“Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again, and you will be filled with joy. A fool is happy until his mischief turns against him. And a good man may suffer until his goodness flowers.” The Dhammapada, quoted in the Happiness Project.

"Thou shalt not…" might reach the head; but it takes "once upon a time…" to reach the heart. Philip Pullman [who loathes the Narnia stories, apparently, for their view of childhood as "a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are falling away"]

I am certain all sacred buildings, from the greatest cathedral to the smallest chapel, and in all religions, derive from the natural aura of certain woodland or forest settings.  In them we stand among older, larger and infinitely other beings, remoter from us than the most bizarre other non-human forms of life: blind, immobile, speechless… …

Back in November.

Until the early 1990s, the number of people leaving the UK exceeded the number of people entering.Currently, about 1500 people every day enter the UK to live here; every day, about 1000 people leave.  This is the highest rate of out-migration since records began.  About half of the out-migrants are British citizens.A quarter of the…

Steven LindsayKate NashRosabella GregoryRegina Spektor – yes, the year of tori amos reincarnations, but they're all brilliant!Afroreggae – brazilian beats to african flavoursMatisyahu – never thought reggae could be this goodJo Mango – that amazing mbira song Jamie Woon – singer songwriter to watch, has been supporting Newton Faulkner Ross Baird – singer songwriter from…

Heroes, Drop dead gorgeous, CalifornicationSt Pancras station opening, Daniel Liebeskind documentaries The Islamist (Ed Hussain), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Buddha Da (Anne Donnovan) Bourne Ultimatum, Pan's Labyrinth, Atonement, the Descent, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Pauline gets pregnant!Skiing in ObergurglMichael Clark's Mmmmm… at TramwayAdoption peer group meetingsJohn Salazar's acrobatic rueda classHaving Marissa overFabulous weather in April for Lagnakeil country house holiday with Curles/GaileysClimbing January Jigsaw on Buachaille Etive Mor, camping at KinlochlevenErskine triathlonLiverpool BPAIIG training days, Chinese art at TateKate Nash at King Tut'sDamien Rice at SECCLori and Fraser's wedding…

Dads_super8s_2007no1

London's Metropolitan Police was found guilty of endangering the public over the fatal shooting in 2005 of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes.  As the armed officers entered the train, Jean Charles stood up," said the lawyer. "He was grabbed by 'Ivor' and pushed back into his seat.  "Two firearms officers leant over Ivor who was…