Category: Life
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Pukkelpoptastic!
Last weekend I went to the PukkelPop music festival here in Belgium. In part this was because a good buddy of mine (Peter) was going and insisted I’d have a great time, and in part because I wanted to convince myself – having recently passed the 40 mark – that I am not too old to go to festivals (or even gigs in general, despite the wife’s insistence that I’m past it and will just be an object of ridicule to the rest of the much younger audience who probably think I’m only there to chaperone my kids). That said, I did… Read more
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Getting skin in the commuting game
Further to my last missive, I finally succeeded in biking to/from work. Although (much like Finn learning to ride his bike without stabilizers) I didn’t really have much choice, as my car is in for repair. The windscreen wipers stopped wiping, opting to emit a burning plastic smell instead, and when I took it to the garage on Wednesday they noticed that the shock absorbers were shot (that would explain the clunking every time I take a speed-bump, then) and also needed replacing, and announced that I wouldn’t get my car back until Friday. So having cycled from the garage to… Read more
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Mid-life mountain-biking crisis
This weekend I treated myself to a new mountain bike. My old one has been slowly dying on me and I finally decided I’d had enough when it shed a pedal 5km out from home, forcing me to walk all the way back. When I visited my local bicycle emporium (Robeet BikeStyle, in Tervuren) I was surprised by how much bike technology has changed since I bought my last one (a Specialized Rockhopper, bought ten years ago). It’s now almost impossible to buy a mountain bike without front suspension, and disc brakes are common on all mid- to high-end bikes. Naturally… Read more
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And not a ‘Hi-De-Hi’ within earshot
Last weekend we enjoyed a family holiday (4 days – does that count as a holiday?) at one of the CenterParcs here in Belgium (De Vossemeren). We’ve never done one of these kind of places before (I think us Brits have a natural aversion to anything that even vaguely smells of a Butlins Holiday Camp), but yes, we did actually enjoy it. It’s not necessarily my first choice of vacation [I couldn’t sell the family on a 10-day meditation retreat…], but the kids loved it and if they’re happy then the holidays are a lot more relaxing for us parents,… Read more
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Top Of The Pops, Bottom Of The Ratings
The BBC have announced that Top Of The Pops is to be axed. For the non-Brits, Top Of the Pops is (or at least was) the flagship ‘music’ programme produced by the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). It has been airing weekly since 1964, and was for many of those years the only ‘youth-oriented’ programme produced by the BBC. That the programme is being cancelled is a crime. Top Of The Pops (TOTP) is one of the staples of the BBC output – along with the Queen’s Speech at Christmas and the Nine O’Clock News – and as such should be… Read more