My coffee machine broke and I didn’t have the heart to throw it away, so I learnt what I needed and fixed it. My Sage Barista Express which I treated myself to over a decade ago has been serving up to 30 coffees a day without fault. It’s a great machine if you are a coffee addict like me. Beautifully engineered and reliable even though the price tag is rather high.

In November 2023, it began to make horrible noises suggesting something mechanical was going wrong. Part of me was considering its retirement due to its age and excellent service. However, as with my 1989 Defender – it was too good to say goodbye to.

Considering the historical industrial powerhouse that Britain used to be, what went wrong? After the decline of Britain as that powerhouse, it transitioned from the “nation of shopkeepers” to what we have now: a nation of consumers. Judging by appearances, it seems these consumers consume excessively.

It started in the 70s with the birth of the health and safety culture. In the early 2000s the mantra ‘safety is our priority’ crept into public life. In 2023, safeguarding is the activity on virtually everyone’s mind who lives in public life.

This particular house in Norwich was one of 7 others the landlord owned just in this particular street. The landlord owned another 40 or so properties elsewhere in the city. All but one were privately rented out at suitable ‘market rates’. Although I thought 47 properties sounded a bit excessive, it isn’t uncommon for a private individual to own this many.

The UK is a leaky bucket and we’re looking in the wrong place to keep it full.

It’s clear the UK has some serious problems ranging from rampant obesity, poor mental health, demoralised staff, anti social behaviour and decaying roads. Are we looking for the solutions in the wrong place? That’s what this article is about.

Prices are Rising! Are you worried?

I know the media is prone to create headlines that induce worry into its readers, but the prediction of increases in the cost of living are probably real so I think we need to get used to it. Is it such a bad thing?

Hurry! Don’t Miss out! Save! Limited time only. Click here. Etc.

Have you ever studied a cauliflower and looked closely? It sounds odd, but having rediscovered cauliflower cheese recently I’ve also discovered the beauty of the cauliflower.

This question has frustrated and challenged me for years. It has helped me understand new things and showed me how little I understand most things. The question is: “How hard can it be?”.

Some background: before moving to Norfolk in 1987 I grew up in North London on a staple diet of Star Wars and old World War 2 films. ‘Show me your papers’ was a common request in the war films and led to me realising how thankful I was to live in a free society like the UK.

The abundance of biographies out there published during lockdown suggests people are finding time to do things they wouldn’t normally do. Well here is my contribution: writing about my desk.

Another day of the morning routine. Wake up. Make coffee. Let chickens out. The half-awake routine was wonderfully interrupted by something other than the chorus of eager chickens wanting to break out of their house and have breakfast. There was a big egg in the run. Bluey greeny sort of thing that had to have come from something much bigger than a chicken, after all, it seemed to weigh about as much as one of the chickens so the hole it came out of was much larger than the ones chickens had. Read more

On Friday 26th January, I was woken up ahead of my normal 530am time by what appeared to be a chicken celebrating an early morning egg. When doing the rounds  of letting dogs out, feeding the chickens etc, I noticed one of the chickens was a bit bedraggled. Mavis appeared she had gone for a swim in the river, which is a bit odd. The penny dropped, foxes had made a visit and despite getting away with nothing, had spooked one of the girls into the river. That at least, was how it seemed. Read more

Remember marble runs when you were little? There was something so wonderful about putting them together and seeing a marble end up  where it should. That fascination never ends – even at 48 I was equally fascinated by how the Moors in the 9th century channelled water from one place to the other. In this case, the old waterways feeding the pool in the Andalucian shack I was staying in. Read more

A brief ditty about Aldi, Hall Rd, Norwich. I went in for some wine and some milk (both great quality and price!). I overheard two Spanish students discussing Pizzas and cheekily said in Spanish I think the best is the chicken and chorizo one. I asked a friendly English chap with one arm about the brioche burger buns and he seemed really pleased to be able to help.

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