INTERVIEWEE: We just haven't got the time to think.

ME: (Thought) But surely you have exactly the same amount of time as anyone else?

ONI-GOGS

The most important trick in anything creative is to throw away inhibition. Fitting in kills creativity.

That's why I laughed aloud reading Nigel Slater's book Tender. It reminded me of one of those moments when the best people of all at dropping inhibition - because they have so little - kids - come up with something of pure genius. It was George, aged about 9. In Nigel Slater's book I was reading about how to lessen the tears from chopping an onion. I remembered that George, who liked to help with the cooking, had come up with his own. He took a pair of swimming goggles, drew an onion on them with a felt tip pen, and christened them his Oni-gogs.They worked a treat.

MANIFESTO

Treat everyone as your own flesh and blood

FUN IN THE SUN

I am fond of the Sun newspaper. Great when you are on the khazi. I love their headline writing. And the other day was one of their finest. A builder won £26M on the lottery. The headline:
WORTH A FEW BOB, THE BUILDER

JEDINBURGH

My son, Jed, is appearing in Sound of Music on its UK Tour, at present in Edinburgh.

www.thesoundofmusictour.com/cast/jedberry.php

It's a great show. Go along, and enjoy!

EMPOWER PLAYGROUNDS

I thought this was brilliant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empower_Playgrounds

AYO GORKHALI

I generally pride myself on being a reasonably independent thinker. But sometimes I fail alarmingly.
I did recently.
My friend was staying with me. Now, he is notably independent of mind. The subject of the Gurkhas and their UK settlement claim came up. I said that I hoped he'd joined their successful campaign.
"Why should I?" he asked. "What's so special about the Gurkhas? Should we be opening the door to settlement claims from any commonwealth or other foreign soldier who has fought for a British army?"
I saw in an instant how I'd been seduced - by Joanna Lumley, by my sentimental view of Gurkhas, by my prejudices against the mealy mouthed and ungenerous character of bureaucrats and politicos.
Heart, meet Head.

MANIFESTO FOR LIVING 01

Trust what is alien.
Alienated the trusted.

THE LANGUAGE OF HATE

That love your enemies thing is on my mind.
Language lets us down, lets us off the hook.
"I made friends with him." Glory be to me.
"We fell out."
"We don't see eye to eye."
"She's not my cup of tea."

See how the language subtly shifts the blame?

"I made them my enemy."

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

Some time ago when I had a pied a terre in London I used to get a taxi regularly from there to the airport. In the taxi we generally drove past a particular church. Outside it was a sign. The sign said:

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES.
AFTER ALL, YOU MADE THEM.

That made me think.