On Mediocrity

We are living at a time when mediocrity is the norm and ignorance is accepted and even lauded. Mediocrity makes for a dull life but ignorance is extremely dangerous, especially because it enables a small number of people to exercise power and control over the majority.

On Quality

Quality can be found in any of a thousand things we use or consume every day, such as an item of furniture or a fine cheese. It is in part about appreciation – of the care, knowledge and experience that someone has put into making something. I talk about quality a lot in my posts.

On Ignorance

I dislike ignorance, bigotry, arrogance and aggression. In a so-called ‘information age’ more people seem to exist in an alternative reality – a bubble that is almost impossible to penetrate. They form opinions on the basis of half-truths, lies, rumours and sophistry. We scratch the surface and think we know it all. As a result, tension, rage and violence seem to be more prevalent and closer to our daily experience than ever before. This scares me.

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My life in Devon, London… & Malta

My father was in the Navy so much of my early childhood was spent on the move. I lived in Malta for three years but have few memories of that. After that it was Kilmacolm (my father’s home village near Greenock) and Portsmouth before settling back in Newton Abbot.  I left home at 18 to go to university – the London School of Economics – and stayed for 29 years. At university and for some time afterwards I moved around a lot, living in Fitzrovia, Clapton, Hanwell, Leytonstone and Archway. I even spent six months or so living in a pub at Chelmsford! I finally settled on Brandon Estate in 1982, living in a 10th floor council flat for 22 years.

Brandon Estate 1982-2004

I enjoyed my time at Brandon Estate on the whole, one of the largest estates in south London – near the Elephant and Castle and overlooking Kennington Park. The estate attracts film and TV producers. The Clash made the film Rude Boy on the estate (before I moved in) and it has appeared in films and TV such Edge of Darkness, Spooks, Comic Strip, The Bill and many others. The Sean Lock BBC comedy series 15 Storeys High was filmed on the estate – and in my flat! The BBC started filming Dr.Who on the estate – the home of Rose and her mother – within months of me leaving, which pissed me off no end. I would’ve loved a pic of me with the blue box…