Tracing one’s ancestry has become quite the thing in recent years. I first started looking into mine more than twenty years ago while I was, in acting terms, ‘resting’. Or, to put it another way, unemployed. Back then, genealogy was a labour-intensive process that involved ploughing through fat, leather-bound registers of births, marriages and deaths…
Day 3 of ‘Bloganuary’: still sticking to it. Write about the last time you left your comfort zone Believe me, I know exactly when I was last out of my comfort zone. I am pleased to report that I spend the vast majority of my life firmly entrenched inside my comfort zone, for three excellent…
It’s one of those days today – a glorious morn when the designated theme from ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ actually throws up something that stirs a response. “The Stat Connection. Go to your Stats page and check your top 3-5 posts. Why do you think they’ve been successful? Find the connection between them and…
“I don’t suffer from stress…..but I am a carrier” My favourite joke, from one oif my favourite comedians, Steven Wright. And like all the best jokes, there’s probably a grain of truth in it. – – – ooOoo – – – If you’re wondering what any of this has to do with multi-tasking, today’s instalmemt…
Is it me* or is WordPress getting a bit personal, not to say voyeuristic, with this latest instalment of ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’: “Feed your senses. Write down the first sight, sound, smell and sensation you experienced on waking up today. Pick the one you’re most drawn to and write. (For a bigger challenge,…
As one possessed of what is disparagingly known as a ‘gill bladder’ – which is to say that my powers of retention are somewhat below average – I have extensive direct experience of public conveniences all over the world, and during my many passing (sic) visits I have come across encountered some well-known faces. I…
[WordPress’ ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ wants ‘the satisfaction of a list’ today. So here’s one – and it’s about music, for a change] Most songs are ‘covered’, in the sense that they are performed by someone other than the writer/composer themselves. Some songs are so popular that they get to be covered by many…
Whoever put together the WordPress ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’ was getting positively frisky by this stage: “Turn, turn, turn. For many of us, winter is blossoming into spring…which season do you most look forward to?” Here in France, the four seasons are quite distinctive, which I suppose makes a pleasant change after our ten…
‘Social Media’. Harrumph. Why am I even talking about this? Because WordPress ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts wants to know, that’s why: “The social network. Do you feel like you ‘get’ social media, or do you just use it because that’s where all your friends and family are?” Should you happen to be a WordPress…
Pets? You ask me about pets? Well, WordPress does, in today’s instalmemt of ‘365 Days of Writing Prompts’: “Menagerie. Do you have animals in your life? If yes, what do they mean to you. If no, why have you opted not to?” Are there animals in my life? Living, as we do, in the depths…
the only deadhead in the hameau 