My Gran has stood in the same spot waving goodbye to visitors for 40 years. It's one of my oldest memories. I have a thousand versions of this. Leaning over the back of a car seat waving till She was totally out of sight. Or now, a wave, a double tap of the horn and a glance in my review mirror, wondering if this is the last time. The neighbours have gone or changed, my parents have gone, yet … [Read more...] about A Concrete Reminder
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Good shoes are no mean feat
Humans have been protecting their feet with some kind of covering for at least 26,000 years. Some studies of the bones of ancient humans suggest as long as 40,000 years. The Egyptians were the first to take this seriously, creating pads of leather or papyrus bound to the foot with two straps. Depending on region and climate some areas around the world developed shoes independently at … [Read more...] about Good shoes are no mean feat
If You Can Fix Soles, You Can Save Lives.
If my Granddad were still alive this year, we'd be celebrating his hundredth birthday. We often made fun that his birth was the second major disaster of 1912. When he died he took a thousand stories with him. And just as many songs. He was a guarded man. The few stories we shared only offered a glimpse of the life he'd lived. Born in a field in the Ukraine. Before the First World War. Before … [Read more...] about If You Can Fix Soles, You Can Save Lives.
Instinct grows my beard. Shaving is merely maintenance.
I don't grow a beard. Thankfully it grows itself. This allows me to achieve something visible to all with very little effort on my part. I like it. It's a mask, its warm in winter, handy with an open face helmet on a motorbike and often it gives people the wrong impression of me. And there is much fun to be had in challenging peoples first impressions. If it starts getting in the way of my … [Read more...] about Instinct grows my beard. Shaving is merely maintenance.
The revolution won’t be advertised #SXSWi
I've just spent an age trying to write an in depth blog post about the chaos of this place. About the sprawling parties at so many venues, you stand in the street and go nowhere. About the conversations made up of one word.. 'Brand'.. about how wonderful it is to meet old online friends only to find you are in a space not conducive to connecting. About how there is so much good food and … [Read more...] about The revolution won’t be advertised #SXSWi