Exactly one year ago a gang of thieves was preparing to pull off one of the most audacious burglaries in English legal history. Over the Easter weekend they would break into one of the most secure vaults in London’s diamond quarter, and make off with millions of pounds worth of diamonds, gold and jewelry. The burglary had been years in … Read More

The TV drama Cold Feet charted the ups and downs of 3 thirty-something couples living in Manchester. It was a huge hit and millions followed every twist and turn. Towards the end of the fifth series all was finally coming together for the youngest couple Rachel and Adam – their relationship was back on track, they had a child and … Read More

The story is told of a bishop in the north east of England who arrived to conduct a confirmation service for those wishing to confirm their baptismal vows. As the service was about to start the doors opened and a punk rocker walked in, resplendent in leather jacket, ripped jeans, Mohican hair and numerous chains and piercings. A friend of … Read More

A friend of mine recently had a barn that he owned converted into a house. One of the first jobs that had to be done was to put in proper foundations – upright timbers resting on the earth might have been adequate for an agricultural building, but a house would need something rather more solid!   As with a building … Read More

There really is nothing worse than the pain of being separated from those whom we love, and human beings will often spare no effort to reunite those who have been driven apart. For example when a mine collapse, in the Chilean Atacama Desert, left 33 men entombed nearly a kilometre below ground in 2010, US$20m were spent, and resources gathered … Read More

In about 1913 two politicians met at the Central Café in Vienna. One had recently returned from Moscow and raised the likelihood of there being a revolution in Russia before too long. His sceptical companion glanced across the room at another man and said, “And who’s going to lead it? – him?” The man to whom he referred was none … Read More

Late one night a man was driving down a country lane when he accidentally hit and killed a pedestrian. There were no witnesses. Terrified of the consequences he drove off, repaired the damage to his car, and told no one. But he knew.   Twenty years later he walked into a police station and confessed. In the intervening years the … Read More

I once went to visit a friend at university. At the time she was sharing a house with four male students. I will never forget walking into the kitchen and being greeted by a scene of utter devastation – the sink was piled high with dirty crockery, and on every counter were plates with the remains of previous meals in … Read More

Every day one member of my family takes our dog Percy for a walk. We are surrounded by lovely countryside and there are lots of walks to choose from; so over the years we have developed a short hand way of referring to them. If I return from a walk and say that I have been ‘Under the A23’, or … Read More