The second life of throw-away lines As is so often the case, it was just a chance remark, a throw-away line — the fluttering of wings that sparked distant consequences — with unlikely life-changing impacts. …

We rise to play a greater part — (Update 2021) A year on from its original publication, I bring these words to the attention of new readers — especially to those followers gained during this continuing pandemic struggle. The turmoil and confusion that has so destabilized our worlds should be seen in the context of past disruptions. From…

Maybe not. Late up again, this morning. I open the curtains to let in the new daylight. Just over the road, I see a well-ordered, socially distanced, queue of masked parents, each with a toddler or two, waiting for school to begin. Those youngsters, at the start of their schooling…

Lines we crossed in 2020 Whether marking success or failure, the lines we crossed will now, not be erased. They’re often crossed — for sure. Others, pass unnoticed, ’til shattered shocks are seen, across a new divide. We see a tide of new awareness. We see some, swept or dragged along, and more were left behind. Count your crossings — joys, regrets, confusions, And trust lines shattered. But hope for better,

The 40’s Re-envisioned. Time has passed. You may not be so painfully aware of the horrors of the Forties. Children of that decade are now in their ninth and tenth, and the parents who survived that time have now mostly perished. Those parents were not entirely unaware of the troubles…

Fishing for meanings in an alphabet soup The Joy of Lex — Sarah Olgilvie’s monthly commentary in the UK’s Prospect Magazine — often observes the evolution of words, their usage, and the way they became common parlance. …

Calming Conflict: Northern Ireland Metaphor and Migration — Despite the long and generous list of acknowledgements, only one person can honestly claim to have read all 846 pages of ‘Calming Conflict’ — the author and veteran ‘Conflict Comprehendist’, (or, more-accurately, Conflict Metaphor Developer) Brian Lambkin. This is not a book that one can casually ‘dip into’: its forensic…

Breakfast will be reinstated. For as long as either of us can remember — leastways back as far as those long-forgotten times before Covid, and maybe even before the referendum on Brexit — Sunday was celebrated at breakfast with the rich aroma of strong coffee and croissants served on square…

Senior wisdom for junior minds — Two books landed on the doormat last week. Senator Bernie Sanders’ latest entreaty was not far ahead of Jon Snow’s ruminations on ‘The State of Us’. …