All writers have ways of supporting their writing. I write for six months a year and work for the rest of the time, squirreling away my salary to pay for when I next return to my garret. They do say that something kick starts a writing career. Maybe a sudden spell of time on your [...]
We’ve certainly had a snowy start to the year, and an icy reminder of how hard things can get when nature comes to call. South of the border, we have had it too easy these last twenty or so years, being able to pop into our cars and drive away at a moments notice, being [...]
This year (or rather last year, now, how time flies!) New Years Eve fell on a blue moon, a rare enough occurrence as it is, but to also fall at the turn of the year at the end of a decade, what are the odds against that happening – I don’t know, there was nothing [...]
It’s that strange barren time between Christmas and New Year when the festivities take a breather. Sales fever fills the gap between Yule and Hogmanay, it grips the shopping centres as swarms of people reach for anything marked up in red and white lettering, queues full of shoppers, with laden baskets, creep across the stores. [...]
A Seasonal Tale
Every Christmas Eve, as night falls and the temperature drops, the air begins to fill with magic. A sense of mystical promise crackles around you as you walk into the gathering darkness. The lightest touch of ice crystals tingles on your cheeks; your breath comes out in a puff of white air as [...]
It’s been very cold this week, most unseasonal as we usually get wet, muggy weather at this time of year, in fact last year I remember digging t-shirts out of the drawer again. Early this morning as I walked along, the wind whistled past my ears and I really regretted deciding not to wear a [...]
Silly season is upon us once more. I haven’t stopped whizzing about since the calendar flipped over to December 1st. It’s still only mid-month and there’s a way to go before the goose is cooked. Friday night was the Christmas stable doo, this year the event was held in a manor house hotel in the [...]
Saturday was our regular gathering of literary types. We had decided to mark the festive season by scoffing some mince pies and sausage rolls, while quaffing mulled wine prior to settling down to the more serious task of reading out our work. This month, we were meeting in a private house, it was an interim [...]
The ticket for the carol concert advised: dress warmly in thick coat, hat, gloves and a scarf, and bring a good torch. I dug out my full length black afghan, a black fur hat, gloves and three torches because you never know when you will need back-up. I had a last look in the mirror [...]
On Sunday it was off to Dorset for another family birthday, this time it was a far less grand affair round the pub, very different to the profligate bounty of last Sunday’s meal (but the food was delicious all the same). The landlord of the pub joined us for our meal, he told me he [...]