Nothing reduces my capacity for good vibes like this sign. As soon as I see one, I become full of bad vibes - jaw-tightening, fist-clenching, muttering "Grrrr" bad vibes. The reason for this reaction? That final word, “only”. Good Vibes – just those two words – is an encouragement, an offer, a promise. “Come in… Continue reading Good Vibes Only
Category: Observation
Random thoughts from August
For once, the arrival of August has not put me in a panic. Maybe it’s because it has been hot - so hard to be anxious in the heat. Maybe there has been enough other stuff going on that I don’t have time to think about time passing. Although (in the northern hemisphere at least)… Continue reading Random thoughts from August
Eggplant-Aubergine
Some years ago I was learning Portuguese in anticipation of a holiday to Madeira. I was using an app based system where you repeat and write phrases. Husband had been in the room with me most of the time while I was repeating sentences like Their elephant orders a beer or The sauce has no… Continue reading Eggplant-Aubergine
MMD
Make Mondays different. As slogans go it’s not great. I mean, I don’t think anyone is going to put it on a cap and use it as a cornerstone for a political campaign. And it’s not like I’m doing anything too radical like… only wearing white, or only eating cornflakes, or only speaking French. (You… Continue reading MMD
Is anybody still there?
It’s sad, but WordPress seems to be dying. I log on now and fewer and fewer of the blogs I used to follow are being updated. It is starting to feel like an echo chamber. (I don’t know what an echo chamber actually is, but I imagine it’s somewhere empty where any sound reverberates off… Continue reading Is anybody still there?
The Flick of the Dragon’s tail
I’m exhausted. Not just because it’s January, possibly the most depressing month of the year in the northern hemisphere. Not just because at this point it feels like it has been cold and grey for approximately 6.5 years. Not just because unlike everyone else (it seems) I didn’t take any leave over Christmas/New Year. Yes,… Continue reading The Flick of the Dragon’s tail
Me and Junio
(10 points to anyone who mentally added ‘down by the schoolyard’ to that title) I saw in the news this month that the woman who inspired the cover of Duran Duran’s Rio album has been identified. You can tell from the photograph and the distinct shape of her smile that it’s the same woman whose… Continue reading Me and Junio
A miscellany
The thing I didn’t raise with the doctor. I had an ECG test done a few months ago and the results came back indicating I was dead. OK, not quite dead, but the heart rate recorded by the machine was not strong enough to give a proper review of the state of my heart. Annoyingly,… Continue reading A miscellany
Performative displays of emotion
Today is the second anniversary of my mother‘s death. It’s not a date that’s etched in my memory. I had to go back and look at a calendar of May 2022 because I know it happened on a Monday; and then I had to crosscheck that with old WhatsApp messages to friends. Is it weird… Continue reading Performative displays of emotion
The artichoke, the exhibition and the missing files
My first thought was, “Someone has built a new shed on the allotment.” But they haven’t built a new shed. I just noticed it on my way to work as if I were seeing it for the first time. Maybe I just noticed it because it’s spring and the sun is shining and the gap… Continue reading The artichoke, the exhibition and the missing files
Tales from Tobhamhor 