Category: THINGS I LOVE
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London (visit #1 2024)
I attended a course of AI in teaching and learning and enjoyed some city time whilst I was at it. The January sales still had a bit to offer so I loitered around the West-End for a couple of hours on Sunday 21st.
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Ludovico Einaudi live in Birmingham, 18 Oct ’23
No words can describe – in ’23 I have seen two contenders for the world’s greatest living composer. Hans Zimmer’s Manchester show was amazing in June and Ludovico Einaudi simply refused to be upstaged in Birmingham. It started soft and meditative (one man and piano) but after about an hour the strings and other instruments…
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Wine bargain
Since last Christmas I have been monitoring the price of this blanc de noirs Champagne. Aldi stubbornly refused to discount it and then suddenly – 2 weeks ago – they bumped £6 off per bottle. Of course, it sold out and all that was left was a price tag, much to my chagrin. The average…
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A Doctor day treat
Not only is it an anniversary but there was no rain expected for once. The Gods had clearly decided that I should pull out something special from my 222 pair footwear collection. I picked out these Limited Edition Nike Air Max 1s. Heads were turning in the village as you might expect!
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New wheels
Very happy to have my first decent off-road bike and my first Specialized. As with Cannondale and BMC it’s no ordinary bike manufacturer, they build machines with personality and soul. The Status 140 is already a cult item, referred to as “the most fun you can have on two wheels” in one review. I feel…
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Christmas weather (in March)
Always better late than never. Proper snow has been rare in central England in the last few years. Here’s a few pics from the only exception of the 22-23 winter season. It only lasted 24 hours sadly, if even that. Gave me one beautiful arrival at work though.
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Hats
Never something I’ve been especially interested in but I have always appreciated a good hat, albeit from afar. As is typically of me, I tend not to like the popular varieties (eg., baseball caps and beanies), preferring fedoras, cow boy hats, trilbies and panamas. I’ve received two additions to my fledgling collection and have two…
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Birthday number forty something: a treat or two
It’s good to look back on a solid year of progress between birthdays. In 2020 I took a big step backwards, my health and quality of life declining greatly. The situation was bad in itself and the time and effort required to escape it only made things worse. I’m now in better shape than I…
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Christmas 2022
In the spirit of the festive period I add this post with a blanket on my lap, a cat on the blanket and my feet up on the desk surrounded by seasonal lights and scents (see pics for further indication). It has been a genuinely great Christmas, my best for years. The main difference is…
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Annual wine rummage
Christmas is the only time I have the time, energy and patience to dig deep into my wine stash. Given that I only do it once a year I forget what’s there, meaning that I get a bunch of pleasant surprises cyclically. My oldest wines are between 15-20 years old, most being bought about 10-12…
Dr Martin James 