2017
Slow progress
I’ve got that dull, lethargic feeling that comes with a lack of motivation. I’m partway through a number of projects but nothing is near completion and I’m not seeing the positive side of things at the moment. I started to write a book a couple of months ago but the process dredges up memories that…
Read MoreA surprise visit
It’s been a fairly lazy weekend, and I’ve been tinkering away on my latest little project, but hardly full-steam-ahead. As Sunday lunchtime came and went I found myself still in my dressing gown, binge-watching TV and feeding Dodo our (not so little) pigeon, who we found as a fledgling. Suddenly my phone announced that Raph…
Read MoreStrangers on a train (platform)
It was another smart casual day today, Raph and I were in London for lunch and a meeting. I’ll be honest that I’d imagined a fancy slap-up steak lunch, but we ended in a health food restaurant where the food was mostly vegetarian and I didn’t know most of the ingredients! It was still pretty…
Read MoreOn the river: The rocket stove
Well, the weekend has arrived quicker than expected, and in fact, time seems to be flying by at the moment. Today is a stark contrast to yesterday when I was in London with Raph, smart casual in jeans shirt and blazer I felt dapper as we walked the streets having fun and going to see…
Read MoreA lifestyle pivot
In business speak they call it a pivot, a change of direction or focus for the business to keep it alive — I’m doing that in my personal life as well now. I spent seven very enjoyable years in my old job as a boatman, but after Eden, leaving early, hiding in Greece and eventual…
Read MoreHedgehog Day at Shepreth Wildlife Park — Anton and Raph, keepers for a day
Hedgehog Day Hedgehog Day 2017 is the second time I’ve been asked to help out at Shepreth Wildlife Park. I’ve known the owners for years and even volunteered there in the past, but this time they approached me in my newly-found CELEBRITY status, what! I don’t see myself in that way, but to help…
Read MoreEden: The beginning (guest post by Raph Meade)
The weather is bleak from day one. No! From the moment I entered Scotland!! It’s saying to me, ‘what you doing here city boy? This ain’t your manor! And don’t I know it!!??!!’ We begin by introducing ourselves to one another. Each time a new arrival pops out of the woods they are greeted with…
Read MoreHelping hedgehogs
Most people profess a fondness for animals and I’m no exception. I regularly stop people on the street and ask to play with their dogs, or offer my services as a pet sitter. I’ve had my own furry companions, which have always been rescued animals and – whatever their troubles – are the best company…
Read MoreWhy did you do it? (Guest post by Raphael Meade)
It’s July 2015 and I receive a call from a producer of Eden. Cut a long story short I hang up thinking it a prank call. ‘I ain’t got time for jokes.’ The following day, another call. This is serious! “You what? You want me to go away from my home and family for one…
Read MoreMy Eden after Eden
This is an updated version of a diary entry I wrote in Athens during September 2016, shortly after leaving Eden. I woke up in my new Eden, although this one had a comfortable bed and all the luxuries of modern living. After a delicious breakfast of cheese pie, I was whisked away to the barber…
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