My thoughts about books, writing, life and so many other things….Judy Leigh/ Elena Collins.
It is autumn now. There is something new, something sharp, a scent of change in the air every morning and the fields are damp. A soft mist rises and leaves are already falling from trees. Autumn is a time when, if it's not raining, it's good to go for a walk and breathe cool air, …
Today we remember. April 8th is a day designated to think about the largest ethnic minority- some ten million Roma live in Europe and six million within the EU- and we should remember that Romani people are still subject to discrimination and social exclusion. I've heard the same argument all my life, words which come from …
When I was doing my previous job, the one I loved doing before I gave it all up to become a full time writer and have the very best time of my life, I was still the happy soul I am today. I used to sing while I was working. I'd smile, joke, hug people …
Continue reading Positive Mental Attitude is a winner every time
I thought I'd share a Youtube song with an animated film, which made me feel really happy when I saw it. Happy weekend time. It is Gogol Bordello's Pala Tute. Directed by Aliaksei Tserakhau, the video is a mixed media collage which blends stop-motion animation and live action, with a lot of green screen work. The story …
Today as the sun was shining in the South of merry England, a postman dropped a brown envelope through my letterbox and walked away, whistling a catchy tune. I was busy writing so I left the post for later, which made the contents of the envelope a real treat when I finally ripped the paper …
So, here I am in the middle of rural Brittany, up a very vibey hill which has legends of elves and korrigans and spirits and all sorts. The wind is moaning and dark clouds hang. Someone has just taken a photo of someone else and they have come out twice on the picture, no gadgets …
Continue reading Up a hill in the middle of nowhere. What would you miss most?
Dancing is such a great way to celebrate and to enjoy how our bodies react when we're enveloped in the rhythm and the emotion of music. I have decided this summer is all about spontaneous dancing. When no one expects it. Unplanned. Grab someone by the hand or just leap onto the table by yourself, …
Continue reading We should dance more! Join me – become a crazy dancer..
Love is a strange thing. We love things which lift our spirits. Spring time makes everything feel better. Or a glass of wine on a Friday night, an unexpected gift or a compliment, a work of art we can see at close range in a gallery, Beckett performed live, a quiet beach at sunset. How …
Continue reading The Tiger Lillies: so beautiful, Brechtian and bad to the bone
U Roy is playing dates in London and Falmouth this year and I have tickets. Live gigs are a thing of beauty: I love mosh pits and dancing until dawn, but a reggae gig is a thing apart. I have been to so many, so often: Misty in Roots, Steel Pulse, John Brown's Body, UB40, Easy …
In the winter, I have a fairly organised regime to write every week day. I am at my desk by nine o'clock; I have a break for exercise at eleven and I run or cycle and do a few weights, a bit of yoga or meditation, and then I work through until about three, when …
Continue reading Kwai-Chang Caine and the daily life of a writer…
That quintessence of dust 