Category Archives: Uncategorized
My Citrine Quartz Ring
My friend F. gave me a ring two summers ago. Even elegant Autumn stomped in this year, perhaps sensing that subtlety was wasted on us. The bay tree on our balcony is waterlogged, the French windows are streaked with rain, … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends, Uncategorized
Tagged Citrine, friendship, katherine gregor, rome, scribe doll, writing
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Twenty-Five-Hour Day
I’ve written about this before. After Christmas Eve, this is my favourite day of the year. I look forward to it for weeks and, the night before, I go to sleep cradled by the joy of genuine hope and anticipation, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged british summer time, clocks go back, katherine gregor, scribe doll
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A Red Hair Drier
I threw away a hair drier last week. It had been lying around for weeks while I tried to find someone to fix it. The prospect of throwing it away made me sad. I haven’t used a hair drier for … Continue reading
Feriae Augusti
Yesterday morning, when I opened the windows my skin suddenly felt taut. It was like a slap. There was a a chill in the wind. The sky was a pale, drab grey. My heart sank. It’s only the middle of … Continue reading
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R. R. R.
Different ways of speech communication is one of my earliest memories. The fact that, at home, my mother and grandmother speak one way, and friends, neighbours and people in the street another. Then there’s the way my mother speaks to … Continue reading
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Tagged katherine gregor, languages, pronunciation, scribedoll, Speech
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In Praise of Tricksters
I feel tears pooling my eyes before he even utters his final lines: Ditemi voi signori se i quattrini di Buoso potevan finire meglio di così. Per questa bizzarria m’han cacciato all’inferno, e così sia. Ma con licenza del grande … Continue reading
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Important – Please Read – EU GDPR
My Dear Readers, As you may already know, in order to comply with the new European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), effective from 25 May 2018, I must have a privacy policy for this website. As far as my … Continue reading
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Renters or Second-Class Citizens
The phone rings. It’s the letting agents. “This is a courtesy call to let you know that the landlord wants to sell your flat and this is your two months’ notice.” The words hang over your head, making the air … Continue reading
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Christmas Eve
“Once in Royal David’s City Stood a lowly cattle shed”. I hold my breath. I always find myself holding my breath for the minute or so between the BBC Radio 4 announcer’s voice falling silent and the chorister getting to … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends, Uncategorized
Tagged christmas, katherine gregor, king's college choir, scribe doll
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Brexit – The Hairline Fracture*
H. and I have just come back from a two-week holiday in Rome. We left Great Britain, we left the United Kingdom, and have come back to Little England, with everything this implies. For the first week after the Referendum, … Continue reading
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