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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Send in the clowns
A while I wrote something about clown collars for Metro magazine, but a month later Metro folded. I thought I’d post this here anyway – something from the Before times. I remember being a bit nervous about this piece because … Continue reading
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Rehashing (ii)
It’s a strange feeling to revisit some of my old Canvas columns. Last week I was trying to write a short piece for Essential Services, a new magazine by former Metro editor Henry Oliver, about writing a column and why … Continue reading
Posted in bicycles, Change, Uncategorized
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Rehashing
I had a thought that I might revisit (well, rehash), every week or so, a column from my old(ish) Canvas column. This one is from October last year. I had just been to a writers’ festival. Looking back on some … Continue reading
Posted in books, Uncategorized
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Excitements
I was eating an apple when I got self-conscious. The student on work experience sitting at the table nearby would be able to hear my crunching and was probably bothered by it. But I also thought how freeing it would … Continue reading
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Eleven
I was cleaning up my desktop while avoiding writing my column, and I came across this old photo of Jerry. It’s him at the vet’s in July 2014 after he’d been hit by a car. Not pictured is his big … Continue reading
The haircut
My childhood sweetheart rang. We hadn’t spoken in twenty-five years. He said, ‘Also, I am seeing somebody else now.’ He’d wanted to tell me earlier, but hadn’t been able to come out with it. My body started to tremble. I … Continue reading
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The fastest route
I was riding my bike to the train station. With me was a large dog that was very old and sick. I was carrying it in a large white sling. Behind us in a trailer were all the things we … Continue reading
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New Year’s Eve Paragraphs
A couple of years ago a friend asked me, ‘Are you someone who is easily contented?’ I don’t know why I’ve always remembered that question. We were sitting in a bar next to a window and the sun was shining … Continue reading
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Petition
I was reading the weekend newspaper when I came across a story about a prolific writer who had started a petition. Tens of thousands of people had already signed, even though the petition had only started the day before. The … Continue reading
Special time
It’s that special time of the year when people are asking themselves what to do about the social media accounts they’ve deactivated for the holidays. ‘Should I go back,’ they’re asking, ‘and if so when? Should it be soon or … Continue reading
Posted in Social media, Uncategorized
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