don’t know about you, but I am feeling increasingly violated by phone calls and text messages trying to sell me PPI claims for loans/credit cards that I’ve never taken out. Sadly, my personal canine PA Leia is not quite in a position to answer the phone to deal with it on my behalf, but she has found a great way of dealing with unwanted mail that pops through my postbox.. Read more

One of the things you quickly realise when you are thinking of having a puppy (or even a child for that matter) is that everyone seems to have an opinion on the subject of what will happen, when, and to what extent your life will change. Getting a puppy seems to draw upon a depth of people’s own personal experiences suggesting it’s going to involve everything in the house being chewed to bits, there’s going to be poo and wee everywhere for a bit, and your wife is going to leave you because she thinks you love the dog more than you love her. Read more

We’ve a new arrival in the house. A super cute 11 week old labradoodle puppie called Leia. Yes, she’s named after the Princess in Star Wars because she’s got gorgeous ‘puppy-like’ eyes, and looked great next to Jabba the Hutt in  ‘Return of the Jedi’

The Previously Unvisited Supermarket Aisle

It’s weird, but for years I’ve never really checked out anything to do with the dog section of any of my local supermarket. Now I have a dog, so there’s a hole new part of Waitrose and Sainsbury’s that has been revealed to me even though familiar and well explored by so many others shoppers..

Read more

I am fascinated about the subject of how we came to be who we are. Did we pop into existence as blobs of goo, and over time become the things we are today? Alternatively, was there some super amazing handyman involved at the beginning? In all the scientific evidence that is out there, which answer does it best point to?

So for those of you interested, here’s some basic questions I’d love you to answer!

1. What are the chances of inorganic chemicals clumping together to form a simple cell capable of life? Read more

I’ve something to admit. I like watching birds. Yes, the feathered variety is drawing my attention more than the ones I spent my teenage years pondering over.

Yet if this attraction is a factor of one’s age, the giggle I still feel inside when I tell my wife that I saw this type of bird in the garden  is an assurance that I am still not fully grown up.

Better still, I have a spot in my downstairs living room (well, downstairs is all open plan as I’ve knocked all the walls out, so call it what you like) where I can sit with my coffee, look out beyond my pond (which from this angle is a bit like a moat) and pursue the wildlife in my kingdom (back garden).

Read more

Part 2 of this delicious shed tour takes us a few steps down the lawn to the Tea Shed. Just as lovely as the Egg Shed, but well, does tea, coffee, hot chocolate and home made cakes. Sadly for those like me used to espressos & lattes, the coffee is of the instant variety but tea generally doesn’t require any special hardware to make, so the Tea Shed is a great place for tea and cake. However you like your refreshments, the Tea Shed is a delightful place to visit. Read more

Has there been a time when you discover something, or someone, so absolutely wonderful that you wonder why you’ve not discovered it before? Well, recently I discovered both, first the place, then the person behind the place, and was amazed at how good both experiences made me feel.

Now before I get carried away, I want to say this experience reminded me of my first iPhone in terms of how it made me feel. You know when you love what it does for you instantly, and the more you investigate, the more you discover just how wonderful it is? It makes you feel like someone has put so much love into something that it overflows out and kind of makes you feel loved too. Read more