I loved the first couple of series of The Crown – all those stories which formed the backdrop to my youth brought to dramatic life. I only fell out of love when Olivia Colman (much though I admire her) took over as the Queen. However this hasn’t stopped me from following the furore raging around … Continue reading Truth, Conjecture and ‘The Crown’
October as most of you know is the season of literature festivals and this year is no exception, even if most of them are a bit different. Sometimes that’s an advantage: I’ve looked in on a couple of live-streamed events from Cheltenham which I most probably wouldn’t have attended in normal circumstances. Staying in is … Continue reading Literature festivals – now available anywhere and everywhere.
Last Monday my U3A writing group (who have grappled gamely with Zoom and capricious email to turn in some really great work this year) had three short stories to consider and they made me think of the importance of openings. The group are all very aware of the pitfalls of working out where a story … Continue reading Story Openings: not where to begin but how
Lockdown. Is it over? Almost over? Most would have us think so, but I know it’s nothing like the end, and although I can accept there is something called the ‘new normal’ I have no appetite for it and is it really normal? As someone comments in today’s paper, after all the fanfare of easing … Continue reading Intermission: COVID and the new normal
So what did you do during lockdown? Made sourdough? Learned a language? Maybe after a couple of weeks and having done none of those things (don’t mention the sewing) I was feeling underemployed, because on an impulse I signed up to a project to learn and sing the whole of the Messiah by the end … Continue reading Handel’s Messiah, not just for Christmas! @messiahathome
