Reflections on a Rocky Shore: Embracing the Beauty and Pain of Solitude I’m sat on a barnacle covered rock, it’s part of a line of angular rock pushing up through the fine sandy beach on the southern tip of the Isle of Arran. This line points at the Ailsa Craig,

Why Do We Need Leaders? With the Trump assassination attempt and a picture of Starmer grandstanding on a balcony, I’ve started wondering why we need leaders this week. Historically, they’ve steered us through storms, aiming for shared horizons. But in today’s tangled world, we might give them too much divine

Designing Tomorrow. This month, we dive into government planning reforms, the complexities of party wall agreements with expert Giles Lewis, and transformative home redesigns in Old Portsmouth and Parkstone. Don’t miss our monthly features: ‘Builder of the Month’ spotlighting Neil McDonald and ‘Wines of the Month’ from Wines by the

On the Road to Freedom. I got upset with speed cameras this week. I may have got caught. Have to wait and see. I need one of those driving safety courses anyway. It’s been about five years. It got me thinking about speed, freedom and technology. Speed kills. But if

Half the World Away. OK, I’ve put this off too long. Roldan is sitting on the other side of the world, waiting for me so he can post this – sorry, Roldan. I’m two hours past the publishing deadline: two Remy Martins and five mince pies into the last working

Eudaimonia. I’m on my knees in a field somewhere deep in the Pyrenees. It’s a late Sunday afternoon in July 2018, blue sky and hot – about 33C. Not much is open in France on a Sunday. Even if it were where I find myself after nine hours of riding

Tech Testing. I have been testing a few new gadgets around the home lately: some successful, some a total waste of time: 1. I have recently installed a Mill electric central heating system. Compared to a wet heating system, the installation is cheap and easy. A few screws in the

Sweat & Mush. I’m dragging myself out of a sweat-infused mess this morning to pull together a few words. It seems that Covid is still a thing. I’ll keep it brief as a week of doing not much means there is much to do. 1. What they say is true.

Anthropological Non-avoidance. Here we go again. The alarm goes off at 0541 hrs, and by 0550 hrs, I’ve commuted to my desk, mug of Earl Grey in hand. It’s Friday morning. I wiggle my mouse and wake up Mac—type R********7. Slide over to a blank desktop to remove distractions from emails

Sometimes we canter. I am struggling to make sense of it all this week. There were multiple red flags at the beginning of the week, but after braving the storm, I got the green light, and it turned out rather fine. 1. In case you missed it, a major incident

I Drove All Night. I am sitting at my new desk, trying to open my heart. The goal: not be a closed book. It’s a difficult process. I’ve made very little headway since recommencing this journey fifteen minutes ago. I can feel my heart beating. A bit too hard. I’m

Isn’t it pretty to think so. You find me on board a Boeing 747-400. I’m stuck in the toilet as I plummet to earth. This bird is rattling and creaking. The G-force is crippling. I’m pegged back against the wall. We are clearly out of control, and as the pilot,

Build, Destroy & Reflect. This week marks the start of term at the University of Southampton. For a few weeks, I am Sir, occasionally Professor, until they work out it’s okay to go with Carl. Those who persist with the whole ‘Sir’ thing are sometimes reminded to use my proper title:

System Building. I am leaving it to the wire this week. Roldan will be up late today getting this article into Pipedrive, so it’s ready to send out this afternoon. He is eight hours ahead in the Philippines. Employing assistants in far corners of the world has been an interesting

Know Your Place. I found out yesterday that a friend has died. Sadly, I had lost touch with him in recent years. He is the fourth person I have to report the death of this year. In 2009, we did what Peter called ‘Consultancy Camping’ in empty shops, a ‘new

Drowning In Trends. Britain’s home improvement fad kills thousands. Don’t worry you’ve not arrived at The Mail Online. But it’s a fact that three times more Japanese die in the bath than in car accidents. And what’s big over there is now big over here. I’ve seen ninety-one homeowners interested

Eternalism. ​I’ve discovered I’m likely deep in the Block Universe and quite excited about it. It turns out that time has already been determined. All of the universe: past, present and future exists as a block. I’ve spent the past week or so wondering what one does if there is

Get Back. This week I am struggling with what to write. The crisis of confidence that I had a feeling would come when I started thinking too hard about this Thoughts for the Weekend (TFTW) gig has hit. Since it started, I have had weekly emails from clients saying how

Personal Recommendations. I have been thinking about the value of personal recommendations. Where trust and quality are more important than impersonal quantity. Where one good personal recommendation trumps five hundred Trip Advisor reviews. And then I remembered Ian and Margaret and their pre-internet ways. I was designing a completely new

Leaf Blowers. Don’t Suck. I have spent some time contemplating the merits of leaf blowers this past week. And following recent disconnected observations of leaf-blowing operatives, Ernest Hemingway and a passage from Ecclesiastes, I’m ready to buy my own. A daily ritual of blowing the same dry particles around the