I know what you’re thinking: “It’s about time.” Apologies for the lack of a word last week. I was called away to share some octopus in a local tapas restaurant. Mea pulpo.

Sometimes you just run out of time. And just when you think you’ve made time for all the things you need to do, something comes out of the blue and snatches it away in its deliciously salty tentacles. I’m all for spontaneity, as long as I’ve got time to prepare for it. (more…)

Today is Local Radio Day. Did you know that? You would if you listened to local radio. This week I’ve had the privilege of being invited onto two local community radio stations: Surrey Hills Radio, which broadcasts via the internet; and Susy Radio, which you can listen to online or via the traditional method of tuning in on 103.4FM. I came away from both smiling. (more…)

I’ve been toying with the idea of becoming a Buddhist. Well, why not? You’ve only got one life. It fits with my recent efforts to recondition myself off meat – a campaign that was nearly derailed at the end of week one when I inadvertently won a gammon in a raffle.  (more…)

Sometimes when I’m writing this stuff and I find myself putting myself into the story (oh no, there I go again!), I cringe and yearn for those innocent, ego-free days of three years ago when this Word of the Week lark began with a brief, impersonal essay on the word cheese.

There was, as the old saying goes, no ‘i’ in cheese. Fast forward to this week’s word and you’ll notice that there are not one but three ‘i’s in responsibility. Or two if you’re Australian. (more…)

While we’re not discussing Brexit, it’s worth remembering that 100 years ago the Treaty of Versailles gave birth to the League of Nations, Woodrow Wilson’s cracking idea for encouraging world leaders to chat rather than blowing each other’s people to hell. (more…)

Do you ever wonder what other people see? It used to be a common cry at Wembley, before Saint Gareth came along. “What the hell are you seeing, Revie/Greenwood/Robson/Taylor/Venables/Hoddle/Keegan/Erikson/McLaren/ Capello/Hodgson/Allar…” no, he wasn’t there long enough.

But I’m not talking about the inability to spot a square peg in a round hole, I’m talking about the actual pictures that other people have in their head. (more…)

If, like me, you’ve spent years trying to glue the arms back on your kids’ toys or fix the wooden chairs that collapse into match wood every time your Aunty Enid comes round, you’ll no doubt have scoffed at the actions of Extinction Rebellion protesters this week.

Not because you disagree with their cause – who wouldn’t want to make sure polar bears don’t end up having to forage down Oxford Street? – but because we all know that glue doesn’t work. (more…)

If you fancied a break from Brexit this week, you might have turned instead to the astronomical news. In which case, you’ll have added a smidgin of Hawaiian to your linguistic utility belt. The word in question being Powehi – ‘the adorned fathomless dark creation’. (more…)

Sometimes you wait hours for a word to present itself; other times one just falls into your lap. So it was with this week’s word. (more…)

Apologies for the delay. Just trying to stay on trend.

Speaking of foreign relations, what would you do if you had a French teenager coming to stay for four days and you wanted to give them an unforgettable impression of England? Buy them a pint? Order a takeaway? Play them the highlights of the Kazakhstan v Scotland game? (more…)