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At the age of eight, in a school with only 70 students, in a small village in the middle of Lincolnshire, a county not famous for much (except Sir Isaac Newton), and in a classroom with a view of a … Continued

Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time.Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines.Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.The time is gone, the song is over, thought I’d … Continued

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. Plato (possibly – it is disputed) [I]in the whole world there are really only two problems. [..] One problem is, “you know what you want but you don’t know … Continued

When I was five years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They … Continued

The City of London is the oldest part of greater London, yet has many of the newest buildings. Tiny, winding medieval streets are preserved next to the latest office blocks, built rapidly on the ruins of older, less efficient blocks … Continued

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Speech 2005, about 9 minutes in. (But I’d still recommend an Android phone.) Of all … Continued

This year’s BBC Reith Lectures are being given by the British artist Grayson Perry. Perry gave a summary of his first lecture in the Financial Times last week, on the theme, who decides what makes art good? In a witty, … Continued

Now there’s a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky – Pink Floyd, Shine on You Crazy Diamond When Roger Waters wrote those words about the band’s former and founder member, Syd Barrett, he was referring to … Continued

It is supposed to be George Bernard Shaw who said that the UK and USA are “two nations divided by a common language.” Long established differences persist. Nobody in the UK says “gotten” anymore, even though it was normal English … Continued

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, … Continued

The most irritating words used by management gurus and pundits on management are those which replace existing words that do the job already and those which obfuscate and mislead. There are many such words but the one that currently irritates … Continued

Pink Floyd, in their great middle period, are one of my favourite bands. Like millions of people around the world I was first turned into a Floyd fan by hearing their huge selling Dark Side of the Moon in 1974 … Continued

For those who came to graduation and think that it always rains in Cambridge, here are a couple of photos taken today.

Europe is proud of its cultural heritage, whether it’s the Renaissance, beautiful icons in Ukrainian churches, Shakespeare, Bach or Truffaut. But perhaps Europe’s greatest contribution to world culture is the Eurovision Song Contest. If you’ve never seen this, you should … Continued