For August’s blog post I was going to write about taking time off. About how our lives can feel like they are defined by our output and the relentless quest for what is coming next. But then I took a pause and decided to take my own advice. To have a break from writing anything at all…

A few weeks ago, I lost a dear friend and one of the most genuine artists I knew to a swift and silent battle with cancer. His sudden loss feels cruel and senseless, stealing not just his future but the time we all thought we had with him.

When was the last time you looked up and admired a crane?

In 2007 I loaded two panniers for my bicycle and got the train up to London from Cornwall. When I got to Paddington, I took the Regents Canal…