From the couch
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Dimanche encore

If I could, this Sunday morning, bestow upon one person an award for the most consistent use of fountain pens in “pop” videos, I’d go for the French singer Julien Clerc. He is not new to me, I bought a cassette of his hits in Paris in 1980 and have had a soft spot for… Continue reading
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You’ll know when it’s autumn

It isn’t really autumn today, but you’ll know when it gets here. You’ll know because the blushing berries will reveal their crimson hearts. You’ll know because the flowers which bloomed with an old master’s oil-paint madness will turn to watercolour and then seep quietly away. You’ll know by the dusty shadows summer has left in… Continue reading
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Retrograde

If I were to write horoscopes, I’d fill them with real-world advice. “As Mercury opposes Saturn, be wary spillage when you open ink bottles.” “With Pluto in your fourth house, you will unpick many more stitches than you knit.” “50% of planets are retrograde now; you will be incapable of anything more advanced than reading… Continue reading
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April showers bring forth May flowers
Okay, well our climate didn’t get it quite right this year and we had to wait for the May downpours to do their work before we could enjoy a blossoming forth in June. But summer seems to be here and for that we can be grateful, even those of us who prefer the chillier months… Continue reading
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Of wool and words
Mid-week brought with it a couple of new adventures. I picked up a book that’s been patiently awaiting a re-read for more than 20 years, and I started a new jumper. The moment I decided to combine the pink wool with leftovers from previous cream jumpers, I knew that I would be referring to this… Continue reading
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Every day’s a school day
I was pretending again on Friday, but there’s a lot to be learned through playing make-believe. On the most practical level, I pretended to be at the coffee shop, lapping up the ambient noise, with my laptop and my cereal bar and my Espresso House coffee flask providing those Scandinavian coffee chain vibes. It wasn’t… Continue reading
