Category: Columns

Ah. Christmas. “The most magical time of the year” (ho, ho, ho). A time of joy and delight and hours spent lovingly choosing presents for your nearest and dearest (which, if my family is anything to go by, means your dogs). The world, it seems, is divided into two types of people. Those who start […]

“Apparently men aren’t allowed to be called ‘dames’ in pantomimes anymore because of transexuals,” says the disgruntled woman sat in front of me on the bus, as she points out a news story to the person sat next to her. “The world’s gone mad.” ‘The world’s gone mad’. Allow me to give you an example: […]

If you think you know all the famous people York has ever produced, buckle up as this may be a new one on you. This month we’re taking a look back at a son of York who became famous for failing to build the first ever ‘New’ York in America. Confused? Read on… Captain Christopher […]

Sometimes it makes a refreshing change to go for a walk not too far from home and so this month’s walk is a gentle stroll beginning at the Bar (city) Walls. Starting from Monk Bar (or Walmgate Bar if you prefer) it crosses the surprisingly remote feeling Walmgate Stray before cutting across a corner of […]

This short walk is packed with interest. Starting at the attractive village of Gilling East it follows a quiet lane with views across to Ampleforth Abbey. Crossing fields to reach the edge of Ampleforth village it then passes the Abbey, which is open to visitors, before heading back to Gilling East across the extensive playing […]

What do the stars have in store for you this month? It might be the beginning of winter but there’s the scent of springtime in your heart! For some this could represent some new life in affairs of the heart, while for others it will represent being able to look forwards and knowing that long […]

I’m a huge sci-fi fan. In my humble opinion the very best sci-fi stories deal with artificial intelligence and what will happen when, inevitably, it becomes smarter than we are. The Terminator, Battlestar Galactica, Ex Machina, The Matrix – all are great explorations of humanity’s hubris and eventual fate. I should know more than most. […]

You go to school from the age of five to 16 to learn everything you need to know for a successful and wholesome adulthood. Only you don’t. Where, during your time in school, do you learn about taxes? How to buy a house? What you have to do to get divorced? How to cram 27 […]

There are many things in which I am an expert. Nineteenth century Austrian literature, for instance. Laundry. The route from central York to the Northminster Business Park in Poppleton. Erm… well, I am sure there are lots of other things, though they escape me at the moment. Though there is the thing in which I […]

Recent news of the chain’s potential closure has forced many eyes onto Pizza Express. The restaurant has been a mainstay of the York food scene for a couple of decades now, occupying those grand premises right by the river next to Lendal Bridge. But how did a pizza restaurant come to occupy such a fancy […]

Picture this – you’re about to load your favourite video game and then the message of death pops up: Update Required. And it’s a compulsory one. No Fortnite for you. And for the Battle Royale-rs amongst us, that was literally the case. The world-famous online video game, Fortnite, recently sucked its thousands upon thousands of […]

They say never meet your heroes. The implication is that they won’t live up to your mental picture. That they might be narcissistic knobheads. I get that, I really do. But given the opportunity to meet Tom Hanks, or Gloria Steinem, or Captain Jean-Luc Picard (a girl can dream, okay?), I wouldn’t say no. I […]

A busy time on the work scene, especially if you find yourself in the “teacher” or “trainer” roles. Nice vibes on the home front, with lots of co-operation from partners and family. Big bills on a car can be avoided by taking preventative measures and you should be feeling quite smug about successful deals on […]

Last month we wandered alongside the lower reaches of the river Nidd near Tockwith where the river flows sluggishly through the flat fields of the Vale of York towards its confluence with the Ouse. This walk of about five and a half miles to the west of Knaresborough includes another stretch beside the Nidd. Here […]

Most striking thing about Lord Mayors Walk? Sure, the city walls are great, and the Victorian frontage of York St John is pretty, but our money is on a certain ‘ghost sign’. The Bile Beans sign at the end of the road, overlooking the junction with Monkgate, has for decades assured us that they “keep […]