I don't Wordle, and neither does Himself, but so many of the people I know are Wordlers (if such a word exists) that my Twitter feed is filled with images of those little coloured squares and, this past week I've noticed it on Facebook too. Before you know it, there'll be an Instagram hashtag for... Continue Reading →

I was inspired to put this together by one of the responses in LA's post, which contained a list of items attributed to Nora Ephron of what she'd miss (and not miss) after her death. Carefully avoiding the clichéd World Peace, or the obvious of a happy and healthy life for those I love, this... Continue Reading →

A short while ago, I read this post entitled If you're a blogger than you're just a show-off and my reaction was huh? As is my wont, that suggestion has been percolating away quietly in my brain until this morning, when I linked it to my mental description of a Twitter person I follow as... Continue Reading →

This post was prompted by two things - most recently by one of the daily prompts being asked by WordPress for #bloganuary, but it's also been knocking around in the back of my mind for a long time. In fact, ever since that discussion I took part in at University about racism and the need... Continue Reading →

I generally undertake a review of the previous year's reading based upon my Goodreads reading challenge report. Most years some sort of pattern emerges: a new author, a new genre.... But 2021's reading was entirely unremarkable, except for one fact - that I finally achieved my aim to complete the entire Booker longlist before the... Continue Reading →

As did many things, Himself & I started looking at lots of programmes about hideaway homes during the pandemic. Not all were of the remote treehouse or rustic cabin in the woods variety, it's also been our pleasure to browse video tours of gorgeous Italian properties - especially those in the hills of Tuscany. It's... Continue Reading →

.... or rather, the wife of someone who's famous, or rich (or both). Sadly, being known solely as the wife (it happens less often to husbands) of somebody rich and/or famous is not as rare as I'd like, but even when you intend not to do that, it sometimes happens. As one of my recent... Continue Reading →

OK, that sounds weird, so I'd better explain. I've been reading Julia Cameron's The Artists Way, having seen her concept of Morning Pages recommended as a solution for... well, multiple things, but especially for writer's block. I'm not suffering from writer's block, indeed my problem is more related to having sufficient time (and focus) to... Continue Reading →

Well, it was when I first sat down to write this. But then I hit the buffers, and all thoughts of merry & bright dribbled away. But, being someone who's lived with the ole black dog for a while, I have my methods for recovering - so, even if not brimming with joy, equilibrium has... Continue Reading →

I've long had an ambition to read the entire Booker prize longlist before the judges choose a winner. This year, I managed it. It wasn't the best field ever, and I rated only 2 of the books the full 5-stars. [If you'd like to know more about the books and my views, see here: Part... Continue Reading →