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MEANWHILE…#6
This is what I’m getting up to lately… Reading: Reached my Goodreads challenge of 52 books in 2025 but I found I wasn’t enjoying some of them as much as I should because of the challenge aspect. So this year I’ve reduced it to 26 to see if that helps. Coming to the end of Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series. Loved every minute of this series and can’t wait for the final ever instalment due – book 17 – out next month (sadly the author died in late 2024). Watching: Having binged all of the Vera and Shetland series in 2025, we’re currently on season 5 of Endeavour the prequel series to the excellent Inspector Morse saga. Every bit as good as the original. Listening To: Practically no music of late. Just not in the mood. Although Spotify set my listening age…
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Thoughts on Retirement
It’s NOT All About the Money Having surfed the internet for a long while now I can confirm most of the content produced in relation to retirement is about getting the finances right before you take the leap. That is an understandable perspective and is justified given the vagaries of the economy over the past couple of decades. I’m an old-fashioned sort of guy in many ways and like a lot of people of my generation I never got involved in stocks and shares or speculation of any kind. I saved when I could, paid my contributions to my work pension scheme, and kept my fingers crossed. I’m not recommending that as a strategy, but it was how I did it. At times in the years running up to my anticipated retirement I was so sure I…
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MEANWHILE…#5
This is what I’m getting up to lately… Reading: Just finished “The Half Heroes” series by Ian W. Sainsbury. Loved it but couldn’t help feeling the third book was a little rushed at the end. Rereading Julian May’s “Saga of the Exiles” Series after 40 years. Finished book 1 The Many Coloured Land and most of the way through book 2 The Golden Torc. Every bit as good as I remembered it to be, despite some language and references that would cause a bit of a stink if it was published recently. The series is out of print and I had to buy the four novels from an online site selling second hand books. When the ban cheile saw the well thumbed books she was amazed I’d actually have books that battered. But the urge to read…
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Toxic Masculinity & The Emerging World Order
I have to admit I’ve always had a fear of the pendulum effect when it comes to societal developments. Like every other person who welcomes improvement in equality and the practice of tolerance and respect, I celebrate every step forward with a sense of joy and a sigh of relief. These steps go a long way to help restore my faith in humanity in general and those who take risks to benefit others in particular. But there has always been a faint murmur of concern at the back of my mind when those changes appear to be part of a wave of change rather than a constantly mounting ripple of reform. Newtons Law of action and reaction comes to mind – for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. That’s what I…
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MEANWHILE…#4
This is what I’m getting up to lately… Reading: Not reading anything like the volume of books I should be reading since I’m in holiday mode for the past couple of weeks. Just finished Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. It’s a really satisfying twist on the whodunnit. Just started The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland. A SciFi (sort of…) novel about quantum physics and magic. Watching: Not finding TV very satisfying lately. Sticking to my staple diet of Luke Cage Season 2 with a smattering of Who Do You Think You Are? – both US and UK. Jessica Biel and Liv Tyler came across as very likeable indeed. Listening To: TED Talks mostly and some Robert Thurman podcasts on Buddhism. Making: Bookmarks from stone and beads and elastic and stuff. Doing: Enjoying “pottering” – nothing…
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MEANWHILE…#3
This is what I’m getting up to lately… Reading: I’m reading two books at the moment. The first is the latest from John Connolly Game of Ghosts and the other is for work Professional Development As Transformative Learning (!) by Patricia Cranton. Watching: Coming down from a staple diet of DC and Marvel binges, I’m on the lookout for something meaty. NCIS and Bull are keeping me sane in the meantime. Listening To: Not much really if I’m to be honest. I’m relishing the silence of late (a lot of voices ringing around my head all day in work at the moment). Making: Concentrating on the blog lately means the pieces of slate I picked us to make jewellery are still decorating the boot of my Jeep. But soon…very soon. Looking Forward To: The weekend.
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MEANWHILE…#2
This is what I’m getting up to lately… Reading: I’m reading two books at the moment. The first a thriller I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. The second a very interesting book called Quiet by Susan Cain. Both are on my #BigBookChallenge list. Watching: As well as the usual gogglebox fodder I’ve been watching Childhood’s End, an adaptation of an Arthur C Clarke novel written in the 1950s. Listening To: Believe it or not ABBA! I heard an interview on the radio a couple of weeks ago that said the type of music you listen to can help kickstart your day…I’ll keep you posted. Making: At the moment I’m buying picture frames and distributing them around the house. It’s part of a clean sweep to change the look of the place and brighten things up for the summer. They’re appearing on walls but…
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MEANWHILE…#1
This is what I’m getting up to lately… Reading: The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. I’m a huge Connolly fan and think the characters that populate his Charlie Parker novels are amazing. This novel is more fantasy/fable type than supernatural crime drama like his other books. Just started it, but already hooked. Watching: Madame Secretary, Elementary, Blue Bloods but I’m trying out South of Hell. The possessed woman uses her inner demon to perform exorcisms. A cast of unknowns as far as I’m concerned shows some promise but the jury’s still out. Listening To: James Taylor’s new album “Before This World”. Nine out of the thirteen tracks are worth a spin. ‘Far Afghanistan’ and a haunting version of ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ are the stand-out songs. Taylor sounds as good as ever and the sleeve notes certainly give context…
