Journal

Once upon a time, I was at university. That splendid place where adult responsibilities are delightfully postponed: nights spent in general debauchery, days buried in amongst dusty tomes, untangling extraordinary essay titles which made no sense until, in writing, suddenly they did. In those four years, the most phenomenal quantity of words piled up. Essays…

On the importance of continuing to forge the path forward, even if sometimes the steps aren’t too clear. The importance of baby steps, and trying, and keeping on keeping on. Keep Going Creature of a higher spherethe muse whispers sweetly in my ear‘Keep going’, she says, ‘you’re onto something’Calmed and soothed, I let her sing:…

My desk was clear. Something started to happen. But it was not what I had planned. That first draft of my second book, that I ‘completed’ back in July? Turns out I had committed an enormous, faintly ridiculous, rookie error. When Will, my book designer, mocked up the book, either the characters were lodged right…

When in doubt, tidy up (Brian Eno) We had come to the end of the summer ‘holidays’. Finally, it was my favourite month of the year: September. Back to school (for the children). Back to School (for me). The hazy heat of summer moved over, replaced by that familiar fresh tang September air always brings,…

I must stop doing this. I must stop reading books which are likely to jazz me up before bedtime. I know this is not a sensible part of good sleep hygiene (something I’ve taken fairly seriously since the diabolical sleep deprivation caused by my two darling boys). So if you’ve got any good recommends for…

Two weeks ago, I was busy showing my (very talented artist and mentor) friend Shazia my nascent sketchbook scratchings. She gently nudged me in the right direction, and then proceeded to drop this epic piece of homework: My instant reaction: resistance. My word, but that’s a lot of sketchbooks. But, I know she is right.…

Back in summer, when Lockdown 1.0 was about to lift, and we’d done…what was it in the end…? 15 weeks with the family? Homeschooling, eating all our meals at home, all of us under one roof, all the time, with no breaks. I did not take for granted how lucky we were to be safe,…

Years ago, when I was about 6 or 7 and my family and I lived in Texas, my mum took a friend and me to the well-known ice cream chain called ‘Baskin Robbins’. Famous for having 31 flavours, it has rows upon rows of brightly coloured ice creams to choose from. The tale in my…

About ten weeks ago, I was what my husband and I refer to as ‘a bit stucky’. You know what I mean: Lacking in energy, motivation, direction. Not feeling like I’m making inroads into the things I say I want to do. Searching for inspiration. I was needing a guiding force. For the third time…

I’ve just been reading a book in bed, supposedly trying to get to sleep early in case my two year old wakes at 4.20am again, like he did this morning. Of course I’ve haven’t sensibly picked up a tome guaranteed to be snore-worthy (see my husband’s bedside reads) but instead something which is likely to…