My parents have a fantastic vinyl collection. The soundtrack of my youth varied between my mum’s Beatles, Elton John and Rolling Stones records alongside my Dad’s Uriah Heep, Jethro Tull and The Band albums. It was also not uncommon to come home from school to hear mum blasting Pavarotti through the house, a habit I … Continue reading The Show Must Go On
Stay Lucky
Poetry has long been a companion of mine. Reading and writing it with various degrees of enthusiasm and success has been a part of my life since I first fell in love with Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes as a child. I had entered poems into competitions years ago, and while I never won anything, they … Continue reading Stay Lucky
It’s Alive!
I can’t remember exactly how old I was; I assume around 11. I was standing in the foyer of a theatre somewhere in the small university town of Grahamstown (in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa) during the annual two week arts festival. This adventure was to become something of a family holiday pilgrimage during winter school breaks … Continue reading It’s Alive!
One night in Dalston
It was exactly how I imagined it. Queueing outside an East London location, walking down a claustrophobic corridor decorated with what could be described as 'anatomical art', and lit with flashes of bright clashing colours, and then descending worn wooden stairs into a tiny basement space. It felt a bit of a blur as I was sick with … Continue reading One night in Dalston
Muthaflippin’ Good Fun
3rd July 1973 at London's Hammersmith Odeon (as it was then known), David Bowie famously took to the stage as Ziggy Stardust for the last time. Ending a tour, he retired the enigmatic character that night and popular music was never the same. 45 years later to the day, a sold out crowd waited patiently for … Continue reading Muthaflippin’ Good Fun
A Place to Bury Monday
Mondays are traditionally the most rubbish weekday. Sobering thoughts of work and general adulthood responsibility tend to creep in around sunset on Sundays as I prepare to be a slave to the alarm for the next five days. My Mondays were brightened during the winter by the ukulele hootenanny in Hoxton which was both a great catch … Continue reading A Place to Bury Monday
On the Buses
Before travelling last month I asked friends and colleagues for any recommendations when visiting Berlin. Museums, attractions and restaurants were added to my list of holiday possibilities, but one excellent suggestion I'd not considered was the Hop On Hop Off bus network. Ubiquitous in London, I think of these buses as a purely tourist notion which I didn't think … Continue reading On the Buses
Lest We Forget
My planned adventure to Berlin had a more ‘exciting’ start than planned with airport delays and taxi drama; all of which increased my general sense of ‘whelm’ on my first day. A big breakfast and abundant cups of coffee later, I stepped out for my first exploratory walk. I had booked a tour in the afternoon, but thought … Continue reading Lest We Forget
A Solo Adventure
It was about half noon or so that I walked into Murphy’s Irish Pub on Friedrichstrasse. It was warm, mild and slightly overcast on my first day in Berlin. I realised I’d succumbed to being one of those tourists I hate that flock towards familiarity. Here I was, sitting on a table overlooking the Spree … Continue reading A Solo Adventure
Ultimate Jam
Summer is drawing to a close and I’m not ready. I’ve become accustomed to the heat, the sort I remember from my childhood, and the luxury of scheduling barbecues safe in the knowledge that any rain forecast was unlikely or any showers brief. I think I went for at least a month without taking a jacket … Continue reading Ultimate Jam
Redhead Ramblings 