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A book what me and Barry wrote….
I’ve written a crime novel with my old friend Barry Mercer. Here’s a synopsis: Griff has left it all behind, or so he thinks. Left behind the violence and thuggery of London’s gangland, Mr M his boss and his deranged son, drugs, whores and the nocturnal streets. Hunkered down in Jersey, he’s trying to make ...
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West Yorkshire Mountain Biking by Benjamin Haworth, Vertebrate Publishing 2012
To many people, the title of this guide must seem like an oxymoron but then for most people West Yorkshire means the conurbations of Leeds, Bradford and Halifax. However, as Benjamin Haworth ably demonstrates in the latest Vertebrate Publishing guide, in more ways than one you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. For while ...
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Happy may day everyone….
A day to celebrate the workers of the world, the poorly paid, those in dangerous jobs, those who provide the pampered west with the trinkets that we consider so important, whose work is virtual slavery for international conglomerates that care only for the bottom line, not for conditions on the production line. It’s a day ...
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Get help Bob….
Returning to an old theme of mine, there’s always an excuse for the rich to get richer. Barclays share price has failed to set the investors pulse racing this year and yet bonuses totalled over £2 billion compared to £730m paid out in dividends. Arse about face, surely? Over 30% of shareholders voted against this ...
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Sunday fun….
Riding out of Sheffield recently, Nick and I had to negotiate streams of traffic as the great British public set off en-masse to indulge in the national pastime, shopping. Wistfully we watched the smiling faces of those lucky enough to be heading for Meadowhell or some other consumer cathedral wishing we too had a credit ...
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Stanage – a nice little earner?
For some time the Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) has been frantically seeking an organisation to take over the day-to-day management of the North Lees Estate. Originally at the behest of central government, they have been conducting a review of their various holdings hoping to make cost savings by entering into partnerships with other ...
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It’s not about the bike….
Love this short video which proves that a good rider can make even the most unlikely bike a transport of delight….
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Niall Grimes interview on planetFear….
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You don’t know what you’ve lost until it’s gone….
It may sound dramatic, but the NHS is in mortal danger because it’s an immutable truth that public provision once lost will never be regained. The Coalition appear deaf to every entreaty, careless of the destiny of an institution the British people hold dear and impervious to the massed ranks of the health service who oppose ...
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Well done Mr Hester….
Credit where it’s due, Stephen Hester’s decision to turn down nearly a million quid deserves at least a very gentle pat on the back. Granted I would, given the chance, deliver said approbation while wearing a sardonic smile but it would be genuine none the less, better one sinner repents and all that. However, let’s not get carried ...
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And today’s top banana is….
Eric Cantona, champion of the poor.
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Spot the difference….
Celebrity chef is caught shoplifting. Police are called, he gets a ticking off and the press make much of his high pressure life and how noble he is seeking immediate psychological help: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2084067/Antony-Worrall-Thompson-sorry-shoplifting-cheese-wine-Tesco.html Pregnant woman is caught shoplifting because she was desperate to eat. This was the result: http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/news/pregnant_woman_caught_shoplifting_1_3993892 Never mind though. eh? We’re all ...
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Boulder Britain by Niall Grimes
You know the fella, Niall Grimes, works at the BMC coalface hewing guidebooks from the very living rock. Well, who’d have thought that while producing prize winning guides, he’d also find the time for a personal project so immense you can see it from space. There are books I’ve reviewed in the past and described ...
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Guide, philosopher and friend
I reread this Out To Lunch and it brought a lump to my throat as I reached the section about my Dad. I’d completely forgotten what I’d written to celebrate those times together in the Scottish hills and what a profound effect they had on my life. I hope you enjoy it too… At the ...