And announcing my flouncing — After all, no one ever just quietly leaves, do they? …

You don’t have to eat, sleep and breathe writing — I read an article the other day in which the author opined that if people really cared about writing, they would “stop making excuses” to not write, like “having a job” or “being busy with children”. I mean wow, right? I don’t have kids, but keeping a whole other human…

For one fortunate feline, it was bread, tripe and mashed potato — Have you ever wondered what cats ate before the invention of mass-produced kibble and pouches of wet food? Eva the Cat is a big fan of Sheba’s poultry selection in gravy, but if she’d been born in 1815 instead of 2015, the dinner menu would have looked a little bit…

You probably didn’t care either, but that’s a different matter — Surprise! It’s another self-indulgent post. I’ve seen the writing prompt “10 things you didn’t know about me” posted a few times, most notably posted by The Sober Vegan Yogi. There’s nothing I love more than flinging myself at a bandwagon that’s half a mile down the road already except for…

Forget your slow-roasted beans, gimme those granules — It’s fair to say I’m not a coffee snob. I love it, or at least am dependent on it, and start each day with a mug of it. I don’t have a coffee maker though — mine is a heady concoction of own-brand supermarket granules and boiling water from the…

Nothing is less likely to make me smile than a man telling me to — I’m probably going to upset a few men with this. That’s fine; it upsets me when I get harassed for going outside, so we can call it even. Women do not owe men: A smile I don’t know why this is so controversial, but there is nothing that gets some men riled…

The advice you have read is all wrong — If you’ve ever read any writing advice, you’ve heard how important it is to be ‘authentic’ in your writing. That readers will like your work so much more if you’re true to yourself. Yeah, that’s a big fat lie. Let me explain: people love authenticity as long as they agree…

He could pull off a hat better than most humans — For Biscuit: 2005–2020 When I first met Biscuit, he was 13 years old. My friend had adopted him and his sister Petal a few months earlier and needed a catsitter. I was a bit nervous: although I’ve known cats who lived to 20, 13 is still a senior citizen. What if he got…

Before asking why, consider asking “if” — I see this question asked a lot and it has me shaking my head as often, the simplest explanation is the correct one. In this case, that explanation would be that it is markedly difficult to annul a marriage that never existed. Rumours still persist though about some mysterious secret…