“The road to a friend’s house is never long” – Danish Proverb

agarston May 25, 2016

I recently read a great article by Ben Casnocha about friendship.  Ben believes that “if you’re not talking to someone on a somewhat regular basis — seeing them in person, talking on the phone, or emailing/digitally communicating in some other way that involves substantive give-and-take — that person is not a close friend who’s providing emotional sustenance. Sure, they’re on your friend list, maybe […]

“Mountains are not Stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.” ― Anatoli Boukreev

agarston May 22, 2016

Mountains. I love them and I hate them. It’s always been this way. When I’m there, I hate it. The struggle. I never find it easy. Never! It doesn’t matter what I do to prepare. For whatever reason, I always find it difficult. No matter how fit I tend to be. Yet I keep going back. I think it’s the […]

Produce

agarston May 21, 2016

This has got to be the most boring title to a blog post ever! My Nain is obsessed with Andrew and I returning to live in Wales. After 16 years of living in London, you would have thought that she would have accepted that we are not going to move. I think she’s getting worse as she gets older. I […]

Climbing Mountains

agarston May 16, 2016

“Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.” – Jack Kerouac It’s been a while since I’ve been climbing mountains.  I miss it. Having said that, this particular hike was gruelling!   Hiking the Trolltunga involves a 1,000m ascent (3,000 ft), and took us about […]

Brainwashing Yourself – How to Feel Better

agarston April 30, 2016

This month has been crazy, and exhausting. For lots of reasons. Work, life, moving. We’re in our new place now. Sans furniture, which has been interesting… That’s changing slowly. I’m looking forward to having a bed again and eating from a plate! Anyway, I’ve caught up with a few friends recently who are having a bad time. I know how […]

Rental Market Craziness

agarston April 3, 2016

I don’t know why people hate estate agents so much.  I asked one of them. He didn’t know. Reflecting on my experiences with estate agents over the years, I can’t say I’ve had many bad ones. All the agents I came across this time were wonderful. It was a pleasure interacting with them! I have a love-hate relationship with looking for […]

Is China Taking Over the World?

agarston March 30, 2016

Do we need to worry if it does?  I love Chinese food and have always been interested in Chinese culture. Based on my own experiences abroad, here are my observations: Warning – I despise generalisations and stereotypes. Still, this post is full of them! Apologies if anyone takes offence. 1. Will Chinese be the world’s main language in a few […]

My Favourite Live Music Venues in London

agarston March 29, 2016

I’m lucky. Living in London is a brilliant place to see live music. I’ve been able to see most bands and musicians that I like because almost all of them perform in London at some point in time. Beat The Touts is a useful website for news on up coming concerts and information on pre-sales. It’s still a struggle to buy tickets […]