing them, more time and effort is put into squabbling about what to do than doing anything, and faith and respect in our ‘systems’ are disappearing. Many see the solution as joining a side, … Read more
YouTube is a good place to discover new artists and among my favourites are Camille and Kennerly, the Harp Twins, who are driving their dual harp revolution. Camille and Kennerly’s videos showcase their performances of a broad range of music interpreted by them on acoustic and electric harps. These vary from classic tunes to TV … Read more
Early this morning, as I drove round the corner of a country lane, I was horrified to be confronted by three young wild rabbits hopping towards me in the middle of the road. Luckily, I was able to slow down and, realising the danger, they hopped on to the grass verge and disappeared through a … Read more
I’m taking part in the July 2018 Ultimate Blog Challenge and on day 2 I read a blog by Fran Asaro on the topic of Bringing Crazy Back – 7 Ways to Lighten up You and Your Business, which really struck a chord with me. Much of my career has been spent on serious … Read more
You may have seen news reports of the second poisoning by a nerve agent in Salisbury, England. Most importantly, I hope the two people recover fast as, however it happened, this type of incident is horrific. I’m not going to discuss the incident itself as I feel I can know little of what really goes … Read more
I’m impatient, but I’m also patient. The older I get, the more I seem to become both. I can’t figure it out. As a child, I remember wanting things: a new bike, my first cassette tape recorder, a camera, hifi equipment and more. In those days, we saved up, putting aside some pocket money each … Read more
I paddled in the sea at Woolacombe again this morning, throwing a tennis ball for our dog, before starting work. What a blessed life. But it’s not always sunny. On wintry days, we’re struggling along the beach in wellies with our faces sandblasted by the wind. But still it’s a blessed life. We moved from … Read more