“The Power of Acceptance” 4 minute read It’s my birthday this week and I’m about to turn 50. Well actually, it’s only half that statement that is true. And the part that isn’t, is the whole purpose of writing this article. Confused already? Then let me explain. It is indeed my birthday this week, but…
SYML – Crossing Journeys in Manchester (9th October 2025)
“SYML – Crossing Journeys in Manchester (9th October 2025) 13 minute read We often hear that the world is a small place, and this week that was proven to be true. Life is often lived on auto-pilot, with hardly a thought as to what we’re doing or why we’re doing it. We move from day-to-day,…
SYML – A Gatheryng in London (7th April 2025)
“SYML – A Gatheryng in London (7th April 2025)” 11 minute read SYML was one of my favourite Christmas presents of the past few years. It was Christmas 2019 and I was settling into my new home, having completed a house move just a few weeks prior. Though my selection of decorations were undeniably sparse,…
Solo in Seville – Part Five
“Solo in Seville” – Part Five 18 minute read Previously in Part Four of “Solo in Seville” – Things feeling different, unexpected changes in weather, changes in plans because of said changes in weather, quiet time reflecting, coffee, there’s always coffee, buying an umbrella from a smiley man, damn that umbrella was easy to find,…
Solo in Seville – Part Four
“Solo in Seville” – Part Four 12 minute read Previously in Part Three of “Solo in Seville” – The safe walk of death, adventures with Sylvester Stallone, a lesson about olives, the potential for weather-induced disappointment, concentrated wind, though not of the farty-type, flashbacks to Iceland, fun facts about rabbits, almost making a new friend,…
Solo in Seville – Part Three
“Solo in Seville” – Part Three 16 minute read Previously in Part Two of “Solo in Seville” – Giant wooden mushrooms, first day wobbles, getting shafted by security but not as badly shafted as somebody else, cue a reflective moment, a glamorous lady on a plane, and a snake on the plane (without Samuel L…
Solo in Seville – Part Two
“Solo in Seville” – Part Two 12 minute read Previously in Part One of “Solo in Seville” – Talking about the ending of a relationship, observing the differences between travelling solo and travelling as a couple, reflecting on life, both the celebrations and the potential for regret, plan B becoming the new plan A, and,…
Solo in Seville – Part One
“Solo in Seville” – Part One 11 minute read The truth about my trip to Seville is that I needed to escape life for a little while. It’s taken me 45 minutes to write that sentence, because up until now I’ve been sat staring at a blank screen, ruminating on how best to start this…
Save Some Things Just For You
“Save Some Things Just For You” 5 minute read When I mention the movie Saving Private Ryan, what is the first thing that comes to mind? The opening sequence of Steven Spielberg’s 1998 movie was ground-breaking, with the recreation of the Omaha Beach landings being unlike anything we’d ever seen on the silver screen. The…
Maddy’s Story
“Maddy’s Story” 16 minute read Life has a habit of taking us full circle. It had been 36 years since I’d last seen Maddy, a best friend of mine from junior school days. Yet as we sat in the upstairs room of Ashley’s Bar in Shrewsbury, it immediately felt familiar. The last time we saw…
The Myth About ‘Finding The One’
The Myth About ‘Finding The One’ 9 minute read Do you believe in finding the one? Do you believe that somewhere on this planet there’s that one special person that’s just waiting for you to come into their lives? Have you ever held the belief that we only ever have one real chance at finding…
Why Top Gun: Maverick Has Been So Successful (and What It’s Meant To Me)
“Why Top Gun: Maverick Has Been So Successful (and What It’s Meant To Me)” 14 minute read I could never understand the fascination with Top Gun. And this is the original movie that I’m talking about, which was released in 1986 when I was just 8 years old. I recall seeing it for the first…
The Story of the Butterfly (and the death of DMX)
“The Story of the Butterfly (and the death of DMX)” 4 minute read I was listening to a podcast recently and heard about the passing of rapper, DMX. Although I cannot claim to have been a fan as such, it was still sad news to hear given his relatively young age. I continued to listen…