Tag Archives: writing
Crawling Slowly Out of the Dungeon
Work. Work. You’ve fallen behind with your work. So you work without stopping. Except for meals. You can’t taste the food, really, because you keep glancing at your watch. Time to get back to work. When you go to bed … Continue reading
On a Train from Norwich to Cambridge
The day is grey and very, very still, self-contained in drowsy introspection. But maybe it’s not sleeping at all but quietly meditating, plotting an event, contemplating crafting its next miracle. The fog is blurring the silhouette of the trees, like … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged east anglia, ely cathedral, katherine gregor, norfolk, scribedoll, writing
16 Comments
The Busker
It was a voice carried by the wind through the semi-deserted streets of a Norwich Sunday afternoon. A voice that sang not into your ear but into your heart. I started walking towards it. He was standing outside NatWest Bank, … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged folk singing, katherinegregor, music, norfolk, norwich, scribedoll, writing
16 Comments
Clocks Take a Step Back, So Take a Step Forward
It’s my favourite day of the year. I go to bed with a feeling of hopeful anticipation, after setting all the clocks in the flat back by an hour. As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to wake up to … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged autumn, british summer time, clocks, katherine gregor, scribe doll, writing
23 Comments
Homesick
Wind-swept, East of England skies. Shapeshifting clouds. Swirls of white puff that stretch into mountains, curl into castles, swell into dragons, rise into chariots, then metamorphose into angels. Skies mottled with lead-grey, steel-grey, velvet grey with undertones of purple, shades … Continue reading
Posted in Odds & Ends
Tagged east of england, homesick, katherine gregor, scribe doll, weather, writing
21 Comments
The Red Room: A Farewell
The news of the Red Room closing down reached me at a time when I especially feel the need for continuity and something solid under my feet. I am preparing for my fourth house move in eighteen months. A few … Continue reading
Pictures of Saint-Gilles
In the heart of bas Saint-Gilles, the cobbles of Le Parvis are lined on both sides with cafés, brasseries and a couple of Moroccan cake shops. Tables are put outside at the first glimmer of elusive Brussels sunshine. People sit … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged brussels, katherine gregor, saint-gilles, scribe doll, travel, writing
4 Comments
Place de Bethléem
The early evening light bathing Place de Bethléem carries flecks of sunlight. Since moving to Brussels, I’ve had to arrange my timetable according to the sun. In other words, as soon as I glimpse a rare hint of a sunbeam, … Continue reading
Posted in Travel
Tagged brussels, katherine gregor, place de bethléem, saint-gilles, scribe doll, travel, writing
10 Comments
Jazz and Three Women Carrying Water
In the Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplain, the flea market is being packed up. Small china ornaments, wood carvings, worn-in leather jackets, incomplete sets of cut-crystal glasses and frayed canvasses with oil paintings of forest clearings are wrapped in creased … Continue reading
Three Brussels Quirks and Three Delights (at least for a Londoner)
Quirk No 1: The Milk Issue “I don’t think we’ll be getting any semi-skimmed milk this week.” I stare at the sales assistant of our local Carrefour supermarket. I am suddenly propelled into a parallel universe of Surrealism where I … Continue reading
Scribe Doll 