Children learn from play. Hold the front page. Who could believe it? Whatever will they think of next? I heard it on the news so it must be true, yet anyone who has ever had children knows this to be self-evident. Children learn the social norms of interaction, collaboration and hierarchy through play. Anyone who … Continue reading Learn from play
A visit to the Archive
During all of the seven years that I've wandered the corridors of County Hall I have never visited the County Records Office. I'm not really sure why. Perhaps it is because it is somewhere the public go rather than being just an office, or maybe I just have not found an excuse. As if I … Continue reading A visit to the Archive
Bloody efficient
I give blood. I do so out of a sense of civic responsibility though it could be because I am pompous and enjoy that feeling of self-righteous smug satisfaction. I have a silver card which is somewhere between twenty five and forty nine donations. I don't think I'll ever get to eat at the Palace. … Continue reading Bloody efficient
#DurHack 2017
University seems to be so much more fun when I was there. Perhaps it was the subject that I did or perhaps it's all the cool stuff they get to play with now. The students do work hard though. Again a lot more than when I was there. If I remember rightly my years at … Continue reading #DurHack 2017
Gently reminiscing
There is a film crew and a load of extras outside of County Hall. They are filming for the TV series George Gently which has been set in and around Durham over the last ten years. There are some old vehicles, an ambulance, a Bedford van and a black Transit with Tyneside Office Stationers written … Continue reading Gently reminiscing
A new Forth Bridge
The Forth Rail Bridge proudly stands across the Firth of Forth some nine miles west of the city of Edinburgh. Its russet red metal work has a complete length of about two and a half kilometres. It is a world renowned railway icon and a testament to Victorian engineering. It truly is a product from … Continue reading A new Forth Bridge
Global reach
There are one hundred and ninety-six countries on the world. One less if you don’t count Taiwan (don’t tell Trump). Last year, at least one person read my blog from eighty four of these sovereign states, up from sixty-four in the previous year. That means my blog has covered over forty-two per cent of the … Continue reading Global reach
The Divided Self
What a fascinating book ‘The Divided Self’ by RD Laing is. It is perhaps not the kind of book I would normally pick up but it was lying around and it is quite thin. I would urge anyone who has any interest in the workings of humanity to give it a go. Why? Because the … Continue reading The Divided Self
We’re no basket case
It seems to be a bit of a sport these days to paint the North East as a bit of a difficult area, with the differing authorities at logger heads and each secretly scheming up plans at the others’ expense yet this is a picture that is far from true. Yes, we do have our … Continue reading We’re no basket case
Getting to be number one
I haven’t written about Andy Murray for a while. There are many things I haven’t written about but I do have form on this one. I first mentioned him back in October 2014 and he has made an infrequent yet regular appearance ever since. Now I know he is a bit Marmite. Some people for … Continue reading Getting to be number one
Thoughts from a Retired Guerrilla Worker 