When it’s eating its own afterbirth. Apparently they do this to protect the new-born from predators long enough for it to get on its own four wobbly feet. Clever nature. A summer evening walk with a lovely friend was rendered unforgettable by the sight of a new-born calf and its mother. We stood fascinated while […]
Statues: celebrate the changes
A statue tells several stories. One is its subject’s, one is of those who commissioned and created it, and one of how we understand and react to these other stories. Which is most important? Do I need to open this post with a statement about black lives mattering? Surely not… Some things are blindingly obvious, […]
Distraction diaries – write what you know
Write what you know, they say… So I’m trying, simultaneously, to craft a poem about kindness – which I don’t always understand, a short story comparing women to tuning forks, and to empty my head onto the page. Only none of it’s working. Write what you know, they say… I’m too damn distracted. Can’t concentrate. […]
Lockdown parenting – the real deal isn’t pretty
It’s sickening, isn’t it? From Facebook to Instagram and back again, families hand-in-hand on sunlit meadows, tiny hands baking cupcakes, wobbly colourful art, snuggling up on sofas and the results of tie-dye. Where on earth has the tie-dye fascination come from? Up and down the nation, parents are doing their best, and putting the most […]
Coronavirus: Today’s burning questions
As we celebrate our one month stay-in-iversary, I have more and more questions and fewer and fewer answers. Where are you supposed to put all the rubbish? Are deserted city centres, in fact, full of people wandering around taking pictures of empty streets? Why do some people find the concept of social distancing so difficult […]