The last time I saw Warren—or Norm, as he was widely and affectionately known—he was standing in the middle of the road by Deanshanger roundabout with a big grin on his face. An enormous HGV was in the process of towing his car out of the bushes after he’d taken the roundabout a little too fast and …
Essays & Non-fiction
My Five Fave Food Places in Barcelona
Food is awesome, and I try to eat as much of it as possible, every day. Barcelona has some great places to do this—though it must be said, my diet is mostly comprised of the eight or nine varieties of Rana brand ravioli (as my friend Alejandro says, “You can’t go wrong with Rana!”). This should give …
Sounds of the Old Town
The seasons are changing. The sycamores along Passeig de Picasso are shedding their seeds, the temperature is dropping—particularly at night—and, slowly but surely, the number of tourists wandering the streets is finally dwindling. Ironically—or perhaps serendipitously—these changes arrive at a time …
Dear Writing…
Dear Writing, Don’t take this wrong, but... well... sometimes I really hate you. For a start, you force me to get me up, every morning—way earlier than anyone in their right mind would want to get up—sniff through the pile of clothes by my bed, get dressed and walk to a nearby café, where I’ll …
The Thrill of Creative Effort
Tourist season in Barcelona brings with it an abundance of slogan-bearing t-shirts at which to stare as you stroll down La Rambla. The majority of these messages are banal at best, but you’ll always see a few that are truly baffling for their complete lack of logic. I’m not just talking about the …