by Valerie | Jan 20, 2016 | art, book reviews, General interest, poetry, writing a novel
2016 is to be the year I finish the most important novel I’m ever likely to write. It’s a summation of my life’s efforts, already in the first draft but begging to be ruthlessly edited. It has been to a professional editor and returned with the partly expected... by Valerie | Nov 13, 2015 | art, General interest, history, Italy, museums, people, travel
Severed from the internet after my laptop’s ‘face’ slipped so I couldn’t find the icons and commands at the bottom, I’ve been unable to send emails or post blogs and lived a carefree time of neglect. My antiquated computer in Beverley still functions, but I have been... by Valerie | Oct 13, 2015 | childhood, General interest, history, Italy, travel
The leaves of the horse chestnut tree outside my window are edged in gold. Over the summer a bird of prey – some say a hawk – nested in one of the Minster towers and feasted on my companions for many a year, the woodpigeons. Schoolchildren scavenge for the conkers... by Valerie | Oct 6, 2015 | Italy, people
I wrote this nearly a month ago. Then the screen on my computer slipped, dropping all controls out of sight. It could not be repaired. Nothing is lost – all stashed away in the Cloud – but I was without the internet until now. This is written on an old stand-by... by Valerie | Aug 25, 2015 | General interest, history
Friends have invited me back to Vienna and I am tempted. Will I repeat the strange things I did when I was last there? I planned to see the famous Spanish horses, but it was the wrong time of year for the dressage displays, so I could only look down from a balcony at...
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