"Underneath the orange trees I sit, in the grounds of the biblioteca. Shielded from the midday sun, by the branches of the trees—branches teeming with fruit. Bunches of three or four, clustered together, their bright orange peel mottled brown like the skin of a leopard. No way these oranges would …
Essays & Non-fiction
The Wedding Speech
So, my old buddy Ben got hitched. Yep. He and Tahlia finally tied the knot, down in "sunny" Cornwall. It was beautiful, despite the rain. Best man's duties fell to Jake (Ben's bru), who is also one of my dearest friends, so I wasn’t at all miffed at missing out on that job. Besides, I really don’t …
The Purple Crisp
Greetings... It has been a while, eh? Yeah, well, I been busy. Weddings, marathons, general elections (all as an attendee and/or viewer, rather than a participant, I should add). Mostly, though, I’ve been learning about gutter opera, with D. Foy. The whole experience has been fantastic, a lot …
Teaching Writing, Part One
For the past three weeks, I’ve been going to a small primary school just outside Bedford and helping one of the teachers with a group of boys who want to improve their writing. It takes me about forty minutes to drive there, and I’m only with them for a couple of hours, one morning a week, but even …
That Time I Met Kory Clarke
November 1st 2012. The day after Hallowe’en. I’m on my way to the Sala Razzmatazz—a gig venue located near the Poblenou district of Barcelona. The streets round here are big and wide and completely deserted. With the clocks going back last weekend, it’s already dark, and in spite of the ample …