Extra Miles
The Blog
Recent Updates

Destination Beirut
1974 – A career opportunity for me in Beirut. But as it turned out, Beirut was not in France, but the Middle East. And we arrived just in time for a civil war.

Running for St Ann’s Hospice
Getting ready for May 18th — my first big race since 2017. But it’s not been easy.

Better than Ronaldo?
Sweet thoughts from a grandson. Grief affects us all — in different ways.

A Perfect Model
Portraiture and poetry combine in this 2012 collaboration between Dale Webster and Alan Miles, who met up again this week

Late for her own funeral
No funeral, we said. A celebration of Lena’s life. But she almost doesn’t make it.


Preface to ‘The Marathon Years’
Why this book? Why the title? And who are these people in love?

The kitchen’s pretty well organised. There are cupboards for the pots and pans, shelves for the plates and cups, nicely-labelled containers for all the grains, flours and sugars, a neat spice rack. And then there’s that drawer where you throw everything else. That’s where you find the rubber bands, the pins, the flower seeds, the birthday candles, the oven thermometer, a tape measure, a few random buttons, string.
That drawer is my blog. A place where I keep stories and articles that don’t quite fit anywhere else. Random thoughts. Shooting the breeze. A video perhaps, or an audio clip. Sometimes embryonic stories that might find their way into The Marathon Years or one of my other books later.
Rummage around a bit. You never know what you might find.