“I wandered lonely as a cloud” – isn’t it amazing to think that when Wordsworth wrote that line it was new and arresting? As fresh as a daisy, which was once also an original phrase. It’s a tricky thing this word spinning, tricky, that is, to come up with fresh ideas and novel combinations of … Continue reading How Romantic
Everyone wants to be needed. It’s the most natural thing in the world. Each of us have needs to be met, and most of us feel rewarded by a sense of achievement, validation, or plain old love when we look after the needs of others. So, how is it, by and large, that we cannot … Continue reading I Need You
I threaded my belt back through the loops of my jeans and fastened the buckle. Then I laced my boots, making a mental note not to wear them next time I flew; such a palaver of eyes and hooks and long laces to wind around my ankles before double knotting. ‘How about a cup of … Continue reading The Truth About Love
Come on, remove that petulant pout, suppress that cynical mutter of, “valentine-schmalentine” and admit that, deep down, you love it too. Who cares if it has become overly commercialised? Hasn't everything? So drop the Hallmark-hate, stop boycotting bouquets, and quit with the sudden intolerance for chocolate. As for being single? So what? I’m single and I still … Continue reading Valentine-Schmalentine
Is there any better song in the word about the sweetness of infatuation than the Gershwin brothers’, ‘I Got A Crush On You’? Composed by George, with lyrics by his brother Ira, it describes the giddy confusion that comes with harbouring a crush. “How glad the many millions of Annabelles and Lilians would be, to … Continue reading Crush
I re-watched ‘Before Sunrise’ recently. It’s the first in a trilogy of films by Richard Linklater, each set (and filmed) ten years apart. In the first film (set in the mid-nineties), a young couple meet on a train and, in a spontaneous gesture of youthful foolishness and adventure, disembark at Vienna and stay up all … Continue reading Girls On Trains
Back in my student days P. would be the go to friend for advice. He was wise, for a young man, and had a great way with words, speaking in a stream of local idioms that made him sound like a fairground fortune-teller. Unlike the fairground fortune-teller, much of what he said did come to … Continue reading Broken Hearts Mended
How eligible are you? Would you be a great catch today for someone? Are they lining up to proposition you? Let’s start with the basics: are you single? Then we can move onto: are you solvent? Do you have your own hair? (not a deal breaker) Own teeth? (preferable). GSOH? (essential) I’m (sort of) joking, … Continue reading Ach, I Dunno!
Are you a romantic, a realist or a bit of a sceptic? When it comes to affairs of the heart, do you jump in feet first, run a mile at the first sign of doe-eyes, or weigh up the costs and benefits like a hedge fund manager? For example, if you were to cross the … Continue reading Forever
My Edinburgh Press 