Monthly Archives: September 2012

For a long time, I had 3 book titles in my head; books that perhaps one day I would write. Perhaps I still will… The 2nd had the title “Cleanliness and the Redistribution of Filth” and would be about the … Continue reading →

Imagine this. I am British and I have lived in The Netherlands since 1979. This is 33 years, more than half my life. I like it here. OK? Every now and then, people from other countries ask me the way … Continue reading →

I have already mentioned them, but I go now into more detail. The urban landscape is changing and it’s not for the better! I recall my days in the UK as a lad when sparrows were the most common bird … Continue reading →

Back in the 70’s in the UK, I found myself in Sittingbourne with a Dutch girlfriend. She lived in The Hague. Hmm. So we devised a simple schedule – me every month to Holland and she every month to the … Continue reading →

How can you make it clear to an airline that they are just doing it badly? Forget the official complaint procedure. Does not work. What does is spooning your displeasure. Huh? Let me explain. I invented spoon displeasure in the … Continue reading →

In the 90’s, I flew a lot to the US, usually Boston, New York or Philadelphia. This was around the time that flying became more of a hassle than a peaceful and pleasant journey. Security tightened, the frills slowly disappeared … Continue reading →

My feelings about dentists are mixed. Right now, I have a very good one (a lady) and we understand one another. She does not push me beyond my I-am-happy-with-how-things- are and every 6 months I turn up to see what … Continue reading →

All 3 of my children have been in hospital for something when they were young. For every parent, this is awful, even though you know they are going to be treated by the best doctors and there really is no … Continue reading →

Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – the one follows the other. Every year the same, which is your favourite season? Mine is Spring, the beginning of life again, fresh green leaves, warmer skies, optimism. The summer can be disappointing – … Continue reading →

In 1980, I bought my first computer, an Apple IIe which (thanks to the Internet) is easy to retrieve in a picture where you can see how cool this computer was.   With an Epson dot-matrix printer, I pushed out … Continue reading →