"They call it golf because all the other four letter words are taken" Raymond Floyd Of all the golf quotes I've happened across, this one from Raymond Floyd is my favourite. Golf is a frustrating game. For those with a penchant for profanity like me, it certainly strains one corner of my vocabulary a lotContinue reading "A game of inches"

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And itContinue reading "The best moments"

This is another one of those 'work in progress'-type posts. I am doing a bit of tutoring, helping a student to improve their extended writing. Thinking about writing, I am reminded of a comment which a friend and former political colleague, who was a also a retired teacher, made to me about encouraging students toContinue reading "Writing your mind"

While it is less of an everyday concern with the circumstances of my new teaching role, I am still very interested in curriculum thinking. The emergence of AI in the form of ChatGPT and the quirky differences in pedagogical outlooks which I'm encountering outside of British state schools make me more convinced than ever thatContinue reading "Well disciplined"

Another day and another population story. Last week The Economist ran a longer article about the growing number of grandparents around the world. Highlighting the differences between countries with more and fewer grandparents, the article considered the benefits which grandparents offer, not least in terms of the free childcare enabling women to enter the workforce.Continue reading "Population counts"

You don't necessarily expect inspiration to come from a box of chocolates (apart from maybe that Forest Gump scene), yet my first experience of Baci Perugina chocolates was not only pleasant for edible reasons. Each individually wrapped chocolate - a kind of Perugian Ferrero Rocher - has a little quote wrapped with it. Amongst theContinue reading "Wrapped in quotes"

I'm watching an Apple TV show called Echo 3. It's not brilliant and it's not terrible. I think it is trying to be something more than it has actually achieved. There is lots of politics and plenty of characters all exploring their morality. It reminds me of The Honourable Woman, a BBC thriller from aContinue reading "Three bits and a bob"

Sitting at the bar watching life go by,The background hum more of a drone,It is becoming quite apparentthat the Americans don’t do quiet. All of life is not here for it is not London,but you’d think it was from the tone,hyperbolic, excessive, exaggerated,Do they not have an app for this? If the piano man wereContinue reading "American bar"

The food here in the USA has been an experience. I have had some of the best pizza I've ever enjoyed outside of Italy. It's hard to decide between an amazing Detroit-style pizza in Vegas, or the fabulous award-winning pies in San Francisco's North Beach. In a wonderful twist of this globalised world we liveContinue reading "British cuisine"

As something of a Star Trek fan...no, scrap that, as a massive Trekkie (or Trekker?) I have tried watching the JJ Abrams reboot a number of times but never really given them my full attention. Trying once more I've got to say, while enjoyable, I can't help but keep noticing the Star Wars nods thatContinue reading "We need to talk about Kelvin"