This morning, alerted by a friend who is a keen birder, we abandoned our bed and customary two-tea lie-in and walked to the nearby park. Two of the entrances were still locked after they should have been open but the sight of someone walking a dog sent us round the corner to the third entrance. We w...

Three weeks away from home makes for a very pleasant month, not least because we were able to read about Rome sweltering from afar.

Took myself off on an expedition today to the other side of town, to a fine and interesting area called Pigneto. Small, low dwellings that were occupied by railway workers line narrow streets and there’s a definite hipsterish vibe about the place. My purpose was to visit Zio Bici, a bike shop that specialises in Bromptons.¹

A lot of people derive great benefit from recording, usually daily, the things that bring them joy or for which they are grateful. That isn’t something I do — at least not publicly — although I will sometimes jot down something along those lines as a reminder to future me. That may be because I am e...

There’s an internet refrain common when bad behaviour triumphs: this is why we can’t have nice things. I generally sympathise, but aside from trying to buy longer-lasting goods and mending when I can, I have not paid much attention to whether some things are, maybe, too nice.

Phil Gyford, having...