Category Archives: Random stuff

Spiral Staircase

Posted on November 24, 2013 by John S

Somewhere in the West Country… Scary! The house is in Chalford, near Stroud in Gloucestershire. It’s called Skaiteshill, or Ballinger House, take your pick. It dates from the early 19th century. Stayed there with some friends this weekend.

Posted in Photos, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

How do buildings ever get built?

Posted on September 6, 2013 by John S

I work in an office near a large construction site in Victoria, where work is underway on the new Crossrail project. I said “work”, but one of the enduring mysteries of building sites is how anything ever gets done. As … Continue reading →

Posted in London, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

A cycle along the Kennet-Avon canal, from Reading to Bath

Posted on July 15, 2013 by John S

Alright so it’s not exactly Mont Ventoux, which the Tour de France boys were tackling on Sunday. But it was enough for me…. Over three days, from Friday to Sunday, 5-7 July, my friend Jon and I got on our … Continue reading →

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Rediscovering music with iPod shuffle

Posted on May 28, 2013 by John S

At work today I had to focus on finishing off a paper, which I’d started writing during the Bank Holiday weekend. Working in an open plan office can be quite noisy, so when you need to focus you have to … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Jets in the sky, wondering where and why…

Posted on May 19, 2013 by John S

When the weather allows, and the light lasts well into the evening, I can sit in our back garden, glass of wine by my side, book in hand, watching the jets from Heathrow climbing into the sky. There’s one a … Continue reading →

Posted in London, Photos, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Some reflections on the Thatcher era

Posted on April 9, 2013 by John S

Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 died on 8 April 2013, aged 89. May she rest in peace. There is no doubt that her time as PM was a time of great change in British society. There … Continue reading →

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It’s snowing!

Posted on January 20, 2013 by John S

One of the features of global warming is that it’s started to snow more in the winter again, here in the UK. Not serious snow like you get in Canada or Norway, but enough to cause a fair bit of … Continue reading →

Posted in London, Photos, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Music for going back to work – and school!

Posted on January 7, 2013 by John S

Tomorrow, I’m back to work after a couple of weeks off. My kids are all back to school. No matter how much you like work/school it’s always a bit hard to get back into the swing of things. You need … Continue reading →

Posted in Music - concerts, lists, reflections, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

2012 – my blog in review. By WordPress

Posted on December 30, 2012 by John S

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. Well it’s nice of Word Press to do this, so I thought I should share it with all of you who read my blog. With massive thanks … Continue reading →

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Some summer sun – a Costa Brava walk

Posted on November 5, 2012 by John S

In these cold, wet and and gloomy November days, with the darkness setting in by 5 o’clock, it’s good to remember the days of summer. Here are a few photos from a lovely walk I’ve done many times when on … Continue reading →

Posted in Photos, Random stuff | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments