Throughout the month of November, I shall be setting out to do one of the things that would have been near the top of my Things To Do Before I’m 30 list, if I had such a list, which I don’t. From November 1st-30th, I’m going to be writing a novel. In its entirety. In [...]
Filed under: advice, blogging, books, inspiration, novel, writing | 14 Comments »
I went to the Russian market today, in search of some cheap winter clothing. It was foolish of me to leave home with only summer clothes simply because of the fact that it was nearly summer then and warm clothes were (a) unnecessary and (b) too bulky to pack. I can’t fathom why it didn’t [...]
Filed under: cold, Estonia, hats, sheer silliness, shopping | 6 Comments »
I’m terrible at keeping a photographic account of my travels, to the annoyance of friends who keep requesting pictures. Dutifully, I’ve snapped as many shots as I could remember to of famous landmarks, impresssive buildings, cute little cobbled streets and so on, but it seems like a chore to me. I’m not a natural photographer, [...]
Filed under: graffiti, humour, photos, travel, weird | 1 Comment »
In Tallinn, as in most European cities that I’ve visited, public transport fares are paid using an honour system – that is to say, you buy your book of tickets at a kiosk and then it’s up to you to be honest and stamp one of them once you’re on board. I always do this, [...]
Filed under: airport, bus, confusion, Estonia, Fear, foreign languages, trams, travel, uncertainty, worry | 3 Comments »
It is Friday night, the dinner is simmering on the hob, and I’ve just poured myself a nice drink and put my feet up. For probably the first time since… hmm… April, I’ve just had something that very much resembled a working week. This was inspired by the cash machine’s recent (and rather impolite) refusal [...]
Filed under: blogging, happy, weekend, work, writing | 2 Comments »
It’s amazing what you can learn in the course of a day’s work. I’m in the middle of writing a series of articles about tourist attractions in Australia, and I have to say I’m very much enjoying it. Not least because I’ve only just discovered, to my genuine surprise, that the Tasmanian Devil is actually [...]
Filed under: Australia, Big Things, culture, strange, Tasmanian Devil, tourists, travel, work, writing | 1 Comment »
Having decided to stay in Tallinn for a while, and quite content with the flat-sharing-with-Riho set-up, I’ve been looking on in fascination as he trawls through estate agent pages in search of a cheaper apartment for us to rent. I am famously clueless at this sort of thing. I will never be able to forget [...]
Filed under: apartments, changes, conversations, decisions, Estonia, strange | 5 Comments »
My birthday treat this year was a guided tour around Tallinn Old Town, including the secret underground tunnels and passages. Yay! I got to picture the Old Town as it was all those years ago, and hear stories that made it come to life in my head. I was also delighted when, as we were [...]
Filed under: caves, children's books, Enid Blyton, Estonia, Famous Five, Fear, fun, homelessness, spiders, tourists, unexpected | 4 Comments »
“Are you OK?” asked Riho anxiously this morning. “You seem very…” he searched for the right word. “…old!” he concluded with a grin. So I killed him and buried him behind the bin sheds. Do you think that was wrong?
Filed under: birthday blues, contemplation, decisions, old age, woe | 11 Comments »
all those arguments over which game to play next building forts in the back yard using blankets and Mum’s clothes horse walking to Sunday School together you used to follow me around and I got told off for not looking after you if you fell and cut your knee experimenting with skateboard go karts watching [...]
Filed under: childhood, family, fun, meme, memories | 5 Comments »
You Say Goodbye, I Say… Historical Snapshots It Just Makes Me Happy
