Most recent posts
Brightening things up a bit
Like everything else at my house, the garden is a perpetual work in progress — probably still a few years away from matching the picture in my head. The challenge…
Keep reading
My “OG” house in a wonderfully green estate
I’ve lived in my house in Rugby for a year and a half now, and it’s slightly embarrassing to admit that in all that time I hadn’t properly explored the…
Keep reading
Poland’s National Philharmonic Orchestra
Poland’s premier orchestra is currently touring the UK, and by happy coincidence their schedule aligned perfectly with mine. They opened the tour at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall today with a programme…
Keep reading
Unforgettable Winter Trip: Belfast and Carrickfergus Highlights
I took a short, wintry escape to Northern Ireland, spending a couple of nights split between Belfast and Carrickfergus, and it turned out to be one of those trips that…
Keep reading
Poland’s Christmas Markets
The Christmas market in Poznań felt intimate and welcoming, set against the colorful Renaissance façades of the Old Market Square. Wooden stalls clustered around the illuminated town hall, filling the…
Keep reading
Winter Trip to Scarborough
I ventured north for the first weekend of December, dropping off gifts and seeing my brother’s new house. Also catching up with my mum, it was her retirement and birthday…
Keep readingSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Scenic Canal Ride and Wildlife Encounters: Captivating Moments Along the Route
I put in an 11 mile round trip along the Worcestershire & Birmingham canal. Unsurprisingly there was lots of young families along the route, especially geese and swans. My Specialized…
Keep reading
Back on the Bike
Finally – some nice weather! I’m not a fair weather cyclist but when you’re out of the groove you tend to wait until the right moment. That means nice weather…
Keep reading
Sunday’s super ride
I took a bike out on Sunday afternoon with a singular mission: to average +17mph on a 20 mile ride, something I’ve fell short of all summer. I found some…
Keep readingSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Work Office: coming on like a slow chess match
I’ve got no intention of moving on (unless compelled) from my job, so I might as well make myself at home. It takes what feels like an age to personalised…
Keep reading
Back and At It
I took my site off-line for a while, partly because it’s been (pretty much) all work since January. In the last day or two I’ve started to make progress around…
Keep reading
One Year On: the Home Front
A year is a long time.Except it isn’t. With a demanding full-time job and a packed calendar (I flew 23 times in 2025 alone), a year can feel more like…
Keep readingSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Office Week
A quote I commend is: “You don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.” This week has been a systems week (see…
Keep reading
Geranium summer
I’m hardly in a position for the garden to be a hot priority, but I do try to ensure that the occupants of my pots are alive with some prospect…
Keep reading
Light hearted room in a serious household
My home is my office, gym, workshop, private park (perhaps overstating its grandeur), gallery, library, storage unit, and much else besides. It’s serious business — partly because a fair portion…
Keep readingSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
An unexpected V.I.P.
Unbelievably exciting! I occasionally see my much loved hedgehog(s) on the security cameras, but I’ve never seen him during daytime. I saw some rustling in the bushes and assumed it…
Keep reading
Modest 2026 Dreams: my Rangemaster
It has grown bitterly cold in recent days, hovering around freezing both day and night. This short-term shock of extreme cold (by UK standards) and the longer-term chill of economic…
Keep reading
Being Brompton-less as a London Commuter
They say you don’t know the value of something until it’s gone, and there may be some truth in that. Halfway through the autumn semester, something freaky happened to my…
Keep readingSomething went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Dr Martin James 