Book Review: Menagerie Manor by Gerald Durrell

Having really enjoyed Encounters With Animals, I was eager to read more of Durrell's work and they were added to my mental wish list, and in a happy coincidence I discovered this book on a charity shop shelf and had to buy it. The book concerns Durrell's observations and misadventures while running his zoo in …

Book Review: Encounters with Animals by Gerald Durrell

I first became aware of Durrell through My Family and Other Animals, his memoir about his childhood living in Greece. The hilarious book is filled with the misadventures of the Durrell clan but also captures young Gerald's growing fascination and love for nature. In adult life he would go on to work with animals, including …

Ranking Pets

Does what it says on the tin. 7. Rabbits Names: Thumper and Cottontail Rabbits are the worst.  My sisters and I were suckered in by the fact they look cute and are traditionally portrayed well, like Bugs Bunny, Bucky O'Hare and Buster, Arthur's mate. But when we got them we realised they are awful pets.  …

1 down, 8 to go

If being a parent is half as stressful as this week, I'm happy to wait a while, because fretting about what MWF calls "our little fur baby" was a stressful and tiring experience. Midnight, our little black fuzzball, is a natural scavenger and any food below waist height is fair game as far as she's …

15 Minute Blog: Psycho Seagull

Current mood? Tamping. Fuming. Raging. I'm currently sat down waiting for MWF (as a taken man 60% of my life is waiting) as I wait I sip a pink lemonade Lucozade to sate my thirst. My hunger, however, is not satisfied. This is despite me spending £2.99 at Starbucks. Urgh, tax dodging Starbucks. I'm more …

Rhinos, Endlings and Mankind’s Stupidity

In the 30 years I've been on this planet 21 different species have died out. That's depressing enough as it is, but infinitely worse when you realise many are due to mankind's impact. Destruction of habitat, hunting and climate change have all lead to us losing many species, and many more teeter on the brink. …

Curiosity killed the cat, I just injured it

The last few days I have been racked with guilt. And utterly unable to ignore or forget it because I am confronted with the consequences of my actions on a regular basis. What awful thing have I done? What is my own telltale heart reminding me of my evil deed? The guilt is brought back …

I think you’re too late guys

Every Saturday some of the market stalls go outside and walking down St Mary's Street treats you to a mixed bag of vintage artefacts, battered paperbacks and general tat. This weekend there was a stall selling random old photos, another which tempted me with old Now albums and a third which sold old badges, which …

Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend…

Inside of a dog it's too dark to read- Groucho Marx I've been reading since I was a little kid, and by the time I left primary school I'd already developed a massive love of reading, devouring books over my holidays or on rainy days. I was pretty good at reading, but there was one …

Budapest Part 2: Feline Good

So, MWG was flagging. We'd seen the synagogue, and the outside of St Stephen's basilica, but we needed a break from walking and a boost. Luckily, I'd spotted a flyer for something I knew would perk MWG right up and the map informed us we were mere minutes from it, and so we headed for …