The blog
An assortment of thoughts, opinions and stories
Books I’ve enjoyed, notes from my workshops, and stories about writing, dance and travel
The Pursuit of Happyness
Yes, I know I ought to have watched this long ago. Yes, I know that practically everyone has already watched this. But it moved me to tears, and I cannot not write about it.…
Encyclopedias
I remember a time in school when a teacher asked what we liked to read, and one child replied, “Encyclopedias.” I inwardly rolled my eyes and thought, “Oh my God! What an unimaginative sycophant!”…
Theory of Knowledge
I teach ‘Theory of Knowledge’. That’s part of my job description now. We have many questions that count as TOK questions. Epistemological questions, ethical questions, ontological questions, the works. For once, though, I have…
Toto Funds the Arts 2014
I wrote about having been long-listed for the Toto awards three years in a row, without being shortlisted even once – it’s time to try again! I know there are several young writers who…
Stories on a Postcard Challenge
Stories on a Postcard Challenge
I found this such a charming idea that I felt compelled to share it! I have so many memories of postcards! My father used to send postcards like this to me when I was…
The Diary I’m Using
I can’t stop laughing. I found an age-old diary. It’s a 1988 diary, and I seem to have started using it in the early nineties. Only a few pages are used, so I picked…
Movies and Me
I don’t like horror movies. Or even thrillers, or anything remotely frightening. I don’t find them funny, the way most people seem to. They don’t make me laugh and say, “How lame! That’s not…
The Peculiar English Language
Of course we know that language is peculiar. And English? Any new speaker finds it ridiculously bewildering. I’m reading a book by Rachel Anderson called Asylum. More about that will come in a book-review…
Happy Birthday, Harry Potter
How can I let this day go by without wishing one of my favourite fictional characters of all time? I don’t have the books in front of me, but phrases flash through my mind…
The Decimal System
I was just thinking about how glad I was that the decimal system was in place. With the wonderful zero, 10 mm conveniently make a cm, 100 cm make a metre and all of…
