Sep ’25: Gains continue, and I trim

September was a busy month.

In the middle of it we saw a disruptive tube strike. I don’t use the tube that much so didn’t expect it to affect me much but two important meetings were postponed, one of which still hasn’t happened, so that event has stayed in my memory. Thank goodness for rental bikes – Lime in particular played a blinder by ‘flooding the zone’ around train stations in particular.

The evenings are drawing in. But that does afford a new view of central London – there aren’t too many of those around – at the new development at Paddington station.

I took in my first concert at Wigmore Hall, a little central London treasure that has somehow passed me by for decades.

Piano concert at Wigmore Hall, London
Continue reading “Sep ’25: Gains continue, and I trim”

August ’25: Warm memories

While the global soap opera of the Gaza crisis, Trump/Putin PR, Ukraine misery etc continued, I have created some warm memories in August.

I spent a bit of time in the New Forest, at both ends, and the middle. Which included a trip to Mudeford, site of the UK’s most expensive beach huts.

Continue reading “August ’25: Warm memories”

July ’25: New high watermark

There wasn’t a huge amount to report from July.

Politically/economically I fear the most important event in the UK was the Labour government’s failure to enact its intended welfare reforms. This leaves the government a) unable to control spending b) unable to nudge the economy towards more jobs and more growth and c) facing politically expensive tax rises later in the year. For now, this hasn’t impacted the stats or portfolio very much, but it will have more of an impact over the next few years.

Meanwhile, it was a nice pleasant summer month in the UK. I managed to get to Wimbledon for the semi finals, which was a delight. I also explored the bird sanctuary at Arne, near Poole, and other bits of Dorset. I even visited Italy, which was surprisingly good value for money.

Continue reading “July ’25: New high watermark”