Whom or what can we trust? What’s real news, what’s panic-inducing fake news or plain manipulation? Which statistics have any real meaning? Or are they all largely meaningless, carefully crafted to prove whatever is deemed best by whoever presents the numbers? And how come everyone who disagrees with the mainstream is labelled a ‘conspiracy theorist’? …
A momentary brightness
In-between all the gloom and doom concerning The Virus, the Wall Street Crash, a braincell-defying rush on toilet paper, and day after day of rain and endless greyness, we had a sudden flash of bright sunshine. I rushed to grab my mobile, but by the time I had it in place the moment had more …
Of endings and beginnings
Is it too late to say "Happy New Year"? Saying it anyway - and may your 2020 be filled with joy, love and the sort of challenges you truly thrive on. My run-up to the new year was strange. Normally I spend some time rounding up the events of the past twelve months, thinking back …
Not another midlife crisis story!
When I write a book, the characters kind of move in with me. I can't help it - they come to life in my heart and mind and only spill out onto the page when they are good and ready. Luckily, I really like most of them, otherwise this could get a bit tricky!
November Blues (of sorts)
November didn't go as planned. Lots of things I meant to do didn't even happen because I mashed my foot and broke a toe and was confined to quarters for most of the month. (Don't ask! Something to do with charging around the living room like a lunatic, pretending to be in a dance studio...) …
“Is it autobiographical?”
So let me tell you about writing my first novel, ‘How to Make Your Heart Sing’. When I began writing this story, I had a middle-aged woman with a successful life that no longer made any sense to her, I had an outline of possible locations and I had the first few pages of what …
Clothes shopping for ex-goblins
Wow. I actually managed to ruin three of my autumn/winter jackets at the same time, plus several T-shirts, jeans and sweaters. Our dryer seems to have switched from thermostat-controlled settings to a simple on/off function, with ‘on’ being the equivalent of ‘blow-torch’. As a result, a substantial part of my wardrobe is now doll-size. Which …