Blog

I lived in Cardiff as an adult during the 1980s and 1990s but my ties to the city go back to my early childhood. My father was from Canton. No, he was not Chinese; Canton is a well-known area of Cardiff and has nothing to do with Canton, China.

When I was a child, my family lived near Bristol in South West England, so summer holidays usually meant a fortnight on the beaches of Devon or Cornwall, all within a few hours’ drive of Bristol. Anyone who has been to this area will know that it is of outstanding natural beauty.

I am a big fan of puns. You know how they say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach? The way to my heart is with puns! I cannot resist a good play on words and find myself drawn to people who are “punny”.

Sports day is an annual event which dates back to the end of the 19th century and takes place at the end of the summer term in almost all British primary schools and also in some secondary schools.

Technology has undergone an astonishing evolution that has dramatically changed how we live, work and most importantly, how we communicate and interact.

In many countries, the first of May, or May Day, is associated with a celebration for workers. Celebration may not be the best word to describe it.

On the 13th of May, 1924, the London Underground witnessed something truly extraordinary unfold 23 metres beneath the streets…

In the UK, and several countries around the world, April 1st is known as April Fool’s Day. It’s a day for playing jokes and pranks on people and, if they fall for it, they are then labelled an April Fool.

I’ll readily admit that I under-achieved in my life, though some would say, due to the type of childhood that I had, I probably ended up over-achieving, and I owe a debt of gratitude to my grandparents for that.

The rules of modern football were first developed in Britain and many of the first football clubs in Spain were established by British expatriates.

Almost as soon as school starts in September, the back-to-school promotions end… But it’s once the Christmas things are taken away that the shops begin to promote my most hated festival of the year; Valentine’s Day.

As a connoisseur of all things spooky, it’s not much of a surprise that my favourite lesson is Gothic Legends, where we go over some of the most popular horror stories and characters in English literature.

Students sometimes ask me whether it is better to speak English with a British or an American accent. The answer is, of course, both, or neither. Why not an Australian, a South African or a Jamaican accent?

For several years the eagerly awaited Christmas TV commercials from some of the UK’s biggest retailers have kick-started the festive season all across the country.

The older I get the more I think about the past, especially my childhood. I think of all the people I met, who for varying reasons, left their mark on me during those early years. I’d like to share just a few.

Ask any teenage student at a secondary school in Spain if they like literature and the reaction will probably be one of complete disinterest or just totally negative. 

As I sit here typing away, I can hear the wind howling outside my window and I’m reminded that Halloween is around the corner.

As I get older and the memory starts to fade, I’ve noticed there are certain things I still remember as clearly now as the day they happened, and many of them have one thing in common. They were firsts.

One question I am often asked is whether I miss England. People are often surprised to learn that I have lived more of my life outside the UK than in it!

There is hardly a child in Ireland that hasn’t tried his or her hand at hurling at some time or other.