Othame's Reflections… ponderings of 'The Old Man'

“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness.” (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) My Paris to London train was scheduled for only four and half hours after I crossed the finish line of the Paris Marathon. So, […]

As 2022 drew to a close, the wish I expressed in my New Year message was that we could all, in 2023, find the courage and strength not to wait for life to “stop being hard before deciding to be […]

I know I have over the years bored many of you with details of my near-death experience of 17th December 1998. Anyway, after coming out of a coma and off a ventilator three nights later, of the many things said […]

The very simple theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is “Break the Bias”; and anyone who has been on the wrong side of any form of bigotry will appreciate the challenge in that. The words are easy, but the actions […]

Mo Farah claiming another Olympic gold at the 2016 Rio games had a BBC commentator pointing out the British athlete shared his birthday with three other gold medal winning Britons – Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Steve Redgrave. They were […]

People jumping ship while others seek refuge in false equivalents. See them; scrambling for “get out of jail cards” using the excuse they didn’t know or see what was never far from obvious. Alongside this, the deafening silence of many […]

There’s so much to say about my wish for 2020. Anyway, while I ponder how to bore you all with that, here’s a wish for a 2021 that makes its predecessor look like a blip in all our lives. So, […]

“Man is not, by nature, deserving of all that he wants. When we think that we are automatically entitled to something, that is when we start walking all over others to get it.” (Criss Jami, Poet) Bicycles are part of […]

On normal Saturdays, BBC’s ‘Breakfast’ programme is background noise as I recover from Friday evening’s excesses, think about the next 40 hours’ enjoyment and sort out personal admin. Last Saturday’s place in time meant it was far from normal and […]

This month in 1990 I travelled to Grantham, birthplace of Margaret Thatcher and Isaac Newton, for my recruits course. Day 1 started with briefings: most delivered through the bluntness of the British Sergeant Major. “Personal Hygiene is for you to […]