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Essays

Everything published, most recent first.

Monday 3 August 2020

Late Abroad Again

As the contagion bit hard, Pepys chronicled the flight from the city, mostly of doctors, lawyers and merchants. Then as now, only those with the financial means to do so can seek refuge in seclusion.

Free to read 3 min read
Saturday 1 August 2020

Self-Gaze

It is possible to find a subjectivity and objectivity of the written word and know I am on the right track, even if my work is temporarily out of fashion.

Free to read 3 min read
Friday 31 July 2020

Wedding Feast

In the tradition of my family, and the civilised everywhere, I will be planning the meal starting with dessert, working through the main to the entree.

Free to read 1 min read
Thursday 30 July 2020

Finding Confidence

While the fool is wise who opens not his mouth, the quiescence of the thoughtful is a loss for society. This is particularly the case when it comes to social media and blogging.

Free to read 3 min read
Wednesday 29 July 2020

Armada

The history of the Spanish Armada is a call to take care on our journey home. Although we may feel mauled by the day, we can salvage most of what we have.

Free to read 1 min read
Tuesday 28 July 2020

Finding Time

Find a trigger which helps you to get in the frame for writing, leverage the power of habit and set your inner candidate to the task.

Free to read 3 min read
Sunday 26 July 2020

Beware Generalisation

A writer can fall into the trap of imagining because 67% of respondents to a survey support X, there is genuinely wide spread support for the proposition..

Free to read 2 min read
Saturday 25 July 2020

Supporting Evidence

My weekends are usually spent cloistered away in my study, working on one project or another. My fiancée laments I spend too much time tinkering with my blog, time that

Free to read 2 min read
Thursday 23 July 2020

Nibbled By System

I am a simple man who fears being nibbled by system. I like things I can see and touch. In the technological realm, I like things I can see and

Free to read 1 min read
Wednesday 22 July 2020

Easy To Use

I learn today that Jules-Albert de Dion took the chequed flag in the world's first motor race, the Paris–Rouen in 1894. Sadly for Jules-Albert, he

Free to read 1 min read
Tuesday 21 July 2020

Emotional Contagion

Emotional Contagion is the phenomenon of feeling what it appears someone else is experiencing. Art abounds with examples of this, where a painting, sculpture or film elicits a sensation in

Free to read 1 min read
Monday 20 July 2020

The Giant's Causeway

James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck, lived in an age in which titles were grand and letters and diaries were even grander. In a time of conspicuous literary splendour, Boswell

Free to read 1 min read
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