I’ve enjoyed music as long as I remember. In my teens I liked Elton John and Rod Stewart and the more fashionable David Bowie thanks to my brother Peter. A little later in 1977 the punk thing exploded, and its close first cousin New Wave. I hung out with a few guys who were well
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I’ve been playing competitive Scrabble for almost 25 years now, and I often meet people who say “I’m really good at Scrabble”. I ask them one simple question “Do you know all your twos?” And invariably I get a glazed look coming back at me. I know instantly they are not serious Scrabble players. 2
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I love food, but for a long time I’ve been harbouring the thought that preparing meals is all too much bother! What with first finding a recipe, then sourcing the ingredients and finally prepping and cooking the meal which often takes 10 minutes to eat and several hours to prepare. Well I decided to drop
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If it’s not an Irishman writing your blog, then he’s making your coffee and sandwich at the Peckham Pelican, which opened beside the local fire station about a year ago. The café is a spacious affair at street level of a council block of flats. Stu (not Irish), one of the co-founders, explained it was
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There’s a saying “You’re never too old to have a happy childhood”, and maybe it was a combination of hearing this, and my partner Claire introducing me to her vast cuddly toy collection from childhood that prompted me recently to start collecting teddy bears. In the past I’ve enjoyed collecting vinyl, wristwatches and chairs. Being
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My dear mother Rose used say ” Your health is your wealth”, and as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom in it. On the 3rd of January 2013 I’ll be the ripe age of fifty, and I can’t quite believe it. On a recent holiday in Portugal with Claire, and my brother
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I picked up two mid-twenties lassies, one French, the other Polish, on their way to booze in Shoreditch. They were chatty but a bit melancholic – one of them was complaining of a crap job (sales assistant in French Connection) and unfulfilled dreams. Over the last 20 years I have done many personal development courses,
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I like shopping and I like eBay, and while browsing a few weeks ago I saw a most lovely five year old retro-style Vespa PX125 listed. It had barely any miles on it and had a multitude of extra chrome bit add ons, and looked gorgeous in black. Now Claire my partner had seen a
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Opera Tavern Having picked up waiter/pop-up restaurateur Max Halley recently, I was very much looking forward to a visit to Opera Tavern in Catherine Street WC2 – a tapas restaurant which was formerly a pub, where he works. He’d told me about their mini pork burger with foie gras mixed in the mince which I
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On returning from a Mother’s Day outing to Luton, myself and Claire (my editor in chief) stumbled upon a small hotel – Rough Luxe – on Birkenhead Street opposite King’s Cross station. The name caught my attention and as we were peering in the window a man was looking out and, thinking he recognised Claire,
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Having just dropped out two young women at Tramps nightclub at 12.30am in Jermyn Street, a man with two women hailed me and asked me would I take them to Orsett just beyond Basildon in Essex. They were all probably in their fifties. I said I would if he’d be happy to pay me £80
Read more →I’d been wondering if and when I might get hailed by someone I know. Well yesterday having just swapped my taxi over due to local hooligans breaking into my ol’ Fairway to nick the radio, as I was driving towards Lambeth Bridge a woman with a suitcase put her hand up. As she was getting
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Our second visit to Zucca, at the lower end of Bermondsey Street, proved even more satisfying than the first. Myself and Claire my delightful partner decided a Valentines’ lunch and a nice walk after in Dulwich Park was a grand idea, hence avoiding any restrictive menus at inflated prices. This eatery is a simple rectangular
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I had the privilege of driving Shaun de Warren yesterday. Shaun has been hosting The Prosperity Club in the Remembrance Hall on Flood St in Chelsea for many years. The group is usually made up of all ages and types, from builders to hairdressers to journalists. He in an unlikely Buddha having spent early life
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So, I gad my first request from one of my neighbours a family of four, to take them to Gatwick this morning. I was a little nervous after a very frosty night the ol’ 18 year old Fairway wouldn’t start but she didn’t let me down. ‘Tis a 28 mile schlep from Camberwell but we
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On talking with one of my neighbours about erecting a wooden fence between their garden and mine, which is currently a little open plan, she mentioned that my engine had disturbed her late last night. I’m still getting the feel for the size of the cab and so taking longer to park than I will
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I picked up these two youngish oriental chaps at a rank by Leicester Square, who didn’t seem inebriated when they got in. Rotherhithe was the nominated destination. As we were getting near I noticed the larger one fast asleep with head tilted. Then I could see the other chap was leaning forward faced down. I
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Yesterday, the 7th of Feb 2012, I was presented with my green and brass badge, which I’ve been working towards for two years and nine months. They call it The Knowledge, which is the study of London in depth within a six mile radius of Charing Cross involving approx 25,000 streets and God knows how
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I was almost running late to pick up Tony Parsons whose book, A man and a boy, I had read a couple of years back. I was glad he was the man I expected, although I was surprised to find him living in the heart of Hampstead. He explained he was off to do his first
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