Therapy For Me

W/C 12th January 2026 As an addition to the bit about things that we just pass-by all the time without really noticing, I went to Milton Keynes this week (go with me on this) because I had been asked to speak as part of a panel discussion on Music Education. Anyway, I stayed at the Hilton hotel which is incorporated into the Stadium MK complex, the homes of the MK Dons football team. Because of th...

W/C 5th January 2026 Two things to quickly mention before you listen to this week's TFM. Firstly I managed to get myself confused by songs, so instead of The Who track that I mentioned you are getting the Robbie & Kylie track that was actually playing in my head. I think the confusion comes from the final line of the chorus which does actually say 'the kids are alright', even though the song t...

W/C 29th December 2025 I have got a little bit reflective and a little bit sentimental this week, but I guess that is only to be expected as the old year finally turned. And even though I only finished recording a few minutes ago, I am already thinking of the things that I missed out of my 'off the cuff' countdown of the best, and most memorable bits of 2025. Now normally I would be kicking myself...

W/C 22nd December 2025 I am going to split Christmas 2025 into three categories, the more, the less and the same. In the more bucket we have family cultural experiences, with the triple whammy of the cinema, the theatre and the panto in a five day period bookending the big day. I would also throw into the more pot, jigsaw-time, food-prep and possibly running. The consistent category is food and dr...

W/C 15th December 2025 Technically speaking the actual song title for this is Thea Gilmore's Midwinter Toast, but I have taken a little artistic license for the episode naming just because it's my podcast, and I can. I make no apology for banging on about this incredible songwriter, or indeed for reminding you that her winter album Strange Communion is the only thing you should be listening to for...

W/C 8th December 2025 I was somewhat taken aback this evening, just at the point when I was about to enjoy one of the traditional kick-offs to the festive season. Our local Lidl has recently had a facelift, and as part of that process the magazine stand has been placed in the entrance. As such, and as we were walking out, I happened to notice a cardboard display freshly stacked with copies of the...

W/C 1st December 2025 The eldest has asked for a first pair of running trainers for Christmas, and after taking him to Up & Running for some cheeky gait analysis, we settled on a pair of Hoka Clifton 10s in a light green finish (I think the decision has been based on the aesthetics of the shoe in question, but they do also provide the required support). Unfortunately it's a range that Up &...

W/C 24th November 2025 I heard this song for the first time in ages, and I have been humming it most of the week. So when I found myself knee deep in blue icons looking at the London Remembers website, then I closed the loop and accepted it was going to be the episode title. Of course what that has done has (somewhat) inevitably led me to an hour of listening to some of my favourite Bob choons, an...

W/C 17th November 2025 Thanks to everybody that joined in and got a bit angry last week, it didn't seem to take much to push most of you toward that particular line in the sand. I am not sure I am quite as angry as last week, but lots of the noise swirling around is still somewhat triggering, to the point that even a Pret Christmas sandwich did not produce it's normal unadulterated moment of joy t...

W/C 10th November 2025 The morning after the night record, and I am not sure that it was anger I was feeling or a sense of frustration, we don't get many cracks at this which is why they have to count. We are way past the point of thinking that we are going to evolve into the place we need to be, and in too many ways we are clinging to something that is just way past its sell by date. Of course th...

W/C 3rd November 2025 I want to shout out to all those of you that regularly comment on TFM, comments that I always read but because I read them whilst I am dashing around hardly ever respond to. Actually that is worthy of an apology, so let's start by apologising for not responding to most of the comments I get, but confirming that I do read them all. So this goes out to Christine (invariably the...

W/C 27th October 2025 A chance for a good ol' bit of hair rock this walk as I believe I am welcoming Mr Big to the TFM artist roster for the first time. They became well known because of the ballad To Be With You which went to the top of the UK charts in 1991, but the essence of the band was hard rock. This song appears on the first album, and is a great example of where they were at. If you want...

W/C 20th October 2025 I picked the episode title before I sat down to watch the football. After a really difficult start to the season, a lot of which was self inflicted, over the last week it looked like the Blades had perhaps turned a corner. Back to back wins, and we had moved out of the bottom three. So when we went 2-0 up in the first twenty minutes last night, in a bid for reassurance I made...

W/C 13th October 2025 I very rarely do this, but I have picked a song I don't know just because the title works for the episode. Anyway this is Gavin James, and I have to admit I actually quite like the song. It sounds very familiar, quite a bit Newton Faulkner- y. Anyway he's an Irish chap and has been on the go since 2015. He's opened for Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran and he has also produced an albu...

W/C 6th October 2025 I am going to pop out for a final run before the Manchester Half tomorrow. I hadn't planned on running today but my legs were a bit stiff yesterday so I am going to throw in a gentle 5-6 miler just to keep everything loose. It's probably all in my head, because I am ready, In fact I have been ready for a couple of months. At the beginning it was about whether I could cover the...

W/C 29th September 2025 As I suspected I had used this particular track for a TFM episode title, but as you will hear it is just too prescient not to go with for this week. The track itself is from 1992, and an album called Sleepwalking which I used to own but has somehow got lost in the journey to this point. I did try to get hold of it again, but it is quite difficult to late being out of print...

W/C 22nd September 2025 Well that was a week, and I had a blast. Apologies that this is a little late, but by the end you will understand the reason why and the episode title will make sense. I have now discovered that there are two tunnels on the Bristol-Bath cycle path, and that the one I ran through is called the Staple Hill Tunnel and is the shorter of the two, coming in at 515yds. Of course I...

W/C 15th September 2025 Of the things that went to Newcastle for a bit of a run out, but ultimately we're not required, or indeed couldn't be accommodated the highlights are; Shoe Rack 27" Computer Monitor Dinner Plates (x2) Cereal Bowls (x2) Side Plate (x2) Desert Bowl (x2) 2 way HDMI Splitter The Fire Stick has ended up in the kitchen, and a longer 3.5mm to RCA Phono cable along with a set of Di...

W/C 8th September 2025 I think we have pretty much got everything, the last bits of tech arrived yesterday (HDMI Splitter, Laptop Stand) and apart from a few bits of food we are about there. Clothes still have to be pulled from the wardrobe, and we haven't decided how we are going to transport them, favourite appears to literally be a well positioned heap on the top of the other boxes. For one mor...

W/C 1st September 2025 The best opportunity you will ever get to prove to a customer you are the real deal (and worthy of repeat custom) is the way you behave when something isn't quite right. Good customer service should be easy, because if you think something through from the customers perspective, and you agree they have a point, then fixing it is no real headache. Five examples of that in prac...

I am sat watching what can only be described as an underwater vacuum cleaner, and I can only assume that is what it is called because it's job is to vacuum up and generally clean, and it is (presently) under the water. In the pool to be pinpoint precise. Why I should be surprised at this technological development is beyond me, I nearly bought a similar looking device from the middle aisle of Lidl...

W/C 18th August 2025 You may recall the debacle I talked about last time, the one where I managed to get carried away with my own technical ability and inadvertently formatted my SD card, deleting an unpublished podcast in the process. So last week, with that experience still raw, after recording TFM I reverted to the 100% tried, 100% trusted method of removing the self-same card and inserting int...

W/C 11th August 2025 I started beating myself up yesterday, because I hadn't got anything worked out in terms of talking points for this week's TFM. In that moment (because unsurprisingly this isn't the first time it has happened) I tend to get a bit despondent, and a little bit flat, and I do question whether I should even be bothering. And yesterday evening, probably around about seven thirtyish...

W/C 4th August 2025 I had no idea that Trevor Horn had so much to do with this song. I have always really liked it, but it was only when the TH band played it last night at the Cropredy gig did I put two and two together. TBH even then he had to kind of say it out loud for the penny to drop. Anyway I think it's a banger and worthy of a break in the day to have a listen...the kids were really getti...

W/C 28th July 2025 As you know I try and get out to go for a run on a Saturday morning. These days that means a distance of 7-8 miles, and I usually run to Coffee Boy in Huddersfield to meet Mrs S. for a beverage. I am quite happy with this arrangement, it kicks off the weekend well and I like the fact that more often than not I can arrive for the opening time of 08:30 hours, and be in the first w...