Hi Everyone, So when did it dawn on me, after many years of moving around, having lovely homes in multiple places, that I actually have a hometown? No idea really, except over and over again, like the other Sunday morning, I count my blessings—I love my hometown. I am taken aback by the scenes Oxford […]
Hi Everyone, On my small deck overlooking the Oxford Canal between the bridges of Aristotle Lane and Walton Well Road, over the years I have added my own splash of colour: the red of geraniums, the pastel of lavenders in terracotta pots dating back to another time and place. Each year I also toss around
Along the Oxford Canal Read More »
Hi Everyone, I am on a trip down Memory Lane: Tallinn, Estonia, to be specific, where once upon a time I was married and where my son was born, more than two decades ago. If you have not had the privilege of visiting Tallinn, it is a full-blown fairy tale. It is to my knowledge
Once Upon a Time in Tallinn Read More »
Hi Everyone, At the risk of boring you, I am going to talk about gratitude, thanks giving, and yes, I know we aren’t remotely near the American (turkey & trimmings). Thanksgiving Day, which is 150 days away as I write this. Why thanks giving, an appreciation for the good at hand, rather than a blog
Change the Channel Read More »
Hi Everyone, The thing about animals? They are both predictable and unpredictable? I am not sure. Into my Swiss-watch of a home came Bertie and Enzo. The cat and dog show. How? I have almost no idea. It all happened so fast! So let’s begin at the beginning. I had to have my long-lived Presto,
Hi Everyone, The fine art of doing nothing is not part of my DNA. When I was a child, my family thought taking a holiday was a preposterous concept. Around this time of year I would watch other families in the neighbourhood pack up their car (typically a station wagon) with all sorts of inflatables,
The Fine Art of Doing Nothing Read More »
Hi Everyone, AI? Artificial intelligence? Did I just put you to sleep? I could almost put myself to sleep, except for my very real, recent AI shopping experience. Where to begin? Almost ten years ago, when fellow mums were preparing their sons for entry into senior schools, one mum was beside herself about AI, or at least her
Hi Everyone, I was recently asked to provide an essay on why I wrote my new historical novel, The Audubon Affair, for a literary prize entry. What follows is a shortened version. Yes, the manuscript is out, entered for two literary prizes and finding its way into the hands of interested agents/publishers. If you have
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Hi Everyone, As I wrote in my last blog, while Zooming with a friend some 3,450 miles away, I had an epiphany that took me back to childhood and Jane Jetson’s videophone, but a less obvious insight also crept in. As I sat, getting comfortable in front of my self-adjusting camera, I had to take
Hi Everyone, 2026! That is not the year I had in mind, not even the decade. What I had in mind was 2062, the projected year in which the Jetsons lived. Ah! Who are the Jetsons, you ask? The Jetsons, if you do not recall (and why should you?), are a cartoon Space Age family