We are all social, in the end
There is nothing quite as menacing as the blank page. Not spiders, not tax letters, not even an unexpected knock on the door when you’re wearing pyjamas at 2 p.m. A blank page has a particular smugness to it, as if it’s daring you to try something, anything, and reminding…
If you’re a new writer, imposter syndrome has likely moved into your home, unpacked its emotional baggage, and made itself comfortable on your sofa. It doesn’t pay rent, it eats your snacks, and it whispers unhelpful commentary like “You’re not a real writer” and “Everyone else knows what they’re doing.”…
In 2023, I began writing what would become It’s Only an Hour a Week. Initially, I saw it as a fun collection of amusing Scouting stories. However, as I wrote, the focus shifted, it became a book about why I volunteer and the vital role adult volunteers play in Scouting.…
*Cheeky steak recipe explained separately At Scouts we love to cook, so this is the first of a few recipes that we use on scout camp. We cook this for the adults – it is cooked predominantly as bribery for adult volunteers to either come on camp in the first…
In the latest upcoming political thriller-meets-tech-dystopia, I will be serving up a cocktail of suspense, biting humour, and a sobering look at how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been co-opted by the very people it promised to dethrone. Imagine a world where AI could have been humanity’s great equalizer, where algorithms…
In January 2023 I mentioned a work in progress about Scouting – It has taken a while, but it is finally being released this week. My Fifth book, has been written with the sole intention of encouraging more volunteers to join The Scout Association, and give existing volunteers a good…
It has been over a year since my dad and I started the journey of transcribing his old log book into digital form and now, after 62 years it is out in paperback and on kindle for the enjoyment of all. 62 years ago today Philip Wood spent his 17th…
It has been a long year with a shoulder injury and procrastination delaying the completion of the new book that I’ve written in collaboration with my father. But we are now in the final two weeks before launch and it is actually more stressful it seems than all of the…
It’s been a few months with an injured shoulder, procrastination and a summer holiday, but I’ve come back refreshed and with much more motivation. I’ve been working on a book with my dad for the last year, but the last time I had done anything on it was January and…
Just a few days after my birthday in February this year I had an unexpected turn when Parsonage-Turner Syndrome (PTS), a nerve disorder, stopped me in my tracks. In this blog post, I will share my personal experience of how PTS has disrupted my ability to lift things, site or…
