‘Boys don’t try?’ Rethinking masculinity in schools, by Matt Pinkett and Mark Roberts- A book review (of sorts)

“I'm tall, play rugby, can shout louder than most people, and I'm actually a male, so obviously I relate, and can offer a lot to these boys”. Although somewhat paraphrased, that was the underlying tone of the interview which got me my first teaching position at my all boys free school in south London. I …

National Planning Policy Framework VS Ancient Trees

The continuing push for improved protection for ancient woodland seems to be starting to bear fruit. Campaigns to highlight the importance of how reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)could have huge and long lasting effects on how our ancient woodlands and trees are protected appear to have been noticed. In March of this …

National Tree Week!

So its been a while since i last wrote anything, the tree charter was launched this month and its National Tree week; i'm not sure there would be a better time to get back on the theoretical blogging horse so here i am! Over the last two years The Woodland Trust, grassroot groups and other …

My Favourite Tree

Now I'm thinking about it, the area of which I was born and raised is steeped in alleged paranormal folklore history. The ancient pub where I purchased my 'first official' pint is apparently haunted by the daughter of an old patron; the first 'A road' I drove on after passing my driving test is seemingly …

The Kuala Lumpur Shopping Mall

The first thing I noticed when I landed in Kuala Lumpur was the apprehension that I used to have when flying to a foreign city at night no longer overwhelmed me. I think this was because I had heard many good things about KL so was more excited to see it for myself than anything …

Ket Thuc (The End in Vietnamese, without the accents as I don’t know how to do them on my laptop…)

Sat in a Malaysian hostel I ponder over my last couple of weeks in Vietnam. When the journey first began, applying for the visa in Cambodia, I expected to spend maybe a little over four weeks traversing the country. Ten weeks later I glumly watched my faithful motor cycle, Heather, being driven away by a local mechanic in …

Are ‘Maps Me’ and the Locals in Cohorts to Strand me in the Vietnamese Country Side and is That Such a Bad Thing?

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the app that is ‘Maps me’ let me familiarise you. “Maps me’ offers ‘world offline maps for travellers’. A dazzling concept and for the most part is brilliant in application. However, there has now been three separate occasions where the diversions that ‘maps me’ has taken me …

That time I got sick in Nam

For some days after seeing the boys I was a bit of a wreck. Physically, because it had been a non-stop whirlwind tour of Ha Lon and, perhaps more peculiarly, my head was all over the place as well. I say just my head but it was those things that normal people call emotions that …

Reunited, And It Feels So Good

I would like to begin this blog by apologising to the countless bugs and butterfly’s and winged creatures that I have shamelessly crushed with my presence on the road in the past few weeks. It seems the flying beings are attracted to the bike and actively move toward my path as I casually plod along. …

Ancient Woodlands Vulnerability Within The Housing White Paper

Ancient British woodland and veteran trees are truly exceptional entities. Mechanically unique in each region of the UK, these century old woodlands have ecologically transformed themselves into biologically diverse powerhouses of scientific and cultural importance. The justly positive sentiments that the thousands of us feel as we physically and emotionally explore these magical places traverses’ generation …