Today I delivered son number two, and a ton of gear, to his new student halls in St Andrews for the first time. It was an emotional day. When kids are little, all parents look for any signs that their children will have what it takes to make their way in the world. The first...
A ship at sea relies upon 3 things: propulsion, steering and navigation. Without any one of these it will never reach its destination, cannot avoid immediate obstacles or can only go where the currents dictate, and eventually run aground. These three components are also vital to any individual’s career. Propulsion, or power. Even the very...
Given my experience with the NORAs, I am intrigued by awards events. Add to that my fascination with stand-up comedy, and the increasingly prestigious Malcolm Hardee Comedy Awards 2012 event, at the Edinburgh Festival, was a date I couldn’t afford to miss. I know the organiser, John Fleming, fairly tenuously via Facebook, so offered to...
Just as Mondays are traditional starting employment days for new members of staff, Fridays are most commonly seen by the HR department (and recruiters) as Resignation Day. In fact the last Friday of the month, immediately following payday, is usually that day. However, being Lords of all they survey, HR Managers would prefer that they...
We will all have witnessed the spectacular events of the 30th Olympic Games, over the past 17 days, from the outrageously lavish and theatrical opening event, to the jumble of imagery (from amazing to banal) in last night’s closing ceremony. No-one can deny the outstanding success of this Olympics, on almost every level. I believe...
“Do you know what I mean? D’ya get me? Know what I’m saying?” Confidence comes from knowing that others understand us. So much so that we use countless phrases every day to check that we are being properly understood, and not misinterpreted. Even those with a vast command of English, and the ability to employ...
As an instinctive pedant, I often find myself on the wrong side of an argument, simply because the “right side” hasn’t argued their case properly and logically. As any lawyer might say, it’s not for me to argue their case for them, even though I am open to persuasion. The topic of same-sex marriage doesn’t...
I’m going to let this blog stand on its own, with only a small explanation. This letter was written by my eldest son, Keir (now 22) when he was around 12. PS. He did get to stay up till 10PM after this.
I am not a generous person, ask anybody. At least not with cash anyway. I love a bargain, and more than anything, always look for value for money. So please don’t mistake this story for an attempt to put myself in a good light. I think I was an idiot. Remember 10 years ago,...
