Author: philjackman

It was that time that no homeowner ever wants to contemplate, the time that we all put off for as long as possible.  It was time to empty out the garage.  The garage - a space attached to the house with the original purpose of protecting the one and only car that the family possessed … Continue reading So much stuff

I’d left my jacket in the hall.  My favourite jacket, left behind above where my shoes had been and now we were on the coach, making our way to the airport.  We were far too far away to go back, there was not enough time.  I had reminded myself not to forget it.  I’d left … Continue reading Left behind

They know what they are doing those blue bottles you know. They hover around your neighbourhood on the lookout for open windows and doors through which they can come in and annoy you. That's their purpose in life. It's a game they play because they know you can't bear the buzzing and fussing.  They love … Continue reading Blue bottles

Most people understand the concept of demand in terms of defining service delivery but just in case according to Wikipedia ‘The term demand signifies the ability or the willingness to buy a particular commodity at a given point of time’.  Demand is taken to mean the pull of product or service by the customer or … Continue reading Two types of demand

I hadn’t been on my bike for a long time, perhaps eighteen months or so, ever since I had suffered from kidney stones.  The doctor had said that exercise might unsettle the stones and so it was a good reason not to do anything strenuous but that was just an excuse because really I was … Continue reading Getting back on my bicycle

Stockholm must be one of the most beautiful cities in the world although I confess to not being that well travelled and so cannot be absolutely certain.  It is its location that is so stunning, built on a dozen or so islands at the edge of the Baltic Sea but with thousands of other islands … Continue reading Stockholm

I don’t know who they are but they’re responsible for so much that goes on around here. I hear it all the time. They’ve only gone and done this or they’ve only gone and done that. I don’t know what they do either but they seem to have their fingers in so many pies, they … Continue reading Who are they?

He had the wrong shoes to be a chief executive.   They were black but matt black and flexible.  They weren’t a sturdy pair of brogues or a pair of Oxfords, polished and buffed with shiny toe caps.  They didn’t have laces tied in double bows over a pair of strong feet in black socks.  Instead … Continue reading Wrong shoes

Something is going down. The word in the undergrowth is that it's going to be big and there's only one name in town.  The King of the Gastropods is back.  He’s rarely seen.  He only comes out at night when the grass is moist and the air is damp and cool but you can tell … Continue reading Snails

What an amorphous concept value for money is.  I wish someone would explain it to me. People say that they want to get value for money or VFM but that is the purpose of money isn't it?  You exchange it for goods up to a certain value.  I promise to pay the bearer and all … Continue reading Value for money