Write Stuff

It’s match pointless

Published 4 July 2009

Memo to BBC ahead of the Wimbledon finals. I know that tennis players are watched by fans who get excited: Shouting, waving and – lord help us – wearing face paint.

Celebrate freedom

Published 3 July 2009

It’s week 27. If you are American and over here we fully understand your loss. Carnivals, fells gatherings, Woolfests and rock festivals will never compare with the sousa bands on your glorious July 4 Independence Day celebrations.

Havana good time

Published 2 July 2009

It’s been nearly two decades since the Berlin Wall and, shortly after, the whole Communist edifice came crashing down.

Driven to tears

Published 1 July 2009

You may not have noticed, but the world just changed a little bit.

Prison for pet cruelty

Published 30 June 2009

We are supposed to be a nation of animal lovers, but recent events seem to prove otherwise.

Cumbrian pupils choose human cloning thriller as their favourite book

Published 27 June 2009

Pupils in Cumbria have chosen a futuristic thriller about human cloning as their favourite book at a Penrith award ceremony.

Farewell to genius

Published 27 June 2009

So, the King is dead. Typically, mystery surrounds the death of Michael Jackson.

Weather is part of fun

Published 26 June 2009

Checking the weather forecast is something I do almost habitually – although I’m not quite sure why.

Pining to see vinyl

Published 25 June 2009

Having spent a year of my life in Carlisle, it’s fair to say that I’ve started to warm towards it.

Keep it in the bank

Published 24 June 2009

In the 1980s, left-wing singer-songwriter Billy Bragg used to assert his socialist credentials by having maximum prices printed on his albums.

ID cards for teens

Published 23 June 2009

I’d like to see ID cards introduced in Britain. Why? As a teenager I am constantly being asked for ID to prove my age.

Right care so crucial

Published 22 June 2009

Is dementia the end of life? Recently, actor David Suchet stated that he had “lost” his wife to Alzheimer’s disease.

Not just for golfers

Published 19 June 2009

I’ve never mixed in golfing circles. I’ve had the impression that the sport was for a higher class.

Put on a pedestal

Published 18 June 2009

This summer Anthony Gormley’s latest art project will see people from across the country being given one hour on the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square, where they can do anything they like so long as it’s legal.

Feet first fine by me

Published 17 June 2009

I hate to say this, but sometimes women are right. I was recently advised by a lady to try a pedicure.

Move over football

Published 16 June 2009

I was relieved when England beat footballing minnows Andorra in their World Cup qualifier.

It’s movie madness

Published 15 June 2009

Cue the Pearl & Dean muzak: da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-daaa-da-da-da – coming soon to a cinema near you is ... a film you probably saw years ago.

Warming to oldies

Published 13 June 2009

I remember a night in the 1980s, flicking on the TV to hear the familiar “Da-da-da, da-da-da-da” heralding another episode of Last of the Summer Wine.