Starting the writiting process by getting it all out there — I’m writing a book. Yes Nick of course you are, those of you who’ve know me are now saying. You’ve been writing a book for as long as I’ve known you, and I’ve known you a long time. That is true, so let’s say it this way: I’m writing a…

My first tattoo was the end of a long process and a long wait — I can’t remember when I first thought about getting a tattoo. Some time in my teens, most likely, when they were still caught on the cusp between scary and cool. The scary ones you’d occasionally see about, their frequency often determined by what sort of pub you were drinking in…

A new play prompts thoughts about family, stories, grief, and space — I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how to tell personal stories lately. I’ve recently begun work on a memoir about depression, walking, and mental health, so I’m curious to see how other people have told the stories of their and others’ lives. How can we knit together a…

How I got myself ready for walking five hundred miles — Walking the Camino de Santiago earlier this year was one of the best experiences of my life. It was an amazing way to step out from the world and spend time with myself as I walked the length of Spain… but I’ve already written about all that. 38 Memories And 38 Photos From The Camino De Santiago One journey seen through daily glancesnick-barlow.medium.com

It’s the 1980s, but not as we knew them in this ITV series about England veering into fascism — Britain is in crisis. Underperforming economically with inflation causing rising prices while strikers threaten to paralyse the country, a succession of political leaders from all parties seem to have no answer to the problems facing the country. …

How I’ve dealt with my first year since being diagnosed with depression — A man walks into a doctor’s office and says “doctor, doctor, I think I have depression.” That was me, a year ago today. I didn’t get a punchline, but I did get a prescription. It helped. Amazing how easy it is to break the last year down into a few…

Did I find myself, or was I already there? — When I set off on the Camino de Santiago, it was because I was trying to find my new way. It’s now over two months since I got back — longer than I was walking for — so what did I find when I was there? Finding My New Way Why I’ll be setting out on the Camino de Santiagonick-barlow.medium.com I didn’t head out…

Temperatures rise in this 60s British sci-fi classic — It’s been a little hot the last couple of days, so as a bit of preparation for the coming heatwave I watched The Day The Earth Caught Fire on Sunday evening. The side-effects of post-WW2 nuclear testing inspired a lot of media in the 50s and 60s. Godzilla was awoken…

One journey seen through daily glances — I walked over a million steps between Saint-Jean-Pied-Du-Port and Cabo Fisterra. I could have written an account that chronicled them all, but there are already enough books, articles and websites out there about the Camino that writing about it in that sort of detail only serves to obscure the reality…