Category: Uncategorized

My mum’s cousin Bob Crampsie, known in the family as Bertie, died this week. He was 78 and suffering from Parkinson’s, so it’s not a huge surprise. What was a bit of a surprise (but not really) was that the papers were full of tributes to him and that everyone proclaimed him a genius and… Continue reading Bertie Crampsey

Yesterday, on the radio, I heard these words, “While Ford is largely thought of as a [pick-up] truck company here in America, in Europe it’s different…” Huh? I’ve lived here for 14 years and I consider myself fairly fluent in American culture but it’s the deep, ingrained stuff, the assumptions, that still trip me up.… Continue reading Ford Truck

I’m trying to work on a project. All was calm with the children and I reckoned I could probably count on half an hour of peace and quiet before things started to deteriorate. I know, thinks I, I’ll work on my project. It’s not something complicated, just formatting some text so that it is all… Continue reading Technological Woes

I’ve been on a bit of a reading binge recently. Can it have something to do with the gift of my Kindle, I wonder? Well, possibly, but I know it started before that. Earlier in the year I picked out two mysteries from the shelves based on not much at all. Aunt Dimity’s Death was… Continue reading Reading Binge

Oh dear. That Joss Whedon. I hadn’t seen anything new of his for a while and I had started to think that maybe I had over-rated him. With the resurgence of Doctor Who and my discovery of Stephen Moffat and Neil Gaiman, I had begun to believe that maybe Whedon had been a pale stand-in… Continue reading Joss Whedon Love

I have a bit of a hangover today, but it’s not what you think. Granted I DID have two glasses of wine last night, but it’s not the wine that has left me feeling jittery this morning. It’s a socialising-hangover. I had a lovely morning  yesterday in one neighbour’s yard, kids splashing, good conversation, very… Continue reading Hangover

There are some blogs I read because I have things in common with the writers. There are others I read because the writers are fabulous writers who never let me down. They are storytellers and a good blog entry from them can fill in for the dearth of good short stories out there in the… Continue reading Never Lets Me Down

Peter Bowerman has launched (lunched?) a blog to support his Well-Fed Writer empire. I think his books are excellent for someone who wants to get started in freelance writing and wants to make lots of money. Sadly for me, money is not my main motivating factor and I have the luxury of not needing to… Continue reading Well-Fed Writer Blog

And because I have so much spare time, I’ve just ordered a copy of a book about how to draw caricatures. Hey, I never knew that knowing how to make balloon animals would come in handy but I’ve used these skills in a theater show, at a boring barbecue and at my own son’s birthday… Continue reading Because I Don't Have Enough Hobbies…