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So friend and author Angella Graff gave me 11 in the random things about me you might not know meme… given that these pages are full of the weird and random, hey, you probably do already know them. 1. I…
Continue readingLast night I cooked a dish from the new Hairy Bikers book, but for some reason I completely misread the recipe from the beginning and sliced my chicken breasts. I also couldn’t find my chilli flakes, but you know what,…
Continue readingI’ve been getting some good feedback recently for Mr Tumnal, but this one that I got absolutely blew me away… Have been reading since about 9.30 this morning, have reached Chapter 10 of part 2 … it’s safe to say…
Continue readingI know it’s only November and Guy Fawkes is barely burnt on the ceremonial bonfires, but it’s true, Christmas is coming. I know this is true because tonight at band was a rehearsal full of the festive fun…
Continue readingToday has been a highly productive day at work in which I have refreshed our faculty/departmental news pages with a new look to manage the new design (okay, its about nine months old already…) of the main website. The news…
Continue readingSo, yesterday evening I got the report back from the Beta read of Mr Tumnal. All writers, no matter how experienced they are, still get the same gut-wrenching fear when they let go of their latest work in progress to…
Continue readingI’ve always liked typewriters. I remember watching the BBC adaptation of My Family and Other Animals from 1987 and watching Lawrence Durrell setting up his travel typewriter in front of a window with a view in the latest of the…
Continue readingFinally, I’ve seen one! Emma’s been telling me about the Starling murmurations that she used to see from her flat when she lived down in Brighton, and every year on Autumwatchwe see footage of the most incredible displays and every…
Continue readingOkay, I know it’s actually only the 2 November, not the true date for a Guy Fawks celebration! We don’t tend to go to the fireworks every year, but the Bicester town one’s always put on a good show and…
Continue readingI’ve been feeling a bit lost of late; awkward and altogether out of sorts. I’ve now Either out why this is. You see, I’m currently not writing, and this is not usual for me. You see I’m never not writing….
Continue readingMagical Tales: Myth, Legend, and Enchantment in Children’s Books edited by Diane Purkiss and Carolyne Larrington This was the accompanying catalogue to the brilliant Magical Books exhibition that has been running this year at Oxford’s Bodleian Library and has been every bit as enjoyable…
Continue readingBack in the dim and distant days of 2004, Megan set up an email mailing list for things that people notice. By emailing a particular email address, it was a way that folk could tell us things you notice: strange…
Continue readingSo, after much media hype the storm to end all storms (as it was billed) proved to be somewhat disapointing. It seems odd to say something that wasn’t as devastating as it could have been is disappointing. Please don’t think…
Continue readingThe original plan (ie. the plan that only came into being two days ago) for today would have seen us spending this morning with my mum and dad. But plans changed, and circumstances dictated that we suddenly had an entire…
Continue readingAfter an early start to Saturday, giving the house a good clean, Emma and I headed out to Oxford just after midday to meet my Mum and Dad at The Perch Inn, Binsey – just on the edge of Port…
Continue readingI’ve had quite a productive week this week, working on a new version of one of our departmental websites. Whilst I’ve not been building it in the new content management system, I have been attempting to build it in such…
Continue readingTonight, Abingdon Concert Band embarked on something a bit different. Dan and Kirstie from the 4bar Collective showed up to record us for Track V of their project that sees them tour the country (the world too!) recording musicians wherever…
Continue readingAccording to this article on the BBC website, Iceland is a country where one in 10 people will publish a book. I can understand that. The winter months in Iceland are long, dark, and cold, and for years the winter…
Continue readingGobbolino The Witch’s Cat by Ursula Moray Williams This has been a childhood favourite of mine for years, but it is also years and years since I last read it. Michelle Harrison, the author of the 13 Treasures series, put…
Continue readingThe Owl Service by Alan Garner “…why didn’t you cut the pattern into flowers from the start, you silly girl?” Roger asks his step sister at the end… because we wouldn’t have been given this gloriously enjoyable story if she…
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