Prior to 1840, most people expected to get quite a few birthday cards. The custom of sending greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese, who exchanged messages of good will to celebrate the New Year, and to the early Egyptians, who conveyed their greetings on papyrus scrolls. By the early 15th century, […]
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In the news recently there has been a lot of talk about food which is bad for you. For example, we learnt earlier this week that Bacon will kill you. This was particularly bad timing for me as the news broke on the day I had travelled to Coventry to play the organ at the Cathedral for […]
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Many years ago when I was about a foot shorter than I am currently, I joined something called the Cubs, which I think is still part of the Scouts. I’m not entirely sure how this came about – presumably my parents thought it would be a good idea for me to do something physical outdoors, rather than […]
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Earlier this week I had to visit my local doctor’s surgery in order to give away some of my blood. This is all part of the seemingly ongoing visits which are a direct result of getting old. The first visit, a couple of weeks ago, wasn’t too bad. I simply turned up for my ‘routine’ over […]
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In a recent article for the Daily Telegraph, Jonathan Leigh, The Master at Marlborough College, said it was a ‘desperate shame’ that the very deep British tradition of joining a school choir was in decline. This was after recent evidence showed a decline in singing at primary schools because teachers are focussing their energy towards success […]
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In a few days time I shall reach the milestone that states I have been on this planet for precisely 40 years. Apparently at that point I shall have what is commonly known as a mid life crisis. Obviously I wanted to prepare for this momentous event as best as possible, so I have done some […]
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When I was at school, anyone who wanted to be in the Chapel Choir had to be auditioned for one of only a few available places. The same was true of the Choral Society, the Chamber Choir and the Male Voice Barbershop Octet. For some reason, presumably because I just kept turning up at all the […]
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The traditional time for afternoon tea is 4 O’Clock in the afternoon. At the Pump Rooms in Bath, this fact is reflected in the table setting, as the handle of the cup will be angled so it points towards an imaginary 4 on the saucer. With this in mind, 11 years ago, I set up my recording company […]
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Last week, on the whole, was going well. Then suddenly this all changed. On Wednesday morning a small white envelope was pushed through the letter box and landed quite unassumingly on the door mat. In today’s world of electronic communication and conversations which all take place in 140 characters or less, this was potentially quite […]
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Like most 2 year olds, my daughter is a little bit fanatical about Peppa Pig. I say a bit, that’s probably a slight understatement. Looking around me it seems that every room in the house has at least one item in it which bears a picture of Peppa Pig. However, to be fair, there is at least […]
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