...and nothing to do with writing! We have just embarked on a crusade to rescue an ailing allotment. In time-honoured fashion, we are trying to keep a weekly photographic log of our progress. You can see full photos of the challenge we are faced with - and our progress - here. In places the weeds, … Continue reading Another new project…
Category: Blog
“Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic”
Simon's Armitage's collection "Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic" is something of a smorgasbord in terms of theme, style, even seriousness. It could easily offer 'something for everybody', as the saying goes. What struck me most of all was a sense that I wasn't reading poetry as much as reviewing 'product'. Everything in this collection was commissioned, … Continue reading “Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic”
“Mayflies”
Andrew O'Hagan's "Mayflies" is unrelenting. During the first half of the book where we see a group of Scottish lads on 'the lash' in Manchester, he immerses us in their over-the-top hedonistic experience of drink, drugs and music without giving us a chance to come up for air. Then, in the second half of the … Continue reading “Mayflies”
A written plea for the next…
I'm currently reading Simon Armitage's Sandettie Light Vessel Automatic and I came across this: each new poem never anything lessthan a written plea for the next.from "Émigré" This is, of course, spot on. For those of us blessed - or plagued (you choose!) - with the compulsion to write, there is always this sense of … Continue reading A written plea for the next…
Are we there yet?
If you're a parent and a driver, the chances are the title of this post will resonate. Remember those long journeys - and probably not-so-long ones - when the chant from the kids in the back at some stage invariably migrated to "Are we there yet?"... Journeys of this nature - from A to B, … Continue reading Are we there yet?
Sound body, sound mind..?
I have decided to cycle the length of the UK - Land's End to John o'Groats - on my exercise bike. Over 1,500 km split across 57 'stages'. Okay, so there are no uphills - but there are no downhills either! It seemed like a good idea: keep fit, have a challenge to aim for, … Continue reading Sound body, sound mind..?
“Girl, Woman, Other”
Bernadine Evaristo's "Girl, Woman, Other" is - quite simply - a triumph. I have no idea why it has taken me so long to read it. Perhaps I was put-off by its 450 pages, or the blurb, or the cover - the last two of these suggesting that somehow it wasn't going to be 'my … Continue reading “Girl, Woman, Other”
Don’t fear dreams – worry about them coming true…
Monday next week will be something of a landmark day. And for all sorts of reasons. Most importantly perhaps, it begins the university journey of one of my children: their first full week away from home. I am, of course, both proud and jealous! Simultaneously, our youngest has started on their journey into adulthood via … Continue reading Don’t fear dreams – worry about them coming true…
Substack: Nirvana or the Emperor’s New Clothes?
It seems lots of people are deserting WordPress for Substack, lured by the notion of creating 'newsletters' that people will pay to receive. That and knowing they'll be rubbing virtual shoulders with famous names and literary goliaths - and the fact that Substack is currently 'free'. So is it a good move? It's tempting, of … Continue reading Substack: Nirvana or the Emperor’s New Clothes?
“Galatea 2.2”
It was partly because I liked Richard Powers' "The Overstory" so much that I tried as hard as I could to get through "Galatea 2.2" - but I simply couldn't finish it, and gave up about a third of the way through. It has been a while since I last had to admit defeat like … Continue reading “Galatea 2.2”
Ian Gouge - Writer 