The woes of the privileged
Once upon a time I wrote a story. It got published in an anthology. (I was pretty excited.) Now my publisher wants to print a limited edition novella of my story. Not the whole anthology, just my story. On its own. My name on the front cover. So far, this is all rather fairy-tale-ish. And … Continue reading
Farewell, bonny Scotland…
So. We’ve packed up and shipped out. All our worldly possessions are in the back of Ollie. We’ve traveled 1200 miles in a week. Suffice it to say internet-time is at a minimum. So for now I leave you with this: After 8 years and 10 months in Scotland, as we drove our winding way … Continue reading
Solstice
You know when you float on your back in the lake, when your ears submerge and the noisy world is still there but all watery and subdued and far away? I sometimes get this sort of feeling around midsummer (and without necessarily going in the lake either). Everything slows down and the world is somehow … Continue reading
Old [Fictional] Friends
Do you have stories that never get old? No matter how many times you hear them they still feel alive? They can rekindle a sinking heart or augment delicious indulgences, but always prove stalwart companions. Must be some type of magic. And today, as I sold off our books — we’ve shed several hundred so … Continue reading
The Hermitage Anew
This morning I went for a walk through the Hermitage. I often do when I’m feeling hemmed in and cranky. I’ve probably walked it a hundred times. This little woodland nature reserve, replete with babbling stream and mossy Hobbiton-esque rocks, has been my reprieve ever since I moved to this city. It’s my perfect mix … Continue reading
Sea & Sky
There is this famous cliche claiming the Eskimo language has a hundred, or a thousand, words for snow. Which is quite silly since there is no “Eskimo language”. Perhaps the declaration refers all Eskimo-Aleut languages and dialects generally? Besides, English has dozens of words for snow, if you count things like blizzards, flurries, drizzles, sleat, … Continue reading
The Beginning of Goodbye
I have been delinquent, but dear reader, I have cause! After all my fussy griping and limbo doldrums, Life has moved into the fast lane. So fast, in fact, I can’t be warbling on the internet this morning as there are far too many things to be doing which are super uninteresting but Very Important. … Continue reading
Travel Tuesdays: Pitigliano, Tuscany
Travel Tuesdays : where I can look back fondly at wonderful places, people and journeys while we prepare for the exciting adventure ahead… Sometimes I open my eyes and realise just quite how lucky I am. It’s like fireworks in my brain. And I’m not just talking the miracle of Life. Or the fact that … Continue reading
Poetry Season
In America and Canada it is National Poetry Month. And in that lovely, internet-erly world of camaraderie and social campaigning, it is also National Poetry Writing Month, or NaPoWriMo to the nerds among you (e.g., me). Some members of my family are taking the expedition to heart, and it’s filled my world with lots of … Continue reading
Travel Tuesday: Chicago
Travel Tuesdays : where I can look back fondly at wonderful places, people and journeys while we prepare for the exciting adventure ahead… Chicago, like most urban centres, can be carved up into smaller pieces: neighbourhoods, districts, regions, each defined by some homogeneity be it geographical, cultural, or historical. In some ways the city can … Continue reading
Que Sera Sara? 