During my first year as a student at the University of Kent, between October 1970 and June 1971, I lived in room E1 S4 of Eliot College. Why ‘E1 S4’? You may well ask. Simple really: it was room number 4 in the south corridor on the first (ground) floor of the east block of the…
“If you could get all the nutrition you needed in a day with a pill – no worrying about what to eat, no food preparation – would you do it?” Taking the superficially easy option without due regard to the longer-term implications is a bit like peeing yourself. It feels okay for about five seconds, but after…
“When faced with confrontation do you head for the hills or walk straight in? Was there ever a time you wished you’d had the opposite reaction?” This is only tangentially about confrontation (it’s only a prompt,though, isn’t it?), but today I’m going to tell you about the time I heckled Led Zeppelin. Bet that got your…
“Tell us your story: Tell us about a journey – whether a physical trip you took, or an emotional one.” Oh, WordPress. You and your ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’. You see, you had me up to ‘or’, but now you’re just going to get a rant. You have been warned. But first, a small confession.…
“What will the next must-have technological innovation be?” Recently I saw something on Twitter that gives an interesting insight into perceptions of technological process. It’s pretty self-explanatory, albeit a little depressing: On this basis, I’m fine with TV (as long as it’s in black and white and the set, which is the size of a small car, takes ten…
“…a magic potion…will make one of your senses…super sharp, but dull the others. Will you sip it and, if so, what sense do you choose?” Happily, most of my senses still function fairly well. Indeed, the only exception is my sight, which ain’t what it used to be, as I now need varifocals to do…
“The interview: Interview your favourite fictional character.” When I first saw this latest of WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ looming on the horizon, I must say that it sounded quite interesting. After all, in the sixty-odd summers that I’ve been shuffling around this mortal coil, I’ve read a fair number of works of fiction and…
“Morphing. Language evolves. The meaning of a word can shift over time as we use it differently….” This latest of WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ goes on to invite me to give a common word a new meaning, explain it and use it in the title of the post. This is a temptation to…
“Your time to shine: Early bird, or night owl?” There’s a lot to be said for mornings. Nothing’s gone wrong yet and there’s not so many people about, which means less misanthropic scowling to be done. Certainly, I’ve always thought of myself as much more of a morning person than a night owl. Or at least…
“Earworm: What song is stuck in your head..these days? Why does it speak to you?” The latest instalment of ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ provides a handy excuse for another in my occasional ‘Dawn Chorus’ posts. This is turning out to be a rather eclectic series, because following on from the improbable ‘Lambeth Walk’ and…
the only deadhead in the hameau 