I was getting ready to go to bed and then I made an exception to my ‘no social media/iPad use’ after 9pm to see whether a miracle had happened. Had Liverpool had signed a commanding... Read more
There are few people in public life who are instantly recognised by just their first name. They are mostly sportspeople: Martina; Tiger; Seve. There are fewer still who, unless they have a very... Read more
We are constantly told we live in the iPlayer age; a time of instant gratification; pausing and fast-forwarding TV; where time is money. We are all time poor. We are bombarded from all angles by... Read more
My home town is 810 years old today. It is a place with an extraordinary history and a unique spirit and heart. I am so proud to say that I was born there and even prouder of what the city stands... Read more
Think about a happy place. Somewhere you love to go. Somewhere like nowhere else. Somewhere special to you. A favourite place to spend some time. I have several happy places. At home with my girls.... Read more
I have written before about the romance and magic of the airport; the endless possibilities of going into the terminal building and emerging a few hours later in another city; another country;... Read more
As anyone who knows me will know, I subscribe to the view that every day is a school day. There is always something to learn. Something new to pick up or reflect on during the course of the 24 hours.... Read more
“Old friends Old friends Sat on their park bench Like bookends” Thank you Simon and Garfunkel. For this and so many other beautiful songs; poems. Epic poems. I’ve had this song... Read more
There can be very little doubt; it was my generation’s JFK moment. I know exactly where I was. I know what happened. How I felt. How I reacted. I also know that the death of Diana, Princess of... Read more
I bumped my car today – in a local multi-storey car park – and damaged the front wing a little. You would think that would put a damper on my day but not a bit of it. It’s been a... Read more
Sometimes MPs are beyond help. They are their own worse enemies. They cannot be saved from the pubic’s views of them. I write this with a heavy heart as someone who himself stood for parliament and... Read more
Allotment, Birkdale Allotment, 25-29 Liverpool Road, Birkdale, Southport, PR8 4AR. 01704 808491 ***3/*****5 As readers of this blog will know, breakfast is my favourite meal of the day;... Read more
It’s one of those key questions you get from time to time; no, not your favourite record (that’s impossible to answer, although it is of course a Beatles song); not your favourite colour (easy;... Read more
The most precious gift you can give anyone is your time. This week, not for the first time, we put this notion to the test and used our private medical insurance to access healthcare for Team Jones.... Read more
This is taken from the New York Times today: “Asked during his news conference in Trump Tower whether he would put white supremacists and neo-Nazis on the same “moral plane” as their... Read more
It has been said that you should never meet your heroes. There is disappointment. They don’t meet up to your expectations. It ends in tears. Nonsense! Nonsense! Nonsense! I can testify to that... Read more
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – the creator of Sherlock Holmes – is said to have coined the phrase “A change is a good as a break”. Whether he did or, it is elementary wisdom. Sorry, you... Read more
I don’t know what it was. Perhaps the sense of theatre; perhaps the attention and enjoying the idea of performing in front of people. It may have been something about being impressed by those I had... Read more
One of the many, many great things about golf, is that any player of any standard can play on the same courses as the greatest players of all time. It is hard to imagine walking out on the pitch at... Read more
So, it’s back. The Saturday ritual. I write about the return of my Saturday late afternoon/early evening cooking with the wireless as my companion; the irrepressible Radio Five and its iconic... Read more