They just want to be in a place where they have the world behind them, and before them nothing but emptiness.
W.G. Sebald, The Rings of Saturn
A few weeks back we went on a camping holiday, down to the coast. My holiday reading was W.G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn. Both had quite an effect on me. Read the rest of this entry »
Hello everyone. I thought it might be fun to ask for some requests. What would you like me to write about? You can just offer a word, or a title for a post, or supply a detailed break-down of what you would like me to write. Or you could suggest a video or image or song as a starting point. Read the rest of this entry »
Recently I’ve heard a fair few people talk about that old curse May You Live In Interesting Times. And Interesting may be one of the more polite adjectives I might think of when thinking of 2016. And when you live in interesting times there is a great temptation to escape. In the past I might have escaped via the bottle, or a YouTube rabbit hole of nostalgic clips, or some daft game on a mobile phone. And I’m not sure any of those are entirely bad, at least in moderation. But in 2016 I have escaped by gardening. Except I don’t think it is just escape. I think it is more than that. Perhaps I should just let someone else say this more eloquently. Read the rest of this entry »
Trendy bar. Not sure on cost so drinking halves. That sort of place. Get my coins mixed up, so he has to return for the rest, then when that’s sorted the change is 6p and they are out of change and should I hang around for the 6p or should I go, what is the least awkward. Read the rest of this entry »
Friend of the blog Tim has written a great post about the distinction between his written personality and his personality in real life. You should go away and read his thoughts rather than mine. Tim is incredibly eloquent, clear and heartfelt. Because that is just how he writes. That is what he does. Read the rest of this entry »
Wait until next year 