Articles and weeknotes from Barry Frost
After our anniversary weekend in the Cotswolds, I drove home while L picked up the boys and continued on to a lodge in the Forest of Dean with her parents. For me, this meant a few nights of currys and quiet, and working from home during the day, while they were away. I’m now officially a gym person: I paid for a full membership when my trial ended last week. I’m settling into a routine and I’m…
This may be a fairly niche topic for those in the UK, but it’s a hack I now use daily so I thought I’d share. Unlike many other radio stations, it’s not possible to ask your Apple HomePod to directly play radio from the BBC. If I say, “Play 6 Music”, my HomePod mini starts playing the soundtrack to “Six: The Musical”. The BBC has locked away the feeds behind their Sounds app . You can AirPlay…
We’re just back from an anniversary weekend at Monty’s Retreat near Cirencester in Gloucestershire, set in a private nature reserve. Our little log cabin had its own rowboat, a hot tub and a deck overlooking a semi-private corner of the lake. The boys joined us for the first night for a row around the lake and then pizzas on the deck. They were then packed off to their grandparents’ house nearby…
Introducing my new website and its atproto-centric approach.
I’ve joined a gym. Well, I’ve started a seven-day trial at a gym, and went for my welcome session on Thursday. I’m not convinced I’m a gym person, but I need to force myself to go 2-3 times per week to improve my fitness levels and be a bit healthier. I’m starting off gradually: I had a half-hour swim followed by the sauna and steam rooms. I’m building up to trying the treadmills and bikes next.…
Week 2^8 So, England failed to beat Argentina in their World Cup semi-final , owing to a tactical cock-up from our supposed super-tactician head coach. Irritating. No “second star” this time, then. The boys went to bed at half-time, and then shed a few tears when they watched the second-half highlights the morning after. Football: it toughens you up for future hope-then-disappointment events in…
I was back at The Oval on Wednesday, in scorching sunshine, to watch Surrey crush Sussex in the evening T20 cricket. Arriving at the ground, sensibly sunscreened, I swallowed my pride and bought a Surrey cap to protect my head. Last time I went to the cricket my head was fairly pink, and I knew it was time to do the right thing, even if, “There’s fewer more distressing sights than that of an…
Here are five albums that shaped me , inspired by Olly’s post via Martin Schuhmann . To echo Olly’s point, these aren’t necessarily favourites, but were influential in my life. Ten (1991) - Pearl Jam Tragic Kingdom (1995) - No Doubt Olympian (1995) - Gene If You’re Feeling Sinister (1996) - Belle and Sebastian Transatlanticism (2003) - Death Cab for Cutie
A few holidays among colleagues, so it was a nice, quiet week at work. I bought a pack of Tim Tams for a slice of nostalgia from my time in Australia/NZ. I think they’re fairly widespread in the UK now, but I hadn’t had one for years. Still better than Penguins. I took H over the road to the park early on Saturday morning, where we had the whole football pitch to ourselves. He defeated me 10-5 in…
The forecasts were sadly right: temperatures hit the mid-30s for several days in a row, resulting in poor sleep, irritability and general lethargy. Our homes and bodies just don’t function in such heat. L and the kids thankfully had air-conditioning in their classrooms during the day, as did I in my office, but tower fans weren’t enough in the evenings at home. We’re strongly considering getting…