Having been out of action for a few weeks, I’ve had plenty of time to look around me at my home. The one we bought and did up twenty years ago, but haven’t really done much with since. It’s not exactly bold and beautiful. A lot has changed in the last twenty years. I worked, […]
We’re Busy Doing Nothing
Many of my friends are marooned at home, busy doing nothing. For them the world has ended, but for me nothing much has changed. I’m busy writing and publishing short stories. And submitting them to magazines (my Ellery Queen story will be out in a week or so). Researching and writing another non-fiction book. Planning […]
New! Short Story Sunday
I’ve started a new thing I’m calling Short Story Sunday. I’m releasing some of my older stories to celebrate my upcoming Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine debut. I’m a little bit nervous, and a little bit excited, and a little bit stressed, and a little bit proud. Because it marks a new phase in my writing […]
Stress Free Virtual Dinner Party
It’s hard to stay connected in lock-down. You can’t meet in person, but you can get online and host a Virtual Dinner Party. No, it’s not the same, but it’s better than nothing. And as the important thing is to be together, and because most communications suppliers (e.g. Zoom or Skype) limit free plans to […]
Dances of Death
Don’t know about you, but I’ve been preoccupied with death. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise to you, I’ve written about death and momento mori before. The lists of Covid-19 infections, deaths and recoveries make grim, yet compulsive viewing as I grapple with the scale of it. And when you add the scams on top, […]
Stress Free Medieval Dinner Party
Turns out to have been a really long time since I wrote a Dinner Party, and for a while there I was really stuck on what to do, but then I watched The King and now I’m doing a Medieval Dinner Party. Though I suppose more technically it should be called a Banquet. Food We […]
Alice ‘mid the Starships
“Normal” people get caught in social media quagmires, but I run down a different kind of internet rabbit hole. When I first saw this image I was intrigued because it’s a Victorian glass lantern slide titled ” Oh there, ‘mid the starships, Alice, I know a”. And I was really curious about the starships. The […]
Stress Free London Blitz Dinner Party
Just recently I’ve read (and written) a few stories about World War II London. I’m inspired to write a Stress Free London Blitz Dinner Party. Food shortages not withstanding, it’s easier than you think. Food Yes there were food shortages, and rationing – mainly meat, tea, dairy, sugar and manufactured sweets. Fresh vegetables were hard […]
Stress Free Bushfire Dinner Party
This Stress Free Bushfire Dinner Party is a bit of a cheat because if you’re having a Dinner Party and a bushfire breaks out, it’s time to abandon the party and activate your bushfire plan! Having said that, I was inspired by local tv coverage of a cafe madly making lunches for the volunteer firefighters […]
Stress Free K-Drama Dinner Party
Still binging on K-drama, but wanting a Stress Free K-Drama Dinner Party to share some of the food I’m seeing. I’d especially like to try Haejang-guk (Hangover Soup), but that’s not a dinner thing. I’ve tried Jajangmyeon (Noodles in Black Bean Sauce) (yum!) but that’s more of a lunch thing. And I’ve had Tteokbokki (Spicy Stir-fried Rice Cakes), though they’re more […]
Stress Free Steampunk Dinner Party
I’m laughing a little, because this Stress Free Steampunk Dinner Party, is an almost but not quite Stress Free Victorian Dinner Party, because Steampunk is a futuristic science fiction genre powered by Victorian steam technology. Food I’ve selected dishes from a menu given in Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management: Dinner for six persons (September) I. […]
Stress Free Dinner Party When You’re Not Hungry
While a Stress Free Dinner Party when you’re not hungry seems like a contradiction, it does sometimes happen that for one reason or another you lose your appetite. I find that when I’m not hungry, small snacks are easier to face than big meals, so for that reason, we’re going to use the principles of Nouvelle […]