The Old School

Reclining in the dentist’s chair today I was struck by the power of sense of smell when it comes to memories. Sure the noise of a drill...

Ah Veganuary, our old friend, back from the distant memory of early 2019 yet still as headstrong and keen to promote itself as it was...

Today millions of us will make promises to transform our lives and appear, Stars-In-Their-Eyes-like from a curtained walkway on the 1st...

Look I'll admit to being slightly smug about the amusingly shaped traffic jam of mobility aids in our reception area. The kind of thing...

As the excitement of Advent swept the nation this weekend, I delved into the dusty corner of my brain marked 'Christmas bingo', quickly...

Have you noticed how nice Scottish people smell? If you've spent any time with lovely children's diabetes nurse Louise Wootton you might...

Finally my moment of fame. From the murky depths of anonymity to the sparkling heights of the celebrity in a matter of days. A photo and...

Last Thursday was Mental Health Awareness Day. Previously a taboo subject, we're now as keen as a puppy with two wagging tails and a...

Despite John Hurt's voice in my ear warning "Oh, we do not speak his name!" I'm going out on a limb to mention Christmas, after recently...

If there's one thing doctors are good at, it's talking to other doctors. We're like a big cuddly family, all sharing ideas, supporting...

Much like the inner torment Solzhenitsyn must have faced when trying to eke out 24 hours of Ivan Denisovich into 94 pages, I find myself...

There's some festival or other on in York every day of the year, from 'Ebor races' to 'Early Music', 'Food and Drink' to 'Fossgate',...

Every minute, 1 million plastic bottles are bought around the world. Don’t want to be part of that? Then be part of this: the refill...

Some people might think that women have a tough time of it, toilet-wise. These people would be correct. Imagine forgetting to pop tampons...

From joyous celebrations in Spain, marching jazz bands in New Orleans and novelty sports-car coffins in Ghana, to bodies burned by the...

As you reach for your sunglasses in the current blazing weather, consider the rigmarole undertaken by those of us who, like me, are...

Let's take a brief wander back to the 16th century. Doctors were either physicians (who could treat anything on the surface of the body)...

It's tear-able. Crying with laughter aren't you? I'll tell you what else is terrible: wasted paper. Not a laughing matter. My pioneering...

Last year the NHS spent £8.8 billion on prescriptions. £8.8 billion. That's a lot of money, and a lot of prescriptions - over a billion...

So I'm not great at Jenga, but on a more serious note, this is just a selection of the plastic spoons and syringes currently taking over...