Rainbows, rainbows, rainbows — The students cannot read. Reading is not a reliable, taken-for-granted skill. They have not cracked the code that is written English. That is why they are at this school, in this class, with me. There are six of them. The youngest is eight, and the oldest is ten. Print is…

After the feast, comes the reckoning — The first of the month is grey and blustery, the sky fast changing. By the morning it is violet grey with one wisp of pink, like a celestial breathe. Out on a walk, there’s a sense of desolation. …

With apologies to Richard III and Captain Oates — Sometimes life’s most important considerations sharpen, become clear and unequivocal. Usually, they are times of adversity. Last week, the fridge broke—a mild inconvenience in winter when the icebox-garage easily becomes an ersatz cooler. But Sunday it was the boiler. Compared to boilers, fridges are pretentious things, mere fripperies. In fact…

And other writing fundamentals — I enjoy reading GE McKerrihan and Rodrigo S-C, both passionate and seasoned photographers. I love seeing the world through their lens. …

An anachronism? — Poor Justin Donlan. He wrote an article about ink pens and showed a photo of his penmanship and all I could do was exclaim at his handwriting which consisted entirely of print. My God, I thought, the work involved lifting the pen on and off the page as each new…

Stronger than religion — Many years ago, I left London for a two-week trip to Boston, Massachusetts, in order to secure my American lover. I fretted and worried about my trip. Would my lover still love me? Would he even still like me? What should I take to wear? ‘Don’t worry about HIM,’ my…

Deep in the tunnel — December is the month of darkness, the days constricted by late sunrise and early sunset; we are in the depths of the tunnel. Considering how far north London is (51°30′N), farther north than Calgary, it’s a wonder we don’t get colder. …

And other festive gifts — He was conscious of a thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares long, long forgotten! A Christmas Carol I cracked my head on a plastic peanut tray today. There’s a lot of them whizzing around in the festive…

Peace, quiet and constraint — When I was young and sensitive — the perfect time to suffer — I watched a TV drama. I do not remember its name, or the characters, or the actors. I remember only one scene. A young woman is kidnapped, drugged and placed in a coffin and buried. When she…