Category: THINGS I LOVE
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Highlights from Sigur Rós’ Enchanting Performance, Royal Albert Hall
I was lucky enough to have two life firsts very recently: seeing Sigur Ros play live and seeing a show at the Royal Albert Hall. The combination was transcendent and hypnotic, a two-hour journey that blended sonic beauty with emotional depth, leaving the audience spellbound. Opening with the swelling strings of Blóðberg and anchored by…
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A Great Addition: Crockett & Jones
By great fortune, Northampton happens to be a global centre for handmade shoes of the very finest quality. John Lobb, Loake, Church’s, Edward Green, and Crockett & Jones are among the legendary names still manufacturing in the town. With over 250 pairs of footwear, I have little need to add quantity to my collection—but there’s…
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Experience the Magic of My Neighbour Totoro in London
I’m no great fan of Japanese anime, but I am a fan of stepping out of my comfort zone—especially when it leads to something that reconnects you with the magical world you once craved as a child. My Neighbour Totoro, currently playing in London’s West End, offers exactly that: a few precious hours of escapism,…
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Not everything in Britain is crap: our postboxes are AWESOME!
For years now a secret army – armed only with needles and yarn – have been designing and gifting letter box toppers to the general public throughout the UK. It’s the only example of David Cameron’s “big society” I know of, although this wonderful trend has nothing to do with political losers like him. Here’s…
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Spring Cleaning
Ideally today I would be out in the garden taking care of the many outdoor tasks to be done. Unfortunately the weather has been highly variable, with regular showers getting in the way of anything useful I might do. So I have shifted my attention indoors and towards the long-overdue task of sorting my bathroom…
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Uplifting my Accessories Game
There comes a moment in life when you realise enough is enough: you’ve got so many jackets, coats, shirts, shoes, jumpers, etc., that buying any more would border on madness. So what’s a man to do? Simple: go big on accessories, which take up little space yet enable subtle variations on existing outfits. This uplift…
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Never Enough Time: enjoying the local park
Yesterday I managed to swing by my local park, seeking to follow through on a typical summer commitment to cycle rather than drive when running chores. In a truly impressive act of idiocy I locked my bike outside the doctors, only to realise that I had the wrong key for the lock. I therefore had…
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Digital Nomading in Glasgow and the Highlands
I’m no stranger to life on the road, having had a part-time driving job (amongst others) during my PhD. At this point in my life and career I am growing accustomed to an alternate digital version of work whilst wondering. Why not get about? For much of my time a laptop, smart phone and WIFI…
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A fine night at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham
If it’s good enough for Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp it’s good enough for me and the fine people of Birmingham Business School. The Grand Ballroom has a fine reputation and I can see why – it’s spectacular. It was a night for our students and rightly, they were the stars of the show.
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Rocky Horror
It’s felt like a long time coming, my girlfriend of 20 years ago was obsessed with this raunchy musical. Back then it was 30 years old, now it’s a geriatric at 50! It hasn’t aged a day though, naughty British comedy-cum-farce at its finest.
Dr Martin James 