Happy 23rd of April! In two days time! This blog post is one half of Espanglisher’s thoughts for International Book Day, 23rd April. The other half is on the Podcast, (link at the end of this article), please do listen as it’s not the same! What does a book consist of? Is it prose, poetry Continue reading

I run away from uncomfortable situations. I may be a coward. The truth is that I have always fled from conflict, even if I am only a witness to it. Arguments make me nervous to the point of physically shaking and crying. But what I ran away from today, and the time was coming, was a Continue reading

The power of words. Did you know that “Fitz” in a surname means “Son of”? Like “Johnson” now would technically be “son of John”, “Fitzwilliam” meant “son of William”? Well I didn’t, though maybe I should have. After all, it forms part of many, albeit aristocratic, English surnames. I suppose it had never ocurred to Continue reading

I’m bored. How often do we hear people say that? From kids being dragged around IKEA, to adults… being dragged around IKEA. The great Homer Simpson, to relieve the oppression of boredom, entertains himself by watching cartoons in his head, and hence is content. Most of us would like to think that we do more Continue reading

It’s six in the morning. I can’t sleep a wink. The whites of my eyes are more red than white and my eyelids are swollen but I’m not sleepy. Once and for all I have to defeat this diabolical machine. Why is it so difficult? I have three hours left before I have to go Continue reading

I’m going to start by saying something I shouldn’t. Much as I love language and, as you know, won’t stop banging on about it, I also acknowledge that we, myself included, are lazy when it comes to expressing ourselves, particularly in trying to fill gaps in conversation. Excuse me. What follows is not a criticism, Continue reading

Sleep is delicious; waking up not so much… To be awoken by the gentle head-butting of a small furry creature is by no means the worst way to begin the day. The affectionate kneading which stops just short of drawing blood and the sniffing of the face which forces you to open your eyes, to Continue reading

Oh, Airports What excitement when the day before your long-awaited holiday arrives! You’ll only be gone for ten days, but you’re going to switch off, you’re going to relax, you’re not going to think about anything in your daily life, or the problems, the stress, the small frustrations that accumulate and leave you tired, anxious Continue reading