There’s an old saying ‘take an interest in politics before it takes an interest in you’. And, slowly but with the familiar, grinding, dead-handed certainty, politicians are taking an interest in classic cars. If you own a modern classic car built between 1979 and 2005, they’re very interested indeed in you. That's £12.50, mate. In... Continue Reading →
I knew I wanted a Submariner and a Lotus Elan by the time I was 10. If you were a kid in the 1970s, you’ll remember the Rothmans ad. You could stand, looking up at the billboard, and see the driver’s Sub just visible under his shirt cuff as he changed gear in his Lotus,... Continue Reading →
After years of falls, road deaths have stopped falling. In fact, in previous years they've rising fast enough for the Department for Transport to pre-releasing figures and ministers to start getting their defence in early. UK transport minister Robert Goodwill warned a parliamentary road safety conference last week to prepare for “bad news” ahead of Thursday’s announcement,... Continue Reading →
I should have realised that attempting to use a train to travel anywhere more complicated than London was a mistake. We booked tickets to go to Cornwall this weekend. All peachy - only a small second mortgage required. Now we discover (because we checked - not because anyone thought to tell us) that the train... Continue Reading →
If you're a tightwad where cars are concerned, want something a cut above your average Forxhall and want to spend less than £4,000, what do you open your wallet for? How about something that’ll carry five people (and their luggage) in comfort at motorway speeds all day, will do 30mpg (if you’re as light-footed as a... Continue Reading →
Watches, perhaps because they are so much more personal than almost any other artefact, have a knack of telling stories that bring the past vividly into the present. Here's one of them... In the gathering darkness of the evening of September 28th 1944, a group of 12 German Kampfschwimmer (military frogmen) slipped into the Waal... Continue Reading →
As well as the day job and a bit of scribbling about watches, I work with the splendid Speakers for Schools organisation. In February '17, John Marston, the headteacher at St. Birinus school in Didcot invited me to speak to some of his students. I talked to them about how important it is to fail... Continue Reading →
Oh, look - MMC's posting pictures of watches again. Yes, it's a rather nice GW-5000, the one with the proper screwdown back and metal inner case (G-Shock nerds only need apply). But it's the time on the screen that's significant, not the watch. Why? On 10 December last year, just before 10am, I was away... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/OAIro_A1CYw At this time of year, for me, as the temperature goes down and the decorations go up, there’s always a ‘Carols for Choirs’ shaped gap. As a six year old boy treble and then as a young counter tenor and bass, the weeks from September onwards meant only one thing - Christmas. The... Continue Reading →
Electric cars need to be plugged in every now and then. But what do you do if you haven't got a driveway? As the countryside around Bampton fills with huge new housing estates and commuters, even the lanes that lead to major routes are rammed in rush hour. Traffic on the A40 is moving so... Continue Reading →
MMC Musings 