Category: Columns

In these days of social media, apps and God knows what else, it’s easy to forget about the humble website. You know, back in the day when we actually had to type a full web address into Internet Explorer? No word of a lie – there are actually still websites out there that aren’t part […]

Don’t be a duffer – go see it.  You know when you get hired to be a sass-talking foreigner writing culture reviews that tend to take the (ever-so-gentle) piss out of your readers, but then you go to see a show and it’s just so wonderful that there’s really no piss-taking to be done? You […]

What do the stars have in store for you this month? In a reversal of fortune, a colleague, boss or workmate now starts messing you about and you might have to take drastic action to nip a problem in the bud. Niggling health issues may also concern you at this time, especially if you’re under […]

A storm by any other name… …is still a political maelstrom descending upon us, and it’s the same storm, 400 years later. I spent the larger part of my formative scholastic years studying Shakespeare, just like you locals. When the Empire spread across the globe, it brought with it not only disease, petulance, alcohol, a […]

You know that age-old joke about how one day, ‘in the future’, robots and artificial intelligence will take over the more mundane roles of humans? Well everyone. The. Time. Is. Now. And they’re doing a bloody good job of it. I like Diet Coke. Probably a bit too much – I don’t actually drink anything […]

This month our Walking Wanderer explores Market Weighton: Parkland, Two Villages and a Disused Railway. DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE AT THE END. This is an easy circular walk of just under seven miles. Starting from Market Weighton it heads north into parkland to reach Londesborough. Circling the attractive village it then uses tracks to reach […]

Weigh yourself often, learn to cook and cut back on sugar.  These are some of the activities a twenty-something should undertake in order to live a healthy life, according to a slightly dated New York Times article I read recently. Your late twenties, I assume, are reserved for undoing the damage of your early twenties. […]

I’ve been spending more time with my mum recently. Since she retired we hang out more, and I’ve been making regular trips down to Doncaster to see her. We’re like mates, now; mates who have a shared interest in nice restaurants and wandering around English Heritage sites (she’s a member – I have to pay). […]

There’s nothing like a letter from the accountant in Acomb to spur me into action. Fortunately, one arrived this week. “Please let me have all the paperwork for your next tax calculation as soon as possible,” it said. Well, that did it. It was just the prompt I needed to start excavating my fridge. I […]

Come with us as we journey backwards through the mists of time. No pushing at the back. Like many of York’s satellite villages, Osbaldwick is experiencing some changes. Tucked behind the mammoth B&Q store, and being encroached upon by both Tang Hall and the new Derwenthorpe development, it’s easy to see why Osbaldwick is often […]

I’m officially a British citizen now! That’s not true. I already was. However, in my experience, one requires certain elements in one’s life to truly be a British citizen. Some of these include: A love of tea – which I do not have. Give me coffee or give me death, but save your scalding hot […]

6+ miles, 2-3 hours  Scroll to the bottom to download the print-friendly version! This walk links three attractive villages, the two Askhams (Bryan and Richard) and Bilbrough. There are two length options. The full circular walk is just over six miles. The shorter version of four and a half miles, covering all three villages and […]

We’ve all had a conversation with a child in which every statement you give is responded to with “but why?” As annoying as it can be, kids are great at getting to the bones of every issue, which is what this issue’s Time Travel article is all about. Our question is ‘why York?’ Why is […]

Regular readers of this column might remember the York School of Charm. For those who are less regular (or who suffer from Middle Aged Brain), this notable training college produces all those ‘anything is too much trouble’ staff whom we encounter when we’re trying to do something outlandish and completely unreasonable like post a parcel […]

Mine, mine, mine… I was never much of a gamer. For Christmas 1991 I asked my parents for a SEGA Mega Drive so I could play Sonic the Hedgehog like all my friends. They were okay with this, until they realised a Mega Drive didn’t have a keyboard. “Of course a computer needs a keyboard, […]