While out walking with our dogs this morning, we came to a narrow piece of pavement restricted by bollards. A boy of about 10 was walking towards us so I held the dogs back to enable him to pass. As he did so, he said “thank you” in a faint voice and I acknowledged his [...]

The International Stress Management Association is promoting National Stress Awareness Day today. We live under a lot more stress than we have done for some years, but there’s a lot we can do about it. Being courteous is one way of reducing stress. If we employ or manage people and set deadlines, how we do [...]

A journey up to London was a good experience today. Staff of Cross Country Trains and Great Western Trains were polite on both journeys, out and back. It was good to see a helpful attendant in the Gents at Paddington assisting a customer having difficulty with the change machine (it now costs 30 pence to [...]

. . . I remember reading on road signs between London and the South West of England. The implication is that it’s better to take a break and refresh yourself than keep on the road and risk an accident. Recently, I’ve been thinking how tiredness can also kill courtesy. Short tempers, tetchiness and snapping back [...]

If we are really annoyed in a shop, being rude achieves nothing. If we think if makes us more important or gives us more authority, we’re wrong.