notes

I came down to lock up my beach hut for the winter. The Hut is full of books. I love to read when I am next to the sea but it’s far too cold for them now. So we drove down Friday night to stay and then I can walk to the beach hut in… Read more

Everyone loves… no wait, not everyone but most people enjoy talking about new ideas. There are thousands of books and websites all dedicated to ‘Ideation’ and the art of coming up with a new idea. I understand the appeal of ‘new things’ but it is knocking on a door already open to most. I guess… Read more

I look out on this oak tree to write most of my posts when I am not at the beach. This is my dressing room view. I have a small simple desk to write at and look out at its majesty. I sit here sometimes just watching the tree for ages in awe of this… Read more

Thank you for the messages wishing me a speedy recovery. I am feeling a lot better than I did on Sunday. As a consequence of being ill I lost my voice so a perfect recipe to read and rest. Rested and ready to return to work, I want to write about the importance of listening.… Read more

Street food, I believe is the saviour of the human race Anthony Bourdain Anthony Bourdain wrote this many years ago. Mr Bourdain is sadly no longer with us, and thanks to his advice I might be soon catching up with him! Let’s go back 24 hours to Saturday night. I went with some friends to… Read more

It was Voltaire that wrote “Cherish those who seek the truth but beware of those who find it” Did you ever own a Blackberry? Most people did and if you owned one you could not have imagined losing it or replacing it with anything else. In the summer of 2009, BlackBerry occupied half of the… Read more

I found scribbles in a book this weekend. It seemed to not be related to the book so I can only think it was written while listening to a podcast. I can often write odd post it notes as I wait to board a plane or wait to deplane. The above picture is not that… Read more

Something to do Someone to love Something to believe in and lastly something to hope for Can you answer the list above? If so the you are well set and should be very happy. It doesn’t matter how good or bad you are, but it matters how good you want to be. Enjoy your weekend… Read more

That is the way it has been since the beginning. We have never had more or less than each other, that’s it. We need to realise that we are a social species and that is why we a have survived. We might well want to be on our own and work on our own and… Read more

A book recommendation and a profound passage in the book is my subject for today to consider and reflect on. Swing Time by Zadie Smith is a story about friendship and music and stubborn roots, it is about how we are shaped by these things and how we can survive them. I enjoyed White Teeth… Read more

My grandad Dennis use to say to me’ Nathan, God gave you two ears and one tongue so that you may listen twice as much as you talk. I later learned that he was repeating the words of Diogenes, first written in the lives of eminent philosophers. In a way though my grandad was my… Read more

I had a week off at the end of the summer. I spent the time at home walking, reading, laughing and relaxing. I spent more time with nature than I had in a long time. Walking and sitting and observing nature. No day was the same that week. I felt great that week. I returned… Read more

Xander (my 25 year old son) and I are at finals day. Or more accurately we are in a Hilton about to head off to Edgbaston to watch the cricket. All week I have been talking to folks about finals day and many will wish you luck or good wishes. So while I wait for… Read more

Melanie and I got the house cleaned this weekend. We payed for a ‘cherry picker’ truck to block off our house and clean our house exterior. It was a beautiful UK September day and the company we contracted blocked off the corner and jet washed the whole house. Taking off years of water and dirt… Read more

There is a skill not taught in regular business courses that is crucial to success. There is a skill your company highly values you for but won’t always know how to recognise it. This skill is going to be more and more important as we gravitate to higher value adding roles in the era of… Read more

Melanie and I were already at the beach for the weekend when Natty our daughter decided to come down and stay with us. She was going to be on the 10:36 Sunday morning train from Victoria to Brighton, and we could not have been more happy to see her. We waited for her at the… Read more

More of a diary form today folks. I am not spending a ton of time proof reading it so if this is not your thing you can skip today’s post. OK, if you are still here then here goes…. I am on PTO for a few days and miraculously coincided with some great weather in… Read more