Reading the newspaper

‘That abominable and sensual act called reading the newspaper,’ wrote Proust, ‘thanks to which all the misfortunes and cataclysms in the universe over the last twenty-four hours, the battles which cost the lives of fifty thousand men, the murders, the strikes, the bankruptcies, the fires, the poisonings, the suicides, the divorces, the cruel emotions of [...]

Masochism

I see myself now, coolly imagined, a cat coiled in a corner with waving tail and wary eyes- all ready to spring at the mailman when he comes round- WHERE IS MY EX LIBRIS!!!! I wants it. My precious!
Oooh sorry about the mixed metaphors one can’t help it in such a state of anxiety.
I am [...]

Pruning

Back in my pinafored days, my primary school teachers decided that allowing each class a small gardening trough outside our classrooms might cultivate in us, through the tending of plants, nurturing natures of our own. Shy, curious and rather prone to obsessions and personal projects even back then, I took to caring for the small [...]

The Element of Lavishness

I’m afraid that the words here of late have not been my own. However, eager victims of the sweet, sharp blade of perfect syntax rejoice! For more perfect prose has been discovered! This time in the form of a compilation of letters, from Sylvia Townsend Warner to William Maxwell, a volume called “The Element of [...]