I’m sat writing this in Frankfurt airport after a whirlwind visit to Heidelberg for a day of work onsite. As much as travel can be tiring and disruptive – and this last week has with a visit to my parents up North and then a camping trip with friends – it’s also a time when I can get some space to think. Which is nice.

Last week Emma and I had an early celebration of our fifteenth wedding anniversary. We’ve now been together for twenty one years. Quite an achievement, we think, so we deserved something nice. As we were visiting my parents near Manchester we thought we’d take the opportunity to visit the much praised Where The Light Gets In.

I grew up on the outskirts of Stockport in a little town called Marple. Stockport was once a powerhouse of manufacturing during the industrial revolution. In fact, entrepreneurs throughout the region drove much of that era. The byproducts of this time can be seen and felt all through the town. From the imposing Pear Mill, to the dominating brick Viaduct, one of the largest brick structures in the UK. But times have changed for Stockport. When I was a kid, we used to go shopping there and it was always rammed full of people. And raining. Always raining. But it was a vibrant, thriving town. Then, during the 90’s, the rot set in. Shops started closing and people disappeared. Currently, it’s estimated 40% of shopping units are unoccupied and boarded up. But maybe Stockport’s fortunes are changing.

I’ve been to a few good restaurants over the years, but this was the best meal I’ve had. Not just the food, but the location and bright juxtaposition of an exciting little restaurant set against the backdrop of a dying old town. Maybe this little spark is enough to rekindle Stockport’s fortunes. Who knows.

Some things caught my eye over the last couple of weeks:

Jeffrey writes about how many of us are feeling. He writes just so bloody well! When he tells me “you’ve got this”, I believe him.

Playdate is a little handheld gaming device from Panic. Looks very cool, especially the crank. I wonder what the games will be like though.

Going Critical is a fantastic article on how things spread. Littered with simple effective examples, I spent a good thirty minutes lost in those examples.

Javascript in 14 minutes. Javascript is just one of those things that my brain refuses to absorb. Try as I might, it just won’t go in! This article dented my brain, though. Good stuff.