And +1 Makes Five

As I alluded to in my previous post (however short compared to my usual sporadic ramblings here), I didn't manage to post before I gave birth. In fact, I didn't manage to do a whole host of things because I, technically, started latent labour at 38 weeks and 5 days, eventually giving birth at our …

Winter Reflections

I don't mind not blogging much, but when I have a half-written post that I ought to have finished a month ago, it is rather annoying. So here's my amendment of a delayed post and a look back on these past couple of months. (If you follow me on Instagram, you would've seen I shared …

The Amateur Runner’s Guide To Coronavirus

You need to exercise but your gym is closed. Walking only does so much and working from home means you can’t explore far in your lunch break. You can’t stop thinking about the chocolate in the cupboard. You might eat the world soon because eating is joy incomparable. Whatever the reason, you want to start …

NEW: For Alexander (Henry Sterling Grieves)

In these tough times, I've managed at least to work on my craft a bit more. Some of it, however, is of course staring out of the window, trying to tie together the character motivations and backgrounds and . The usual writer stuff. Out of that comes some sunshine. In this case, it's wondering about …

Made it Through the Dark

To think that it was only a couple of weeks ago that I posted another photo from this same location on Acomb's Hobmoor in near-darkness. I've been walking this same route once a week for the past seven months and it hit me this week: I remember when I walked this in the heat of …

Badger Moming

This time last year I must've been submitting my last piece of professional writing I’ve done – a short story of the name SHE, STARK – to the editors of the University College London Publisher’s Prize. With such prestige, I hardly expected to get in, but my piece made it through to the longlist of …

Merry Christmas

Another year, another Christmas message. Well, I hope you all have had a good day this Christmas 2018 and that have a good New Year. Let's see what the following year has in store - I hope it's something good for you. As per my last post - no resolutions apart from the usual ones …

Guestposting Away

My friend Craig Hallam invited me to guestpost on his blog in, oh, July it must have been, and with everything that went on for me in the months of July and August - my anniversary and graduation, The Lincoln Asylum and Reading Swing Exchange - then working a bunch of overtime towards the end …

Remembering the Lost

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day and I want to respect that here, knowing so many people who've suffered the hardship and pain and indescribable nature of losing a child, however far into gestation, not least my precious Godson's siblings. From my Instagram: I don't pretend to have any knowledge beyond the facts …

Escaping Titanic

It's unassuming from the outside, but so are most escape room locations. Shrouded in mystery in the middle of Southampton - even more so with a growing rain pelting The Husband and I - Houdini's Escape Rooms are anything but unassuming. After stopping off at my mother's, we manoeuvre the trains to get to Southampton …