Blog Posts

  • The Crown S5 E3

    The Crown S5 E3

    I  remember being pushed aside by one of Mohamed Al-Fayed’s goons as I walked through Harrods in the 1990s. They were clearing a path for…

  • Rings of Partridge

    Rings of Partridge

    Richard Feynman coined the term Cargo Cult Science: something that copies the form of science whilst ignoring the underlying rigour.  Watching some old episodes recently…

  • Expelliarmus!

    Expelliarmus!

    I was teaching object-oriented programming the other day (don’t worry this isn’t a post about computers… ) when I came to the part where I…

  • Capturing Emotion: Inspiration and Evernote

    Capturing Emotion: Inspiration and Evernote

    (This post originally appeared on the Evernote blog) To slightly misquote Kate Sanborn, writing is 1% inspiration and 99% hard work. When inspiration strikes, the world…

  • Doctor My Eyes

    Doctor My Eyes

    The trouble with writing anything set in a consistent universe is the weight of what has gone on before. I’m experiencing this with my Recursion…

  • The Most Important Subject

    The Most Important Subject

    Part of my day job is preparing students for Oxbridge applications.Once they have researched their courses and written their personal statements I arrange practice interviews.…

  • Guest Post: Browsing the Bookshelves

    Guest Post: Browsing the Bookshelves

    Steve Croft is a former nurse, former police officer, current grandparent, keeper of dog, cats, chickens and bees. We also collaborate musically. I’ve always been…

  • Reaching for the Same Packet

    Reaching for the Same Packet

    I’ve just finished reading Everything I know about Love by Dolly Alderton (paid link). She’s a funny and perceptive writer, who gives a remarkably honest…

  • So Much Not Said

    So Much Not Said

    I was surprised when my daughter told me she’d never seen 2001: A Space Oddysey, so we watched it together. This film grows on me…

  • Inspiration Thursday

    Inspiration Thursday

    Looking for story inspiration? I was walking through the cellar of my school recently when I came across a trolley full of half used containers…

  • Enjoy Your Sunday Evening

    Enjoy Your Sunday Evening

    You’re a teacher: it’s Sunday evening and you can’t relax as you have work tomorrow. Why is that? Partly it’s stage fright. Those outside the…

  • Eyes Wide Open

    Eyes Wide Open

    I saw this statue of Justice on a recent holiday. She was standing outside the Palácio da Justiça in Porto.  The guide on our walking tour…