‘You seem changed in some way, you’re all smiley’. There are many ways to interpret such words, some less appropriate than others, but clearly the difference was a noticeable one. The recent dips in temperature came with all the usual symptoms of increased need for blankets and tea as well as general aversion to stepping … More Running
“The limits of my language are the limits of my world.” “To imagine a language means to imagine a way of life.” (Wittgenstein) Why do people choose to write in different languages in their diaries? Susan Sontag’s and Virginia Woolf’s entries are braided with French. There is a German quote on the very first page … More When I think of language…
Over the weekend I went on my first expedition. By expedition, I mean an organised hiking trip, but ‘expedition’ sounds far more intrepid and brave. When asked how it was I was inclined to dismiss all the usual adjectives. They all popped to mind but felt garishly false. ‘Wonderful’ looked like a sugar-hyped five year … More Adventure
What do Virginia Woolf and Joni Mitchell have in common apart from being fabulous? The answer isn’t really a revelation, but it is nonetheless pleasing to ponder. Both artists marry green and blue in their writing as if they were painting a landscape. I have an endless gallimaufry of blue and green things and, more … More Colours
I had missed the pleasure of a simple story. … More Painting a new childhood & On the importance of books
I can play dress up, pretend I am the snow queen, or bake like a lizard in the heat. I am an expert chameleon but there will be no personality transplant, just new clothes. Recall your first day in nursery? You are bouncy with excitement, terrified for being left on your own for the first time, but also stuck with infantile language, little and vulnerable. What’s more, you’re 4,165.2 miles away from home. … More Awry Plans & Flexible Minds
The world is fluid, and I like to imagine that people adapt their views in tune with morality and justice rather than with social expectations and prejudices … It is not “modernity (that) won out over tradition”, but rather justice, the recognition of nature and a unanimous pursuit of happiness over man-made laws. … More Shaping History
We were a mixed bunch, marching with parents and new-borns drooling on their shoulders, fellow students, everyone forming human shields around those in wheelchairs and mobility scooters, protecting each other.The march reasserted the belief that the government should not fuel dichotomy amongst its citizens, but listen to and act in the interest of the nation, a duty that has thus far been neglected. … More All is well when welfare’s fair
Part I: Textbook language learning – conscious and voluntary language acquisition This will, hopefully, resonate with fellow language students. Unless you are thrust into the right environment, where you can largely rely on your language skills improving by osmosis, a textbook is bound to be your main guide. With each chapter you acquire new … More Language Learning, Part I
A road unravels with lashings of dust, trees rise up, fringing the narrow fields of wheat and rapeseed. Cornflowers and poppies pop up in a splash. I appear to fall into place, swoop, unscathed but startled. A light wind ruffles the sun baked grasses but stillness pervades. It is a corner of childhood memory (so … More A Mind of One’s Own
