Blown away by Beirut

Sorry. Cheap shot.

But explosiveness aptly defines both the clichéd western expectations I had of the Lebanese capital before I visited, as a war-torn outpost …

Journalism, entrepreneurialism and stories

I’ve just come out of the news:rewired conference about the future of journalism both buzzing and confused.

Why confused? Well, how many of these …

Two by two

Now here’s an idea. A socio-techno-enviro-biblical idea, which are often pretty good ones.

A rather excellent man I know vaguely from various social media shenanigans, …

Novels vs stories

I’ve always been better at achievement than pleasure.

I’m addicted to the cold, tinny peaks of accomplishment – the little deaths of things repeatedly finished, …

Introducing Bookdiva

As a writer about books (sometimes here, sometimes at the Guardian) and a would-be writer of books (it’s always going slowly; don’t bother …

Letter bombs

Sticks and stones can break our bones, but words will never hurt us? Bah. Every playground-dwelling kid in the world has shown that phrase the …

Oo oo aa aa

‘No me, no my, no self, no soul. No me, no my. No me, no my.’

The venerable Ajahn Poh, seventy-eight year old abbot of …

28

A month of thresholds: my birthday today, and five days later my ten-day silent retreat at Suan Mokkh monastery in Thailand. Birthdays always make …

Ham solo

Lunching alone is pedestrian; dining alone is pretentious; breakfasting alone in the city is a delight.

I’m amazed that more people don’t do it; not …

Im-patient

Theoretically, I’m a big fan of germs. When I was little I regularly indulged in fantasies of romantic invalidism, in the way that only equine-constituted …

Home

On the verge of heading back off to disconnected bliss in the Aegean for a couple of weeks, I’ve abruptly realised that London is …

Happiness is… writing an awful novel, very fast

Now, I know that money buys happiness, but the pursuit of bliss is starting to push me into penury. My outlay on yoga classes …

Help

I’m not a ’causes’ sort of girl. Not a gung-ho sort of ho.

I’m just not cut out for campaigning; it makes me think limply …

Bid, bid, bid

Why are the incredible violins, violas and cellos in Cheltenham Festival’s Painted Quartets exhibition so shocking?

They feel a little …

sisu

Mead-paw. Wide-brow. Cloudberry-boy. Dweller of the land.

These are the many names for karhu, the bear who embodies the forefathers of the country in Finnish …