The world has ground to a halt. Except that the wheels of the world grind slowly, and 2020’s halt felt more like an emergency stop. There we all were, spanking along, foot to the floor, probably on the wrong side of the speed limit, when a shadowy figure ran out unexpectedly. There are no wolves … Continue reading Wolves
I have a card box filled with a mix of birthday, new baby, sympathy, thank you, and left over Christmas cards. And I have a few of the ‘blank for your own message’ type, the ones I come across and buy thinking, ‘that’s perfect for so and so’ and then I forget ever to send … Continue reading Ironing
Problem pages, Which? magazine subscriptions, best-of lists, tried and tested columns, other people’s life hacks: one can’t get out of bed for the constant flow of near dam-bursting advice that is washing at us from every corner. In a day an age when we are overwhelmed with choice it’s enormously tempting to stop thinking for … Continue reading Take My Advice
‘But it’s the truth. Isn’t the truth a good thing?’ A friend had asked for my input about a tricky situation, a conflict with someone else that was escalating via electronic messages. When I told them I thought their response was too much, that it should be pared back, cooled down, they – quite rightly … Continue reading Holding Back
It doesn’t take a sledgehammer to crack a nut – the only person I ever heard say that was my grandfather when he thought someone was doing a job ill-matched to their skills and ability. His words came back to me this week as I read Michael Viney’s, ‘A Year’s Turning’ – a book that … Continue reading A Person of Your Education
New Year’s Resolution: adopt more causes. The problem is, there is a proliferation of them. A cursory search for something worthwhile threw up too many, causing me to furrow my brow, so I’ve decided to plough my own furrow and create my own list of (perhaps light-hearted) causes. Cause Number One: Campaign to save spurned … Continue reading Rebel With a Cause
There is a character in the comedy series Derry Girls called Uncle Colm who, as they might say in Derry, is wild fond of the sound of his own voice. You see, Uncle Colm maunders on. He rattles away, talking in that aimless, vague, drifting manner that begets a maunderer. Not that Uncle Colm is … Continue reading Maundering On
Paradox: a logical statement that seems to contradict itself; something that is not what it seems. My dad taught me what it was by having me learn this one: ‘The code of the road is a paradox quite, if you keep to the left you are sure to be right.’ It doesn’t work in America. … Continue reading Paradox
There are those who support the idea that over use of social media piles more pressure on the already high expectations that young people have for themselves. All those insta-snap-tweet-shares they do; the pouts, the poses and plates of perfect food, all awaiting validation via a thumbs-up, a wink, an emoji-heart. Surely it’s not good … Continue reading Expectation
It’s a great phrase, ‘I’ve got the measure of you’. And it’s a marvellous idea too; being able to stand back and assess someone - head to toe - with the professional eye of a Savile Row tailor, and come up with the formula as to what makes them tick. Instead of inside leg, waist, … Continue reading I’ve Got The Measure of You
My Edinburgh Press 