![]() |
A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
Review, Anyone? Isnât it funny how your best stuff never gets reviewed. That they ferret out things youâve nearly forgotten and donât think much of, ignoring your beloved babies as though theyâd been hidden in a dark corner somewhere. Or maybe itâs just that we like the latest ones, the ones that have surprised us by actually being quite good, that we havenât had time to grow familiar with and so lose respect for. I know itâs true that I love the most recent ones the most and wish that Read & Review wouldnât keep digging around in the past. And itâs also true that when someone asks what Iâd like them to review, I have to think hard, run through the old portfolio looking for something, and always end up by suggesting the latest thing because I canât think of anything I like better. Of course there isnât - Iâve only just fallen in love with it! Still, itâs weird how they always pick the duffers, the ones that would be first to go in a port clear out. Perhaps itâs true that writers are terrible judges of their own work. Word count: 188 |
Two Strings Like a soccer game, I am a creature of two halves. I was born to a mother and father of solidly working class (blue collar) stock, but grew up in a society that was uniformly middle class. As a result, I found myself in England with a foot in both camps, able to understand and speak easily with both sides of the English coin. I was even told at times that I was the ideal ambassador between the two (at the thought of which, I recoiled in horror). The really odd thing was that I was happiest when with my working class brethren. Though my upbringing had been so middle class, I loved the greater openness and straight talking of the workers. It helped that my colonial accent confused both sides and gave me easy access to their company. And now in America, my dual nature continues to assist. I love the company of those whose accents I can barely understand. Itâs music to my ears and they speak of life in terms that I recognise and sympathise with. They are even so uncomplicated that theyâll make no secret that they love my âBritishâ accent. I donât usually tell them that itâs really a terrible mixture of all sorts of accents. Iâm quite sure that people hearing and reading me would think me what the Brits call âposh.â But the fact is thatâs a veneer and my heart beats to a steadily working class rhythm. I love both lobster and sausages ân mash. So thatâs me in a nutshell. You could say that itâs no coincidence that, astrologically, Iâm a Gemini. Two for the price of one, I always say. Word count: 280 |