Like so many people, I was prepared to pay for an online dating service. But what I wasn’t prepared for was how it would help me develop as a person. — Perhaps it’s a British thing, but I did not grow up ‘dating.’ My impression is that when Americans say they are dating someone, it suggests a relationship ranging from tentative to full blown. No doubt this was the term used many decades ago to suggest you were seeing people casually…

by Aseem Malhotra and Donal O’Neill — In the tiny Italian village of Pioppi, they live simple but long and healthy lives. But there is no gym, no supermarket, the food is delicious and they enjoy a glass of wine every evening. The prominent physiologist Ancel Keys lived in Pioppi from the early 60s until his death…

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t good for you! — When indulging in the merry-go-round of self development and self improvement, there are certain concepts that crop up time and again that are meant to help you achieve a high level of personal productivity. These include eating a healthy diet (I would definitely agree), working out regularly (absolutely), having cold…

And why simply buying every new thing won’t make you happy — I love new things. Usually, my strength of feeling towards the thing will be at its peak right before it actually arrives. After that, it’s all downhill. We’ve all been there, though our forms of retail therapy will vary. For one person it's getting new shoes, for others, it may…

Then I realised what I had been missing out on… — Any attempt to describe the Covid-19 pandemic as positive, taking into account the self-isolation and death toll, would be crass. And yet, I’m about to do so. In very limited terms you understand, but there were positives in the forced lockdown for me. In being compelled to ‘take a break’. …

by Neil Gaimon — Based on the BBC TV show he created, Neil Gaiman published the novel of Neverwhere while the series was still airing in 1996. In the introduction to the edition I read, he reveals he did this so he had a way of including everything he originally wanted in the TV…

I used to find the sport boring. Maybe I’m of an age where everything has slowed down enough for me to appreciate the pace of cricket. — When I was a kid, I hated sport. Which was perhaps surprising as all my friends were fans of football, and my parents both love a variety of sports. My parents enjoying sport was part of the problem though. To me, sport was something that got in the way of…

What it was like returning home to Dorset to see my parents for the first time in 10 months. And I got to sit inside a pub! — The last time I saw my parents in person was in July 2020, 10 months ago. At that time in the UK we had just come out of the first spike, and my Mother’s birthday was the same day they re-opened hotels, pubs and restaurants. Perfect timing! Little did I…

A life journey from instant coffee, through to arabica and the Aeropress — I’m currently enjoying a nice cup of coffee as I sit at my desk in my personal office (AKA the back bedroom that has a sofa bed for when guests stay). The complex, rich aroma is scenting the air. …