Life

  • 29. Of Language and Of Words.

    Two conversations – one in person and one over on Bluesky (if that counts) – brought words and language to mind for me today. First off was a work conversation in which a Venezuelan expression, Donde ronca el tigre, no hay burro con reumatismo was used. The wider context was a work project which is… Continue reading

  • 26. Numbered Days

    For the fourth time in a month and a bit, I have been reminded of death, and dying – particularly dying young and what those who survive are left to deal with. The first of these was listening in to a thanksgiving service for S, someone I had only loosely known from church over the… Continue reading

  • 22. Aftermath

    The aftermath of a proper Nigerian party is stupor. The less said about that the better. In our case, after the exertions of the past day, most of this was spent in bed till the persistent calls from W resulted in a rushed attempt to get to the Atlanta History Museum. That done, the evening… Continue reading

  • 21. D-Day

    And so to the main day. First order of business: breakfast, for which there were at least forty people spread out all over the cafe at the hotel – cousins, nephews, nieces and a fair few friends of the family all making up the lot. Nigerian weddings are a village affair after all. I shudder… Continue reading

  • 18. Comparisons

    When a reasonably large number of (successful?) people gather, what one does, or has done for work inevitably comes up. Sometimes (as at school reunions perhaps) it is about blatant competition – who succeeded, who didn’t, who stayed mid – at others (such as family reunions) it masquerades as catching up. For my sins, I… Continue reading

  • 13. Half way there…

    Source The spectre of being a mere ninety days away from turning forty-seven is chilling, primarily in the sense of causing me to pause, and wonder where all the time went. It seems like it was only yesterday when I was a young, bright chap starting my first day of proper work. If the Office… Continue reading

  • 5. Small chops

    The train home for me passes through Feltham, home to perhaps one of the more visible Nigerian food spots in Surrey. Today on a whim, I opted for a pit stop, aiming to satisfy my cravings for some hot spicy food. Tucking in when I finally made it home, I felt transported to one of… Continue reading

  • 4. Music & Me: On Life in a Song

    The Poets & Writers prompt, Music and Me had me thinking about how many of my memories of growing up are inextricably linked to music. One example which has stayed with me for a long time relates to the Mariah Carey / Whitney Houston duet When You Believe. Growing up as I did in a… Continue reading

  • 10,000 Hundred Friends

    “Extreme” Reading, Cartoonised with Gemini I may be biased, but I am increasingly convinced that the most apt turns of phrase come from those who are yet to have the strictures of grammar and punctuation drilled into them. The most recent case in point was a conversation with L the Elder in which – walking… Continue reading

  • Spring-ish

    Out and about.. — It is perhaps something between wildly optimistic and foolhardy to call it for spring in the first week of March, but given the many days of sustained highs with temperatures north of 14C and nary a cloud in sight, one can be forgiven for snatching at these first nascent signs of… Continue reading