Inspired by Artwork by Mona Hatoum, in particular Quarters and Remains (play space)

I’ve been reading a lot lately. And by a lot i mean almost a book every two days (well there isn’t much else to do at the moment is there?) However nothing has really inspired me to write a review. Not until I read The Silent Patient that is. Suddenly my word rate had doubled and my heart rate with it., I sawed through this book in a matter of hours and finished breathless, exhilarated and strangely empty inside.

A day of wandering around in the sun

Part 5 in the ongoing saga of a man with little sense attempting romance in Rome

“…and then, I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?”

I lost my camera, but the good news is I found it again. Also who goes to a Central London Pub on a horse and cart?

Most books you think are good have a good story. A natural and kind progression, something that the reader can be sympathetic, and something they enjoy. Most books that are considered an ‘enjoyable read’ will couple emotive and exciting writing with good story and make the reader happy to be reading that book. This book is a notable exception: it was very good but it absolutely did not make me happy.

Well how best to round off two weeks of outdoors adventure? Why, with a mini city break of course! The perfect way to ease ourselves back into the hectic London lifestyle after our fresh air overload. Portugal offers several exciting cities, however given that we had already been to Lisbon this year; Porto was clearly the obvious choice.

The fantastic thing about a three part trip is that it feels like three separate holidays, after two and a bit weeks away I’ve felt like I’ve managed to squeeze in a whole years worth of travel. Three places, three very different experiences have become stand-alone events in my mind that I remember as distinctly as though they were years apart.

Yet again, here I sit, back in London, a nice olive glow warming my skin as I tap away at my work computer and serving as a healthy reminder f the excitement I’ve had over the past few weeks. Strangely it doesn’t feel so bad being back, having experienced what I did during what was one of the better holidays of my life.

What I thought would be a short and sweet fable here from Paulo Coelho, suggested to me for my monthly Book club, has actually hit rather closer to home than I expected. So much so in fact that after reading it once in less than a day, I read it again the day after, I then purchased the audiobook so that I could have Jeremy Irons growl it to me for another go over on my way into work.

I looked in wonder at the room.

Another month another book. That’s what I though at least when I first picked up ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’. Little did I know that what I had actually picked up was not another book, no, this was in fact 500 pages of sheer edge of my seat, heart in my mouth, sweat on my brow mindfuckery.

A new creative writing work as I get over my block on my previous one.

On Sunday night, a little hungover, a little groggy, I had the pleasure of being invited to see Professor Brian Cox giving a talk about the Universe. What I initially thought was going to be a lecture in a small hall turned out to be something rather more than that.