I’m not sure what event has caused the upper floor of my house to reach the temperature of the sun, but I am not able to sleep. How I ever survived living in Alabama is a mystery as I’ve always hated extreme heat. These days that’s anything over 20C. Hot weather is for tough folk…
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Having something to look forward to is awesome. Much like ‘the journey’, anticipation of a special occasion can be as fun as the event itself. For instance, Christmas Eve is one of my favourite days of the year. I get the sweet anticipation of Christmas with none of the real-life reality. It’s a day of…
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I’ve debated posting this because I don’t want to draw ire, but there has been a pretty major change in my life. Or perhaps a reset. In any case, things are quite different now. About a month ago, I popped a Smint in my mouth and broke a tooth. The corner of one of my…
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Ahead of the June 10 release of his hotly-anticipated debut novel, ‘How Soon Is Now?’, Scottish writer Paul Carnahan today reveals the powerful and moving time travel saga’s spellbinding cover.Designed by artist Hannah Nystrom, the striking cover features a Russian doll resting on the ominous frame of a shadowy sun lounger – a tantalising hint…
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I am not a religious person by any metric, but as a student of history, I can appreciate the suppression and erasure of the practices of cultures who were colonised. It’s no secret that The Church co-opted and appropriated the rituals and celebrations of marginalised people, and while I am mindful that many of those…
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I’m sick of feeling helpless in the face of world events – war, death, people being priced out of essentials like food and heating. Governments all around the world are taking us for mugs, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they spent most of their off-camera time laughing at us. It’s infuriating, but I think…
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Looking back on my accomplishments for the year, I think it’s safe to say that surviving with my sanity was my biggest. My health wasn’t horrible, but it was more challenging that it’s ever been – wild menopause symptoms, chronic back pain, and a bout of flu that sent me to A&E. Work was also…
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A couple of days ago, I saw a prominent political pundit posting on social media about how ‘personal attacks’ on Kate Andrews were unacceptable. For years Andrews has worked for a shady Tufton Street think tank and now has a gig at the right-wing Spectator. She regularly goes on BBC political programs to argue that…
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The last six or so years have been difficult. Frequent readers will know that the EU referendum result caused me a lot of personal and financial grief, and while I did prepare for the UK leaving the EU, the UK’s exit was done so poorly that I couldn’t foresee all of the problems that would…
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I would like to preface this by saying I am not a Jeremy Corbyn fan. While I did vote for him for to become Labour leader in 2015, his subsequent stance on Brexit annoyed me greatly. My and my family’s livelihood depended heavily on the EU, so I couldn’t support him after seeing him on…
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While I enjoy hearing stories about the paranormal, I’m not a believer. Most strange phenomena can be explained rationally, but every now and then something will happen that can’t be explained. I know this because it happened to me. Before you get too excited, I need to let you know that this is not a…
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When I was seven years old… Don’t you hate recipes that make you scroll a mile past stuff you don’t care about? Me too. You’ll need: 1 box Betty Crocker cake mix* (vanilla is good, carrot is best)1 can of pumpkin puree Preheat your oven to 180C (350F). In a size-appropriate bowl, use a hand…
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I have always had a difficult relationship with my eyebrows. They are not the eyebrows of a lady, but rather those of a tenured male liberal arts professor in his mid-sixties. In other words, they are very long, very wiry, and now very grey. As much as I try not obsess about my appearance, having…
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The summer gardening season in Scotland is almost done. I thought I’d feel sad that my daily gardening is nearly over for the year, but the truth is that I could use a little break. While I expected there’d be lots of watering, weeding, and pest control, I wasn’t prepared for the amount of plant…
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The summer gardening season is winding down here, and while I plan to attempt a few fall/winter crops, I am not holding our much hope of success. Temperatures here are not extreme, but it’s just too dark here for anything to thrive after October. My best bet are cold-tolerant vegetables I can grow between now…
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Fig and Pen 