Choosing songs for your wedding dance can be perilous. You’re kind of marrying the song, as well. You’re wedding your identity to it. This is who we are. The one thing you want to avoid is selecting music that secretly undermines your union. ‘Every Breath You Take’ is probably the most famous trap: a stalker’s […]
The power and peril of the satirical song Read More »
No one likes to be put in a box, to have their identity narrowly defined by someone else. But it can be liberating to put yourself in a box, if that means packing up an old identity and moving on, to a new place or a new life. What you leave behind can be telling.
Unfurling confusion in the Athena Time Capsule Read More »
The tide recedes before us, as we sit on steps by the bay in Margate. My family is eating a traditional supper of fish and chips, but we are not alone. Large, malevolent seagulls congregate in clusters across the steps in front of us. Perhaps we haven’t strayed quite far enough from the chip shop.
Kleptoparasitism by the sea Read More »
I’ve been introduced to the next big technological innovation: cars that shrink or expand in a matter of seconds. For reasons that I cannot remember, I’m the new custodian of one of these vehicles. In its current state, it looks like nothing more than a large radio-controlled car, roughly the size of a shoebox. When
Dream diary: test-driving the future Read More »
Grab your goggles: it’s time to dive into the timeless ritual of swimming in the public pool. Hey, no petting! As a swimmer, neither my technique nor my commitment is particularly strong. I don’t have much interest in improving my stroke, and there have been long stretches of time where I’ve fallen out of the
All the best things about public swimming pools Read More »
Day four of our brief visit to Kefalonia, and the pockets of my swimming shorts are filling up with rocks We have arrived, by dint of a wrong turn, at the wrong beach. This is not a sandy beach on the southern tip of the island, but a pebbly beach further north along the eastern
Kefalonia: stray cats and spanakopita Read More »
The fishing boats follow the fish. The turtles follow the fishing boats. The tourists follow the turtles. A small group of visitors clusters around the edge of the quay at Argostoli, waiting for the reemergence of a loggerhead from beneath the stern of a sleek 11m sailing yacht. Loggerhead turtles glide in the these waters,
Kefalonia: loggerhead turtles and strapatsada Read More »
I’m at an airport, catching a flight to America with some friends, although I’ve managed to become separated from them. That’s not my main concern though. I have a bigger problem. It seems I need to complete not one but two rapid Covid tests before boarding the aircraft. There’s a further complication. These tests are
Dream diary: bizarre covid tests and strange chapels Read More »
How much would you pay to meet Harley Quinn? Here’s an argument for keeping comics cheap, accessible and – gasp! – even disposable. It starts with The Batman Adventures, a comic that represents everything I love about the medium. The series, which began in late 1992, was spun off from the popular animated show. It
Collecting comics: pocket money is all I’ll pay Read More »
The place is already humming with activity by the time we arrive. The temperature is in the high 20s this morning, and many South London families have made a beeline for the paddling pool, high on the common. The circular pool is secluded from the rest of the common, surrounded by a hedge and an iron
Crossing the Gates of Eden Read More »
