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Welcome to my new website

Many of us over 60 are counted out when part-time jobs come up despite our collective wisdom and abilities.

To counter some of this prejudice I have dispensed with sending my CV and have instead created The Complete Picture, an animated ninety second overview of my life to date @ https://vimeo.com/223960456.

 

 

 

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26
DEC
Social Networking 2 17-26th December 2012  Monday 17th Christmas Drinks Chelsea Arts Club Kensington & Chelsea Today Kate Hawthorne  Parliament John Eales and family  Bump Gerry Sutcliffe MP  Tuesday 18th Breakfast @ Soho Hotel Phil Hall & Paul Blanchard   Lunch @ Daley's Colin Herridge  Supper @ Union Jack, Chiswick Private supper  Wednesday 19th Flight to Vancouver  Bump Mo Farah   Thursday...
26
DEC
Canadian Christmas Blog 1 Daisy & Jack Vancouver & Nanaimo  19th December Heathrow T3 to Vancouver on Air Canada  We were able to check in electronically and the queue for baggage drop was barely five minutes so immediately we liked AC! We were spending Christmas with the Canadian side of our family - Joyce, my sister, Devon and Mark,  my late brother's sons.   When we went in 2008 via Seattle, by the chronically dysfunctional North West Airlines, our
24
DEC
I bought: How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen after having listened to a programme about his work on BBC World Service last month. This nuggets of a book though isn't quite what it seems. It is more an exploration of how your life might develops through a range of examples drawn from his own research. It is not a blueprint for your own life though there is much that is sage in the text. I strongly recommend it.
24
DEC
I read Exposure: Inside the Olympus Scandal by Michael Woodford which is a record of his short time as CEO of Olympus - a first time a foreigner had ever been chosen to lead the company - and the slightly longer time he had suing it for wrongful dismissal.  It is an extraordinary story of deceit, wrong doing and cover up.......it is also a cracking read. 
21
DEC
With Daisy and Jack, my two children, we are spending our Christmas with our Canadian side of the family in Vancouver and Nanaimo before returning home via Montreal. 
21
DEC
De-plane-ing as opposed to disembarking from our flight to Vancouver I bumped into Mo Farah as you do. 
19
DEC
UBS was fined US$1.5 billion for deliberately fixing Libor. It can somehow set this against tax which is doubly unfair on the voting public and taxpayers. They are a Useless Bloody Shower. When HSBC was also fined recently following the laundering of drug money from Mexico and elsewhere I closed my account after 40 years with them and moved it to the Coop Bank.
19
DEC
We went to Jamie Oliver's Union Jack last night at Chiswick. When it opened earlier in the year you couldn't book but that changed after its first month. It has a retro feel about it and wonderful food all British but with a twist.......great to see a goodly collection of Chapel Down wines on the menu.
18
DEC
Yesterday, I met John Eales and his family at Westminster Hall and showed them round Parliament. They went into to hear the PM's Statement the Council of Europe. 
18
DEC
Yesterday, I was at the Chelsea Arts Club for the C&KT Christmas drinks shindig....
18
DEC
This morning I was invited to breakfast at Soho Hotel chaired by Phil Hall, the ex editor of the NoW (pre-hacking) where we discussed the internet and its possible regulation.
18
DEC
I had lunch at Daly's with Colin Herridge my co-author and we discussed our latest book project.
18
DEC
Three cracking dramas have dominated our television viewing these past few months - The Hour (BBC), The Killing (Danish/BBC) and Homeland (Fox/C4); only Homeland has one episode left. For sheer suspense The Killing wins my vote overall.
18
DEC
Bradley Wiggins deserves a knighthood as do many of our sporting heroes this year. The only thing we know about the Honours committee is that they loathe moving outside their unwritten rules but fortunately the PM agreed special honours for those who competed in the Olympics and Paralympics.  In 2004, Kelly Holmes won 2 golds in the 800m and 1500m and was made a Dame. She set the gold standard. In 2012, those who won 2 golds in 2008 and or 2012 should be made...
17
DEC
We spent the weekend in Paris trying to avoid beggars, tramps and drunks who littered Rue de Rivoli, Boulevard St Germain and the main churches on Sunday. This was not a familiar sight. One man begging had clearly had his face badly burned, others had appalling injuries or deformities. It was uncomfortable. This is not how a major European city should function. We didn't know whether this was a nation or a city issue or both or whether it was cuts in social security budgets..... whatever.... it
17
DEC
On Saturday we had breakfast in the shadow of Notre Dame and then visited it (it is celebrating its 850th year) and saw again the wonderful rich rose windows which have recently been cleaned. We walked the Boulevard Saint-Germain stopping briefly to pay homage at Les Deux Magots and pondered whether we should book Brasserie Lipp for supper. We then spent a couple of hours in the wonderful Musee d'Orsay marvelling at the Impressionist and Post Impressionist galleries. We liked it so...
17
DEC
After a disappointing breakfast at Le Zimmer (£5 for a pot of tea £12 for toast, an orange juice and a croissant) we walked up to Les Halles where probably the largest inner city renewal programme is in full swing. We ventured into Sainte Eustace church which was magnificent and overwhelmed us. We shop windowed in Rue de Honore especially in Mulberry and Gucci but were not persuaded.  We took a cab to Gare du Nord walked a few 100 metres from the tat...
17
DEC
Social Networking 1 10-16 December 2012 Monday 1. Vodafone Mobile Conference @ Tate Modern Bump Mark Malloch-Brown Dr Ian Goldin Tommy Helsby Julia Hobsbawm Steve Moore   2. Trinity Hospice, Trustees Katharine Jackson David Clarson Tuesday 3. London Hospice Chairs, House of Lords Michael Howard, Chair, Help the Hospices   Bump Bruce Grocott HoL Gerry Sutcliffe MP Fabian Hamilton MP 4. Media Dinner, Reform Club Clive Jones Harriet Harman...
13
DEC
We went to the new Inter Continental Hotel opposite St James's Tube Station last night for our 1000 Club bash. Ed Miliband was our guest speaker - there's a surprise - and we met many old friends  We then went on to have supper at the Adjournment Restaurant in Portcullis House.
13
DEC
I was up early to travel to Putney this morning to watch the Oxford crews - a mix of the Blue boat and the Isis boat - in a play off over the Boat Race course. The two boats were called Hurricane and Spitfire and the latter just edged it by a half a length although they looked to be responsible for a clashing of the oars mid-way through which caused Hurricane to lose its way.   We followed the race in one of the official launches and though it was cold it was fantastic to see the crews...
13
DEC
I was a guest of Mihir (though he was in Doha, Qatar) and Caroline Bose at the Media Dinner at the Reform Club on Tuesday evening to hear Harriet Harman speak about Leveson. I also bumped into Mark Malloch-Brown, Polly Toynbee, Peter Kelner and Jimmy Wales who were at another event at the Reform.
13
DEC
I had a goodly lunch with Francis Baron at Marco Pierre White's Wheelers Restaurant in St James's Street yesterday.
11
DEC
I have had a painful time moving into my new flat as the glass bookcases ordered couldn't be fitted on my wall until yesterday when we added 18mm of plywood. This morning the glass went in and slowly my books are reappearing from their boxes. Just another 40 to go.
11
DEC
Whilst at the Vodafone Foundation's Mobiel for Good Summit yesterday I popped in to see the rather grand shows of William Klein and separately, Daido Moriyama. More at www.tate.org.uk
11
DEC
I was a guest at the Vodafone Foundation's Mobile for Good Summit yesterday at Tate Modern. There were too many speakers and not enough focus. Most interesting fact: 80% of all Africans will have a mobile by 2015.............. Most interested case: Obstetric Fistula - work in Tanzania where hundreds of women's lives are being saved by a mobile pay system called m-pesa.
10
DEC
Charlton drew 2-2 with Brighton in front of a 19,000+ crowd on Saturday whereas Richmond lost at home to Blackheath 21-30 (sell out pre-lunch between the two oldest club sides in the world). After a hesitant start to the Championship, Charlton are in mid table (12th) and but for a poor home record would be challenging for a top 6 position. Richmond have slipped back this past month and now need to win on Saturday v high flying Esher away.
7
DEC
New Year's Resolution 1 I have signed up for 10 x 3 hours of a course on Photography at my local Adult Education Centre starting in January..... 
7
DEC
New Year's Resolution 2 On Wednesday I travelled out to Chesham to see Christianne Wolff who is a personal trainer and I have signed up for a 10 x 1 hour detox and fitness regime starting in the New Year!! 
7
DEC
I attended our Board meeting on Wednesday afternoon at the Groucho Club I had to slip away at six but returned for supper.
7
DEC
I just made it to a packed Dress 2 Kill venue for Christmas drinks on Wednesday and was happy to meet Chris Robshaw, England's rugby captain. I had my photo taken with him and as some wag put it: "There was a time when people would ask if they could have their photo with you......." 
7
DEC
I went with Dudley Ankerson (Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge) to the 131st Varsity Match (I played in the Centenary match in 1981) yesterday (25,000 spectators) and watched an extraordinary game. Cambridge must have had 65% of the ball and should have won by 20 points and were cruising half way through the second half 19-6. Oxford then switched their backs around and suddenly were running riot scoring tries from all over the place........ This was Oxford's third victory in a row but
5
DEC
We had a lovely supper in Chiswick last night to celebrate my birthday!! All in all, quite a full day....
5
DEC
Yesterday, my old mucker Tim Dick from San Fran flew in to take me to lunch at Galvin, on the top floor of the Hilton. Well, he actually flew in to do some business which happened to coincide with us celebrating my birthday!  
4
DEC
Thunderer Column in The Times today The internet needs a  global leader. Let's base it in London by Derek Wyatt  Long before the Harvard academic Jo Nye published his seminal work on soft power in 2004, Britain had given birth to two of the greatest soft-power institutions in the world. In 1932 came the BBC Empire Service, now the BBC World Service, and two years later came the British Council. Soft power is all we have left in the Foreign Office.   We have largely...
4
DEC
Forty six former Labour MPs sat down for their Christmas supper last night. It must be the only time I have been to any dinner involving any politicians where there were no speeches. It was great catching up with everyone.
4
DEC
RWC 2015 Draw The first rugby world cup was in 1987 in NZ, the second in the UK, Ireland & France (final at Twickenham), the third in South Africa, the fourth in the UK, Ireland and France (final in Cardiff), the fifth in Oz, the sixth in France and the seventh in NZ. Home sides have made the final in 1987, 1991 (England), 1995, 1999 (France), 2003 and 2011. Home sides have won the cup in 1987, 1995 and 2011. So far all finals have been between a northern hemisphere country...
2
DEC
I had an hour with Brian Cathcart  - who has run the Hacked Off campaign so brilliantly - on Friday afternoon and we discussed what needed to be done next in the coming weeks to ensure the Leveson report is implemented.
2
DEC
Benjamin Disraeli, when PM, wanted a club that brought politicians together with businessmen and so formed St Stephen's......it has the odd iteration since then but the current owner has given the club notice. Doug Smith, a former neighbour, asked me if I would like to attend what was a rather jolly lunch to say goodbye to it - and so it came to pass last Monday......... 
2
DEC
WE went to the launch of our first NNN conference at Aldeburgh in March next year  (we have held three in Portmeirion) at the Groucho Club last Monday evening organised by Editorial Intelligence (I am small shareholder). www.namesnotnumbers.com  www.editorialintelligence.com 
2
DEC
We went to the Jubilee Room on Wednesday to welcome Sir Colin Mead, probably the most famous rugby player in the world. I gave the introductory speech and Paul Farrelly MP presented him with a special Parliamentary tankard.
2
DEC
Roger Blitz quoted me in the FT yesterday morning. I took issue with the mauve plum shirts that the England team wore v Australia.....
2
DEC
There was quite a turn out for the England game at Twickenham - Jack came with me and then met up with a number of his friends. I had as my guests Richard and Kate from CSC who couldn't believe their luck (at the score) and Dudley, Richard and Norman joined us from Herefordshire and London. The ERIC room was packed. The game was a dream, almost a game too many for the All Blacks.........but given England's woeful performances v Oz and v SA it warmed the cockles of your heart!!
2
DEC
Daisy and Rupes and Jack and Charlie joined me for supper at About Thyme in Pimlico last night to celebrate my 150th birthday..............
2
DEC
The PM set up Leveson, sent his comments into him and then appeared in front of him. He had countless opportunities to tell us he was not in favour of a statutory power but suddenly claimed a conversion barely three hours after the Leveson Report dropped onto his study desk. Broadcasting has Ofcom and this hasn't stopped them making Dispatches or Panorama; the Press must also have a similar back stop.   www.hackinginquiry.org
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