30/11/2014
The first part of my grand holiday recollections left us at a grand old Bed & Breakfast in the quite insignificant village of Pickmere (it has a village pond), near Knutsford in Cheshire, just south of Manchester. Nearby Knutsford is a historic old village, very much trading on it’s viking links from way back, and named after the viking king Knut.…
29/11/2014
I love London. And every time I see the logo above, this song starts looping in my mind. It never fails. The people, the history, the culture, and the Underground. I adore the Underground, and just looking at the map and reading the names of the stations can make me all misty-eyed. The big old city with so much content…
16/11/2014
In recent times I’ve had a couple of pairs of my quality shoes, the ones with Goodyear welted shoe soles, resoled. In the grand scheme of things makes me something of a know-it-all, with regards to what goes on on the underside of Gentleman’s footwear. First I found a pair of custom-grade Church brogues, which I then had resoled with Dainite soles, then…
02/11/2014
I am of the firm opinion that when it comes to cosmetics and grooming, men really have a very short list of products that are justifiable. Part of being a man is that you don’t spend a lot of time fussing, preening, primping, lotioning, peeling, foundationing, epilating or whatever. Isn’t it bad enough the our women feel compelled to do…
28/09/2014
The other day while reading the newspaper I noticed something about an airline company planning about 30 years ahead with regards to their investment in new aircraft. It made me stop to think whether there will even be air travel in 30 years time, what with the accelerating depletion of the natural resources necessary to fuel flight. Let’s face facts, it’s not…
20/09/2014
Research shows that when it comes to riding bicycles, the following statements hold true for a large percentage of men: Men like cycling, and mostly fast Men don’t like to look silly Falling off your bike when going fast can really harm you Which sort of leads on to the fact that boys over the age of 8 tend not to wear…
05/09/2014
From feedback received I understand I have taken on something of a responsibility with regards to shaving. My Great Investigation of shaving creams has clearly inspired gentlemen worldwide to return to the vintage-style safety razor of their fathers. With consequences. Sometimes both bloody and disfiguring. Possibly not maiming though, which may be small consolation when you’re standing there in front of…
03/08/2014
I recently experienced an old-man moment. You know what I’m talking about, right? When you observe the younger generation making their mistakes or doing silly stuff, and you just shake your head and really want to say something, but you don’t, as you know that nothing good will come from it. What was it I observed this time? A young…
29/07/2014
It’s high summer and for those of you looking to keep your backpack game strong this Autumn, it’s time to climb a tree and get an overview of what might be available. Strong backpack game? Not something you come across that often in the world of fashion, but believe me, a crummy backpack will really kill off any effort you…
07/06/2014
I’ve been asked occasionally for tips on how to get started sewing your own clothes, so I thought I’d do a quick post offering some suggestions on patterns worth getting. I consider patterns to be essential for the beginner, as the combination of good instructions and properly laid out patterns are a hard deal to better, unless you really know…