Just launched a special, purpose-built blog for my travels through the former Soviet Union. The plan is to test-drive it while I’m in Moscow, ironing out any bugs before I set off on the trip proper later in the year. I could have used this blog. But it’s hosted on the same server as my [...]

    The photo above was sent to me by Greg Eccleston. He went in search of the sign from Jack’s Cafe in Dali that inspired my book No Shitting in the Toilet. And when he couldn’t find that he tracked down another one in Beijing. What I like about his no shitting sign is [...]

  Went to see the Russian Cossack State Dance Company at the Epsom Playhouse the other night. I was impressed by a number of things. The moustaches. The accordian playing. And the way the funny little bloke with the big head nearly fell off the stage. His constant dices with the edge said to me [...]

I went to Epsom library this morning to return Maisy Goes to Playschool. I was pleased to see that they’d set up a display to recognise the passing of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. It had a bit of a high school project feel about it but the sentiment expressed was sincere and respectful. I have my suspicions [...]

There’s a nice review of Vroom with a View on the Between Two Rivers scooter club website. Thanks Brad. BTR SC is in Iowa. Apparently Iowa is known as ‘The Land Between Two Rivers.’ Coincidentally, that’s also what Mesopotamia means. I wonder if BTR SC have considered opening a chapter in Baghdad?

I’ve been doing this blog for two years now and a couple have things have surprised me. One is that people bother to visit it. And two, the posts that still get regular comments months after they were originally posted. Like the post I did about my old computer blowing up. The company that made [...]