A big change of plans

April 30, 2021

It’s a fast-changing world we live in, so it’s vital to remain flexible, aware of changes happening around you, and prepared to make a change in plans should an opportunity present itself, or circumstances beyond your control force your hand…

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A big change of plans

Return to house sitting

April 2, 2021

Although technically the house were looking after in the Burgundy region of France is a long term house sit, we don’t have any pets to care for. Our home owner is quite happy for us to be away for extended periods, which means we’re free to take on other, shorter house sits…

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Return to house sitting

Freedom in France

March 21, 2021

The weather was grim on the UK south coast when we woke on Friday 2nd October 2020. We had to get an early start, as we were booked on the first ferry crossing of the day to Dieppe in France, just across the Channel.There were only half a dozen cars and a few more campervans,

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Freedom in France

The book burning continues

March 11, 2021

On the evening of May 10th 1933 the streets of Berlin and 33 other German university towns and cities were lit by the orange glow of huge fires. The fuel for these bonfires were books by authors declared to be writing on topics considered “un-German”.The Nazi university student association had created a blacklist of books

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The book burning continues

The narrative

February 25, 2021

Do you believe the COVID-19 narrative? Us:  So what’s happening? Them:  There’s a virus in China. People are dying. Us:  Nothing for us to worry about though? Them:  Well, it is spreading from country to country… Us:  Like SARS, MERS, Zika, and lots of others did? Them:  It’s just been declared a pandemic. Us:  Do we need to wear masks, like in

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The narrative

A brave new world?

February 16, 2021

Between 1982 and 1985 I studied at Liverpool Polytechnic, working towards my B.Ed. teaching degree, with the goal of becoming an Outdoor Pursuits instructor.On a winter trip up to the Scottish mountains in December 1983 I took along George Orwell’s dystopian classic, Nineteen Eighty-Four, aiming to read it before 1984 actually began. I finished reading

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A brave new world?

Doublethink

February 12, 2021

Nineteen Eighty-FourOn 8th June 1949 one of the world’s most influential books on the topic of totalitarian governance was published. George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four”, praised as a classic literary example of political and dystopian fiction, is still widely read to this day, and has introduced numerous new words and phrases to our language:Big BrotherThought PoliceThoughtcrimeNewspeakMemory holeTwo

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Doublethink

Masking the truth

March 30, 2020

MASKING THE TRUTHMany of our favourite heroes have a trusty sidekick.Robin was always there to support Batman.Han Solo had Chewbacca at his side as he went into battle.How would Captain Kirk have boldly gone so far without Mr. Spock’s logic?And how could The Lone Ranger ever have helped so many without his faithful companion Tonto

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Masking the truth

Back in time

March 23, 2020

Back in timeThe digital speed readout on the dashboard of the car approaches 88 miles per hour as the young driver’s hands grip the steering wheel tightly. The car hurtles along the dark main street of the small town. Meanwhile, high up on the clock tower another figure struggles to connect the all-important electrical cable

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Back in time

The sands of time run thin

March 21, 2020

The sands of time run thinInterest rates on mortgages in the UK hit double figures at the end of the 1980s, and for some reason, I decided 1989 was the perfect time to buy my first house. When I look back now I wonder what on earth I was thinking.I’d graduated from Liverpool Polytechnic with

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The sands of time run thin

There’s a storm coming

March 15, 2020

There’s a storm comingThe man’s face is haggard from fatigue, as he holds the woman’s wrist tight and looks deep into her eyes, forcing her to pay attention, desperate to get his message through to her.“Listen and understand. [It] is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel

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There’s a storm coming

Choose life…

September 18, 2017

Vanessa and I spend quite a lot of time writing and talking about our lifestyle. Our hope is to inspire others to consider their own lives, and perhaps to make some changes too. While we’re happy that we really are living the life we want to live, we don’t suggest we have “the answer”. We

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Choose life…

“House Sitting Magazine”

July 15, 2016

Vanessa and I have been working hard on the first issue of our new digital magazine, “House Sitting Magazine”. It’s ready! You can read the latest issues on the magazine website, here: House Sitting Magazine House Sitting Magazine will help you to enjoy a life full of travel and cultural experiences. Discover how to live

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“House Sitting Magazine”

Ten years on…

May 15, 2016

“You should write a blog about that,” said Vanessa. “Ahh, it would just sound like I am blowing my own trumpet… ‘me-me-me!’” “Just write it to show what someone can achieve in ten years.” So here goes. Sorry if it does sound like trumpet-blowing. It isn’t intended to be like that. I simply hope it

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Ten years on…

The golden rule of failure

January 7, 2016

Here’s my latest article, published on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin.com Entrepreneur blog: Have you ever poured your heart and soul into a project, a business or a relationship, only to see it crumble and fail? Are you familiar with that overwhelming feeling of devastation? The failure is a crushing blow and the future looks dark

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The golden rule of failure

“The Chinese Dream”

October 5, 2015

Living in Shenzhen in China can be quite an eye opener. We have been here for almost a year now, and we are still often surprised by new discoveries and cultural differences. Recently though, I have been struck by many similarities between east and west. In a modern city such as Shenzhen, pushing for western

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“The Chinese Dream”

Southwest in Widescreen

August 24, 2015

The American Southwest is a beautiful place. There are so many amazing National Parks, State Parks and scenic areas to visit. I passed through this stunning landscape a little too quickly a couple of times on my 2008 to 2010 goal achieving adventure. I vowed I would return to spend some more time there. In

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Southwest in Widescreen

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