Tag Archives: musings
Odds & Ends: In Praise of Food
I was seven years old and auditioning to be the voice of the Russian commercial for an Italian chocolate spread. The director was desperately trying to drag more enthusiasm out of me. “Do you really, really like this chocolate spread?” … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged chocolate, cuisine, eating, food, gourmet, katherine gregor, musings, scribe doll
6 Comments
Odds & Ends: Art or a Naked Emperor?
A ten year-old Italian boy called Federico went to the Tate Modern with his mother. When he saw Damian Hirst’s formaldehyde-pickled cows, he said, “That’s cruel. Why didn’t they allow this calf to grow up and have calves of its … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged art, beauty, katherine gregor, modern art, musings, pleasure, scribe doll, truth, writing
20 Comments
Odds & Ends: London – Can’t live in it, can’t live out of it.
Ask me if I like London. No, I don’t, would be a frequent answer. Architecturally, I don’t think it’s beautiful. Not as ugly as some other places (no names mentioned) but not a city where you can walk down the … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged katherine gregor, languages, life, london, musings, scribe doll, variety, writing
15 Comments
Odds & Ends: The Generosity of Animals
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a grey wolf ran up to him. “What is the matter, Tzarevitch Ivan?” asked the wolf. “Why so downhearted?” “Grey wolf, I have lost my trusted steed.” “It is I who ate your steed… And now … Continue reading
Posted in Animals
Tagged abruzzo, animals, cats, fairy tales, fire bird, katherine gregor, musings, nature, ravens, scribe doll, swans, wolves, writings
11 Comments
Odds & Ends: A Mother-in-Law to Smash all Stereotypes
When I was getting a divorce, twelve years ago, my mother-in-law said, “I want you and I to remain friends.” I muttered some polite platitude in return. Friends with the mother of the man with whom I was engaged in … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged family, katherine gregor, life, mother-in-law, musings, relationships, scribe doll, women, writing
11 Comments
Odds & Ends: My Adventures in Twitter
Beginnings: I signed up to Twitter a few days before Christmas. It seemed like a low-maintenance way of promoting my writing electronically. As usual, I needed someone to show me. Not that the instructions were complicated – on the contrary. I … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged katherine gregor, musings, scribe doll, tweeting, twitter, writing
6 Comments
Words and Civilisation: “Laid-Back”
“Oh, don’t worry,” my friends say about someone I have yet to meet, “he’s very laid-back.” Little do they know that that is when I start worrying. Describe somebody as “laid-back” and I have an inner reaction of tension, irritability … Continue reading
Posted in Words and Civilisation
Tagged formality, informality, katherine gregor, laid-back, life, musings, punctuality, respect, rules, scribedoll
8 Comments
Pet Hates: Mean-Spirited Favours
There are favours for which you are sincerely grateful. Favours which come as rain upon the desert, or a hot salt bath when all your muscles are aching. Then there are favours which are a pain in the far South … Continue reading
Posted in Pet Hates
Tagged favours, generosity, katherine gregor, life, musings, scribedoll, thoughts
4 Comments
Pet Hates: By E-Mail
Number One: The CC option. At the risk of upsetting many of my friends and acquaintances, I simply have to voice this. Why do so many people find it so difficult to grasp the concept of the BCC option? … Continue reading
Posted in Pet Hates
Tagged e-mails, katherine gregor, life, musings, scribedoll, thoughts, writing
9 Comments
Words and Civilisation: My Friend ‘Cox’
I have just acquired a new friend or, perhaps I should say, a new incarnation of an old friend. My old one has retired to a well-earned rest, after ten years of inexhaustible patience and loyalty, his jacket a little … Continue reading
Posted in Words and Civilisation
Tagged books, culture, dictionary, english, French, inspiration, katherine gregor, larousse, life, musings, opinion, oxford english dictionary, scribedoll
2 Comments
Scribe Doll 