We prefer to hear what we have heard before.

I’ve only discovered Wendell Berry lately; I asked the Facebook hive mind where I should start, and ‘Jayber Crow’ was the recommended beginning. Berry describes his novel as the ‘life story of Jayber Crow, barber, of the Port William membership, as written by himself.’ I don’t want to summarise the story, but a little background …

It’s not about screens, it’s about what screens replace.

A couple of weeks ago I was interviewed by a local charity as part of a campaign to raise awareness (and encourage limits) on the amount of time young people spend looking at screens. Most of us agree children spending long periods of time on one type of screen or another isn’t healthy, however, there …

What we did on our holidays

I am grateful to the various people who recommended ‘What We Did On Our Holiday’ for family viewing (maybe teenage family viewing) over Christmas. It’s not new (it was released in 2014), but seemed to pass me by despite starring Billy Connolly. The parents (played by David Tennant and Rosamunde Pike) take their three children to …

The things that get left behind.

One video that caught my attention recently is this one, Trump getting onto a plane and abandoning his umbrella at the door. He makes no effort to fold it up, (he may not know how), he recognises it is too wide to get through the aeroplane door, so he simply drops it at the top …

A change in flow

It’s been more than two months since the fire broke out in Primark, in the heart of Belfast city centre. Royal Avenue remains closed off, with a number of local businesses still closed. Other nearby businesses have been affected; once positioned on a main thoroughfare, they’re now at the end of a cul-de-sac. Many are …

Remembrance in every direction

Belfast Cenotaph (at the side of the City Hall) is currently hosting an art installation of 3775 shrouded figures; the number of servicemen from the Ulster and Irish regiments who died in the Somme and have no known grave. This is the work of artist Rob Heard, who individually cut and stitched each shroud, to …

I missed my anniversary (part 2): The elevator pitch.

I have become a convert to the wisdom of Brene Brown. I wrote this quote in my journal back in the spring: “Day two is that middle space… when you’re in the dark. The door has closed behind you. You’re too far in to turn around, and not close enough to the end to see …

I missed my anniversary. (Freelance anniversary).

I left teaching at the end of June 2017, but my salary stopped at the end of August, so I see 1st September as a key date; last year I was sitting in Dobbie’s coffee shop thinking, ‘this is what the world looks like when you’re not in class…’ I’m going to blog this in two parts; …

Do we deserve better?

The ‘We Deserve Better’ protests’ have come and gone. As I write, Northern Ireland has amassed 591 days without a government and there’s no sign of that changing any time soon. In the wake of reasonably well attended protests in 13 towns, here are 4 thoughts, in no particular order. Firstly, with the Belfast protest …

Stop shooting from the hip. Ask a question.

Pope Francis came, met, spoke softly and left. There have been plenty of column inches written and digital footage broadcast over last weekend. Lots of it has focussed not just on the visit, but on the cases of abuse, the church hierarchy’s response and the future of the Catholic church. Rightly so, these are hugely …