So there I was professionally looking at photos to see if they would be suitable for a website. As well as assessing for impact, emotional resonance and general prettiness, I was also trying to look at them from lots of other points of view. Would anyone be upset or offended by them? Were they inadvertently […]
Things you can do now you’re 50
Not quite a week after the marvellous celebrations that marked my half century (yes, I know, I can’t believe it either) and the doormat is troubled by another envelope. This one cheerfully invites me to send in samples of my ‘bowel movement (poo)’ for testing. It even includes instructions and little cardboard sticks for smearing […]
The perils and pitfalls of the office tea round
Just your cup of tea, from ajft via flickr “Would you like a cup of tea?” “How nice, yes please. Just milk.” A perfectly ordinary exchange, like millions heard in offices up and down the country. But don’t be fooled – behind these 12 innocent words is a complex web of social obligation and potential […]
Poem: I come from …
I come from the north, From grey harling, drizzled crags and scree. Dandelion and burdock. Engage low gear now. Bacon for breakfast. Breaking in your boots. Passing places and bloody tourists. The library’s parquet gleam. Peewits and feral cats. Toasted arse against the Aga. Wellies and broken veins. Creosote on the fence. Shirt […]
The things that make me happy…
Guess what? I’m still not 50 yet which, evidently, entitles me to bump on about the passage of time and life’s rich tapestry until everyone is heartily sick of me. Then I saw this and – apart from the brownies bit (they’re just bits of short square cake, whatever way you look at it) – […]