Category Archives: The stuff of daily life

“Two weeks until Christmas, sir.” A mood of eager anticipation seems to exist among most of the school community. One student, describing themselves as “the Grinch” complained that it was just a time when the family could fall out with … Continue reading →

Visiting Dorchester recently brought memories of the world evoked by the writing of Thomas Hardy. Hardy writes with an extraordinary eye for the detail of rural life. It is not hard to imagine the scenes he describes. In Far from … Continue reading →

Primary school teachers are among the most important people on the planet: to be honest, it is hard to imagine anyone more significant in the shaping of generations of people than those who taught them at primary school. Primary school … Continue reading →

In times past, it might have been called “dead air,” that silence when a radio station is on air, but there is nothing audible to listeners. BBC Radio 3 used to have such silence at the end of performances of … Continue reading →

One day, when my son Michael was about five years old, I was so angry and frustrated with him that I smacked him. Smacks were few and far between and this was one that not appreciated. He looked at me … Continue reading →