Once again it is that time of the week when I am able to sit down in peace and quiet, with no fear of being interrupted by outside forces, and put thoughts and inspirations to paper. It is a time I greatly enjoy, one which I look forward to throughout the week, no matter what…

Every single day I begin with a new sheet of paper; whatever was thought or written yesterday is left behind me and the dawn brings new ideas. This is not meant metaphorically: each day I begin a new page in my diary, which I have been writing on and off since the end of the…

It seems to me that  have only really written about one of my hobbies – or pastimes – so far, and probably a little more than some people might be used to. You will undoubtedly have noticed that, once I begin on a subject, I tend to work my way through and around it, with…

I am torn between two things: enjoying the fresh, bitingly cold air outside by taking a walk through the town and alongside the river, or revelling in the pleasures of figuratively putting pen to paper and writing a letter before continuing to read a book. My neighbour’s new pond, which takes up the hulk of…

How on earth do you begin a first letter to someone you don’t know, of roughly the same age as you but living in a completely different world – socially and culturally – who notices the trivial things in life such as tinned natural-grown vegetables? Wisdom and triviality are both wonderful subjects for a complete…

It is late afternoon, the invisible sun is probably about to disappear below the horizon, and the powdered snow which had covered the streets when I awoke this morning has long since vanished. My cat has settled himself on the couch next to me, his back in my direction as usual, having been petted and…

It is intriguing to find someone who claims to have a hard time socialising through social media, although claims is perhaps the wrong word and should be substituted by admits. To be honest, I believe there are thousands of people who cannot build up a real social life, find real friends and companions, through the…

Some people don’t realise this, but letter writing, when done properly, is a challenge. It’s not just a case of sitting down with a sheet of paper, a pen and an envelope and writing the first things which come to mind – unless you happen to be writing to Aunt Edna to thank her for…

I have come to the conclusion that this year, and possibly the three following it, is going to be a positive goldmine for anyone with an interest in current affairs, in politics and society and especially the relationships which are already in existence and which must be renegotiated between the United Kingdom, as a whole…

Although I did suggest it in my last letter to you, you will doubtlessly be pleased to read that I am not going to plague you with a criticism, or even a mass of quotations, from the works of Marcel Proust. I might work him in to the conversation now and then, assuming that it…