Being Listened To – The Courage to Speak and the Wisdom to Remain Silent One of the things I value most in human relationships is the experience of being genuinely listened to. I do not spend my entire life talking to people, although I enjoy conversation and the exchange of ideas, but when I have something that I consider worthwhile to say, I appreciate the courtesy of another person's...
Today has been a day of tidying up, both physically and mentally, and of attempting to bring myself into better alignment with the task ahead. With my forthcoming writing project, I am increasingly realising that I must tune in to where people actually are, rather than where I think they should be, or where I would like them to be. There is a considerable difference. Unless I recognise this, I...
She Still Knows Who I Am I was inspired to write this diary entry after a telephone conversation with a very old friend, now 87 years of age. I began in my usual fashion by announcing that I had made a note in my diary to ring him up, annoy him and generally try to wind him up, although I have never been particularly successful in this endeavour. He took it in good part, as always, but the...
I had been vaguely aware of artificial intelligence for some time, but it was only when I began writing my first book about towns and villages in September 2025 that I was encouraged to take a serious look at it. That doesn't seem very long ago, but my goodness, how things have changed! I have embraced AI with considerable enthusiasm, and I can say without hesitation that my recent books could...
This is an abstract from a talk given at the conference- Ed. More communication, less understanding? We live in an extraordinary age when almost everyone has the opportunity to communicate with almost everyone else. Never before have so many people possessed the means to publish their opinions, challenge established authorities and reach audiences far beyond their immediate surroundings. Yet...
Me: I have a friend of long standing who disappears off the face of the earth for months at a time and then returns to me when he needs something. I'm fed up with this switch-on-switch-off mentality because the main thing about friendship to me is continuity, and I'm not getting it in his case AI - I think you've put your finger on something fundamental about friendship: continuity is one of the...
2,146,489 words across 2,052 articles
Inspired by Samuel Pepys’ Diary 1633-1703
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