All the things I do instead of writing…
In November, I read an article in the Times written by Walter James, who turned 100 last year. It was entitled, "I remember love, just not how it feels". It was a beautifully written and poignant article, about both the practical hazards of a frail body, and the decline of sensibility that old age brings with... Continue Reading →
2012 was the year that everything happened at once, both in London and in my life. It's not really a topic that I imagine anyone would be terribly interested in; the narrative of London's marvellous summer of sport and all things royal has been covered to death on every slow news day from here to... Continue Reading →
After I wrote about how death is part of life, I came across an article about the decline of creativity in the advertising industry. Its writer was clearly extremely talented, both in his job as art director, and in his writing (although the punctuation was a little slapdash). Turns out most of his blog was... Continue Reading →
I recently read an article by the leader of the green party, lamenting the death of her mother in a car crash some years previously, and calling for all built up areas to have a 20 mph speed limit. While it's tragic that she lost her mother, it's somehow disappointing that people only campaign for... Continue Reading →
Monday morning after a holiday is never the best, and even worse in damp London fog. I walked into my first meeting of the day in Canary Wharf at 8 am, and the usual chit-chat ensued. Morning Freya. Lovely weather we're having. So, how was your holiday? Show us your left hand then!" It's a... Continue Reading →
When I picked up the Spiegel on my way back from Berlin, the title story was about the increasing popularity of "extreme sports". Apparently, mountain biking, climbing, surfing and base jumping all come into this category; although personally I'd put base jumping into the "unusual suicides" category. The article was about the way that people... Continue Reading →
I went to see the Paralympics today. The atmosphere was fantastic, and we had the good fortune of perfect weather - a beautiful sunset visible over the stadium, and the usual people-watching in the crowd, Mexican waves, random cheering and incredibly overpriced beer. It was still a bit depressing though. I was watching people who... Continue Reading →
In an effort to prepare for the hideous chaos that will be the London Olympics in 2 weeks' time, I ran home from work yesterday. For some reason, I constantly think that Liverpool Street to West Hampstead will take me an hour to run, which it never does. So after an hour I got a... Continue Reading →
The recent purchase of Instagram by Facebook amused me, not least the idea that a company valued at 100 times' earnings feels it can spend $1 billion on another company that makes no money at all. Basic economics obviously don't trouble people's consciousness any more now than they did in the South Sea bubble. The... Continue Reading →
Like many people my age, I was very sad to hear of Whitney Houston's death. It seems ridiculous being really upset all week about the premature death of someone you never even knew, but the voice is so familiar, and such a long background soundtrack to people's lives, that you can't help feeling like something... Continue Reading →
The resting writer 