I like penguins. They are a bit of a cliché, but the whole Antarctic thing just adds to my fondness. Rockhoppers are the funkiest, shortly followed by the Macaroni. I like the quirkiness of them more than I like the elegance of the Emperor or King, for example. Their slight gaucheness has its own appeal. [...]
I am but an amateur at the fabled ‘back of the envelope calculations’, but run with me here.
Today I am developing an activity. It is to do with energy use, both in our homes, and in our bodies. To whit, I have been looking for some comparisons: A brisk walk for an hour uses the same [...]
I have a seriously undeserved reputation in the office for knowing everything. I claim I know stuff nobody bothers asking anyone else – usually science based, (I’m quite good on worms) but actually, overall I fear I know rather little.
I have, however, just reinforced the misconception.
them: ‘What was the best selling single of 2006?’
me: How [...]
As a child I had a vivid imagination. I’m sure you’ll find that difficult to believe, but I had stories and worlds inside my head. I knew that monsters didn’t live under my bed as I had a den there, hidden behind boxes of Mam’s books. I knew they weren’t in the bottom of the [...]
It is cold. Ruddy cold. We had some pioneering, exploratory flakes earlier, but nothing has stuck, yet. The clouds have that ominous glow when the sun is low and the clouds are full of white stuff. It will come, I have no doubt. Derek (the weatherman) claims, in his infinite Barry-boy wisdom, that overnight will [...]
There’s a certain rustle of exhilaration when you look out of the window and see the tiniest, lightest, floatiest first flakes of a snowfall. A ripple of excitement goes down the corridor of the office, just like being back at school. It’s a feeling you don’t really grow out of: that first jolt of – [...]