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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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28
JUN
Ride of the Lions 2013 (I was part of the executive team which put this together and started the ball rolling with QBE) The ride will carry the Official Lions Tour Match Ball from Melbourne to Sydney. The ride finishes with an attempt to break the World record for longest bike bus/peloton in Heffron Park, Sydney, with Sydney cyclists of all ages being invited to participate in this short bike ride, that we hope will lead to a new World Record. The current record is held at 639...
28
JUN
I attended a Celebrating an Amazing Year for Women's Sport at Mischon de Reya's offices last night which had been organised by the Women's Sports & Fitness Foundation (which I founded in 1984). Sue Tibballs chaired an excellent evening which included speeches from Tessa Jowell MP, Barbara Slater Head of BBC Sport), Deborah Hale MBE (Baton Relay) and Sophie Hosking MBE (Gold in the Sculls). They were outstanding and seeing some of the OLympic excerpts again brought tears to my...
27
JUN
Last December, Dave Brubeck died a day short of his 92nd birthday. He had been playing and touring with his family and the tradition has been maintained. The Brubeck Family played seven UK concerts in seven new venues prior to arriving for five gigs at Ronnie's. It was an enjoyable evening but Dave was special and the magic was missing even though the concerts are a sell out. It was good to catch up with James Pearson, Ronnie's musical director, who played with his band just...
25
JUN
Sir Patrick Nairne www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/jun/11/sir-patrick-nairne
25
JUN
Maidenhead RFC This morning David Taylor, Joe Downey and David Dolman from Bath joined me or vice versa at Maidenhead RFC to meet Stephen Hough, the relatively new Club chairman. We wanted to see and walk and talk about their 3G synthetic pitch which they laid last April, 2012 almost a full year before Saracens pitched in at Barnet. We were so north of impressed ot was slightly embarrassing as we fawned over the turf.  Worse, afterwards, we drove and drove trying to find...
25
JUN
Gosh the coverage by the BBC of Wimbledon has fallen off. There are simply too many British commentators who fawn over the place. They fail to read the game, they chat amongst themselves, they offer few bits of helpful history and if it goes on like this, they will lose the contract next time it is on offer. Thank goodness for John McEnroe's insight (though he doesn't have to pander to Murray so much).   
24
JUN
Social Networking 26 17-23 June 2013 Monday Ronnie Lamb @ RAC Board Meeting @ Trinity Bump Julia Robertson David Clarson Peter Gluckman Geraldine Walters Tuesday Speaking @ BCS Conference Bump Lord David Currie David Harrington Jackie Dickinson @ RAC Simone Sandelson @ RAC Wednesday Dele @ Pimlico Merlin Erroll @ House of Lords APPRUGBY Community Awards @ House of Commons Bump Paul Farrelly MP James Thellusson Edward Griffiths, CEO, Saracens Gordon
24
JUN
I had a delightful time at Ronnie's yesterday listening to Kevin's repertoire of a largely 60s repertoire of swing; his band was excellent. I wish Ronnie's would just leave a note on each table about the credentials of the band players.
24
JUN
I went on Saturday evening to taste wines at the Naked Tour just off Vincent Square. The place was packed and if the 500+ crowd all paid their £20 a head then everyone was a winner. There were 16 tables representing 12 countries. I'm mainly a 'white' only drinker as red disagrees with me.......and was greatly taken by the Argentine. French and New Zealand offers........and am looking to a fuller taste shortly.
24
JUN
The state of the pitch in Brisbane was largely responsible for the Wallabies losing to the Lions. It was in a wretched state and cut up badly as the game progressed. They were fitter and stronger and yet a failed penalty kick at the last denied them victory. The first half was brutal and this is surely not what we want to see week in week out. The IRB must change the laws to allow the backs to run and score from first time possessio not through endless recycling of the...
19
JUN
I sent this in yesterday: Dear Sir If Internet service providers and social network sites carry rape images et al (Mumsnet letter today) then it is time we introduced a licence fee for them as we do for radio, telephony and television. The licence fee could just be an agreement to abide by UK law. If the ISPs and/ or SN sites were found guilty of carrying pornography then a yellow card with a fine attached and if it happened again a red card and take down. The UK should...
19
JUN
The Lions came apart at the seams yesterday losing 14-12 to the Brumbies in Canberra. Time was that this used to be a cricket score game for a Lions XV...... There have been too many injuries to the Lions and this has disrupted them. They should have another Home Union side like England or Wales in the country at the same time so when injury happens they can borrow players without these ridiculous journeys from Japan and Argentina let alone the UK for replacements.
19
JUN
On Sunday, I attended the annual ChinaOxford luncheon to celebrate those post-graduates from China luckily enough to win scholarships to help them study at the University. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/l126dqyfs2psve1/BBw-pvyaG3 It was a great day and my goodness what talent we have been lucky to attract such talent from China. Thank you Tim Beardson, our main provider in these matters.
19
JUN
Jack, my son, was in Portugal chilling after his second year exams at Bath Uni and so aside from a phone call and a promise of a dinner treat when he returns........it was left to Daisy, my daughter, to treat me! First we went to see Behind the Candelabra starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas (as Liberace) at the ICA and then onto Toku in Regent Street for our best sushi yet: a lovely end to a busy day.
19
JUN
For reasons which are not easy to explain I have hardly read a book for a month..........the last one being This Boy by Alan Johnson which I loved. Anyway, Tim founded the ChinaOxford scholarship programme twenty years or so ago and as a resident of Hong Kong for much longer, he has finally written that book he has been meaning to write about China and I have done no more than read the opening chapter but it should be finished by the week's end.
19
JUN
On Monday, I had coffee with Ronnie Lamb. Chairman of OURFC, in the gardens a the RAC.
16
JUN
I went to see Beautiful Thing written 20 years ago by Jonathan Harvey and starring Suranne Jones (Corrie et al) in Brighton yesterday evening. I took the train from Victoria (just 55 minutes non-stop) and found Brighton to be windy, spoilt by bad planning and full of police.......The theatre itself had a fifties charm to it though it needs a lick of paint. Nonetheless it was packed for this last performance of a short run.   The play hums and has some...
16
JUN
The British Lions play three Tests against Australia on 22/06, 29/06 and 06/07. They have chased cash in Hong Kong with a mismatch against the Barbarians, been shunted to Perth, not a traditional rugby stronghold, had one real match against Queensland and then two ordinary games in NSW and this week will play another no-brainer. The net result of this is the Lions have lost nearly ten players to injury..........good maybe for the Wallabies but it dilutes their Test XV and actually apart...
15
JUN
Social Networking 24  3rd-9th June 2013 Monday Steve Tudhope @ Pimlico Bump Aidan Burley Tuesday Ed Richards @ Atheneum Bump Melissa Baxter Ian McNichol Liz McSheehy @ Royal Institute Daniel Crewe, Profile @ Cork & Bottle Wednesday Tony Halmos & Paul Sizeland @ Guildhall Thursday Jack @ Pimlico Masons event @ Trinity Hospice Ian Pearson @ Chelsea Friday Dolores Rice @ Pimlico Jackie Dickinson @ RAC Katharine Jackson @ Cork &...
15
JUN
Twitter without any advance warning has taken down my automatic feed.......bear with us
15
JUN
The West dithered over Syria for two years and now look at the mess. (BBC has had an excellent three part documentary on the tragedy of Iraq which is now worse after an occupation longer than a combined duration of WW1 and WW2 and worse some of this has spilled over to both Afghanistan and Pakistan). If USA now offers weapons to the opposition because it is petrified of another Iraq then what happens if they opposition loses? 
15
JUN
On Monday I was asked to become the new chairman of Major Stanley's at Oxford University RFC.
15
JUN
Nick Cole represents Oxfordshire RFU on our new Legacy Board for RWC2015 and as I represent OURFC we have decided to share best practice....and so we met earlier this week to chat. 
15
JUN
I had lunch with (Lord) Richard Allan at Facebook. He was a Lib Dem MP from 1997-2005 before standing down for someone called Nick Clegg. When an MP, Richard used to be a lively member of the APP Internet Group.
9
JUN
I'm a sad case because I'm a Brit who likes baseball. I've watched it at Fenway Park and Pac Bell Park (now AT&T Park) so it follows that I follow the Red Sox and the Giants.  I also watch an absurd amount of cricket. Here's a thought.....baseball out fielders throw the ball at the bases with a straight trajectory....whilst there counterparts tend to throw it in an arch. Why don't cricket fielders aim to bounce their returns so that they hit the wicket. If they did this every...
9
JUN
All this year there have been a number of events to celebrate Vincent's 150th Anniversary. Last night it was a cocktail party in The Parks. I drove up and parked at Catz as I was staying over - alumni can rent rooms - and I decided to walk from college via a back path which takes you over two tributaries of the Thames. Punters were out punting, kids (students) were playing croquet whilst others were pretending they were Nadal or Federer on the grass courts.  It was if nothing had...
6
JUN
Sir Patrick Nairne died on 4th June aged 91. He was my Master at Catz (1982) and there is lovely Obit in The Guardian this morning. I sent the following note to the Editor of the Obits page: "Sir Patrick Nairne was a brilliant Master at Catz. He was uncannily ahead of most curves, he was unfailingly courtesy, he was generous with his time for its students and clever at putting different people together; above all he was so approachable. And yet he still had time to
6
JUN
The FT suggests this morning that one of the three regional science museums - Manchester (Science), Bradford (Media & Photography and York (Railways) - will close. I have sent the following letter to the FT: "Science as it is reflected in our UK museums cannot hold a candle to the Tate (two offerings in London plus St Ives and Liverpool), the V&A (London and Dundee) and the Imperial War Museum (London, Duxford and Salford).   Instead we have four independent...
6
JUN
Steve Tudhope worked in the House of Commons for John Grogan before moving on and upwards as various consultancies. We have been friends for a decade or so and we chewed the fat on Monday evening before being texted by Aidan Burley MP that he was holding engagement drinks on The Terrace in Parliament and so off we went: we regretted in the morning.
6
JUN
Russams, the Haed hunters, invited me to a breakfast at The Athenaeum where Ed Richards, CEO, Ofcom was our guest speaker. His main point was the world was going digital and 4G was hip.
6
JUN
Daniel Crewe contacted me recently and on Tuesday we met for drinks at the Cork & Bottle, near Leicester Square, which has been one of my favourite haunts for aeons.   Daniel is a publisher at Profile and brought me: Brothers At War: The Unending Conflict in Korea by Sheila Miyoshi Jager to read on my forthcoming long break in Siena. We talked about a book I am writing called Nearly Famous but actually I was tempting him with a bigger book all together........more soon.
6
JUN
For awhile I have thought there needs to be an Internet Policy Institute and more recently I think there needs to be a response to what a thinner more flexible UNO might look like by 2030 (in fact I doubt in could survive that long). Anyway, I pitched some ideas in the City yesterday.
2
JUN
27th May - 2nd June 2013 Monday Jane Evans @ Goya Mark Knopfler @ RAH Tuesday Nose to the grind stone Wednesday Jimmy Hibbert @ Meson Don Felopi Lyn Rothman @ Pimlico Thursday Jane Plackett @ Ozer Edward Close Smith @ Pimlico Peter Bills @ No.11 Friday Lynne Ager @ Trinity Saturday Dave Smith @ Pimlico Sunday A quiet day
2
JUN
Social Networking 20th-26th May 2013 Monday James Thelluson @ Les Deux Salons HE Gordon Campbell @ Canadian High Commission Tuesday Board Meeting @ Crowdbnk Wednesday John Webster @ Cork & Bottle Lynne Ager @ Trinity Eva Guerra @ No.11 Thursday Geoff Bennett @ Cafe Rouge Yvette Vaughan Jones @ Slug & Lettuce Crowdbnk @ Cork & Bottle Penguin International Book Launch @ East India Club Catz Alumni @ Arup Friday Legacy Group @...
1
JUN
Television, radio and telephony use spectrum which is leased by the Government of the day (well at least in the UK) though satellite remains out of its clutches. Commercial players in these industries pay a rent the government for its use. So why don't Internet Service Providers pay a rent for their services? It is a puzzle to me. We pay for stamps for our mail and for our telephone calls; we pay a licence fee for the BBC but for some reason this doesn't apply to the...
1
JUN
On Thursday late afternoon, I had a drink with Peter Bills, an old friend, who now lives in Monaco. I commissioned him to do Jean-Pierre Rives's autobiography back in 1985. I gave him a couple of ideas for books and magazine projects.
1
JUN
Jane works for the Beeb but was an international tennis player. We had a friendly lunch on Thursday at Ozer, the Turkish restaurant, close to the new improved BBC HQ.
1
JUN
Lyn was a late guest at my early summer party last month and on Wednesday evening she returned the complement. Mo - Lyn's late husband - brought Charlie Chaplin back from Switzerland to America (his adopted country) in the early 1970s which restored his name. He also bought 50% of Chaplin's film library for $6m and recouped his investment with his first deal in Japan! It was a film evening with other guests from Hollywood who;d been at Cannes........
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