Suddenly, “Lost in Translation” makes sense. This is a very, very strange city. (But then, I guess London could appear pretty bizarre to a foreigner who dropped in for three days as well.) I started the day with a 5k run and was delighted to discover that many local people do the same thing. Several…
An early start found me heading back on the subway to the airport and from there on to Japan. Korea is a great place. The people are so polite. What other country would have a visitor’s last memory be the ground crew at the airport all bowing and then waving as the plane taxis away?…
When I first started running three years ago, it was Victoria Park in Hackney where I did my first circuits. Once round was enough back then, leaving me puffed out, but proud of my achievement, as I walked back to Roding Road via the newsagent. Today I returned to Victoria Park to do three circuits…
Today, colleagues at the Scout Association, through a series of letters and emails sent around the globe, announced that I am to be their candidate for election to the World Scout Committee. The election is to be held in July, in South Korea. World Scouting has been living through a number of challenges in the…
I had forgotten that train journeys at the weekend can be tricky. In a moment of what may turn out to have been genuine madness some weeks ago, I decided that I would take a week off work and do some walking. So, this morning I left London with GNER to head north to Malham…
New York last week, Great Yarmouth today. I’ve never been to Yarmouth before. It’s a really lovely town. I tend to think of British seaside resorts as being rather sad, diliapidated places. The one I know best, Weston-super-Mare, certainly is. But Yarmouth was very busy with holidaymakers, making the most of a beautiful day. I…
The Guildhall in the City of London is a very big and imposing building. It has the feel of a cathedral (having been built around the same time as many of them) and for that reason events there can sometimes be a bit stuffy and pompous. Tonight was different. Nearly 250 graduating students from Career…
To Brockley today to speak at a lunchtime meeting of the Greenwich, Lewisham and Bexley Chamber of Commerce. Lovely people and loads of interest in the work of the Career Academy Foundation. But the meeting was more noteable for its location than my speech. It was held at the legendary Rivoli Ballroom. Stepping out of…
The last few weeks have been interesting ones for Scouting. Broadsheets and tabloids alike have attacked us for dropping the Promise (we haven’t); the Sun has run a particularly insidious campaign suggesting that we don’t vet prospective leaders carefully enough before accepting their offers of help (we do); and our census figures suggest that interest…
