Toby Young on The Evening Standard

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Toby Young

Dad power: having four children keeps me fit

On the face of it, becoming a father is not a recipe for improving your physical and mental health — particularly if you have four children under six.

17 June 2009 09:32 AM

Why Kafka's council won't install a lollipop lady

My five-year-old daughter's best friend was run over last week. It happened on the pelican crossing on Uxbridge Road, opposite St Stephen's Primary School in Shepherd's Bush.

13 May 2009 08:49 AM

The day a small alien burst out of my head

I got knocked off my bike last week. Ambulance, hospital, general anaesthetic, the whole nine yards. Brain seems to be functioning OK but my hopes of becoming a male supermodel have been dashed.

05 May 2009 09:01 AM

I’ve had my fill of brown toast, too

When I first moved to Acton a year ago, I got into trouble with the locals for claiming that the only café in the neighbourhood serving "ethical" coffee had closed. "Evidently there aren't enough middle-class people in the area to sustain a single decent coffee shop," I wrote.

27 April 2009 08:54 AM

Thomas the Tank Engine is still my boy's hero. Just ...

My son Ludo had been looking forward to it for days. It was to be his Easter treat - a "day out with Thomas" at the East Anglian Railway Museum. Like most four-year-olds, he is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and the prospect of seeing him in real life was more exciting than a trip to Disneyland.

20 April 2009 09:10 AM

The joys of Easter are quite lost on me

What two words do parents of small children dread more than any other? Chicken pox? Indoor playcentre? Club Penguin? All of these pale into comparison next to "Easter holidays".

06 April 2009 09:05 AM

I'm master of an animal kingdom

When I moved into my new house a year ago I quickly discovered that the phrase "vacant possession" shouldn't be taken at face value. The human occupants had gone but the rodents remained. The place was completely infested with mice.

30 March 2009 08:40 AM

Greedy parking spies are killing our streets

When I first moved to Acton last year, I was relieved to discover that the area isn't as run down as I expected. Churchfield Road, in particular, is a lovely street, boasting a sizable park at one end, a beautifully maintained railway station in the middle and an array of excellent shops, including Pearls Drycleaners, Paint and Central Heat. My favourite is probably Vanilla, an "ethical" coffee shop that does a great line in cakes, sandwiches and waffles.

23 March 2009 08:31 AM

Do something for cyclists, Bojo

I WAS intrigued by Boris Johnson's announcement last week that he intends to create more public spaces in London. Top of the list is the plan to pedestrianise the area around Exhibition Road as part of a £13 million Transport For London scheme to create a "Museum District" in South Kensington. "It is the capital's public spaces that make London such a wonderful, engaging city and help attract millions of visitors every year," he said.

16 March 2009 08:35 AM

Postman Pat loses all his rubber goods

As a Londoner, I find it hard to sympathise with defenders of the postal service. The evidence of the Royal Mail's indifference to wastage and inefficiency is there for all to see in the form of red rubber bands littering our streets.

09 March 2009 01:10 PM