Archive by Author

The Philosophy of Gardening: Why Grow Your Own Food?

11 Mar

People ask me why I bother growing my own food. After all, fruit and vegetables are so cheap these days. I live in the city just a block from a supermarket. Why waste my time?

Having grown up in the countryside, my answer is simple: “Why not?” Modern life is busy, hectic, packed. Every advert on TV boasts to shave another few seconds off a task that is already achieved ten times quicker than our parent’s generation could do it. Everywhere people are mainlining coffee and popping pills like PacMan to get them through their week, then wondering why they can’t sleep on weekends and have a heart attack at age 40.

Call me old school, but I think it’s time to slow down. Continue reading →

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So… I read a book ~ Mockingjay Review

10 Jan

(Caution – SPOILER ALERT!)

Like everyone else in the world, I bought the first book in the much-hyped Hunger Games series just to see what all the fuss was about. Not that I expected to enjoy it, of course. I expected to flick through, read the occasional paragraph and quietly titter to myself, and end by boomeranging the darned thing to the nearest thrift store, where it would take its place amongst at many Read-It-Once-And-Go-“Oh, so THAT’S whodunit!” Dan Brown books and the twelve vinyl copies of Michael Jackson’s Thriller album that I believe every US charity shop is now required by law to carry.

To my surprise (and initial annoyance), I thoroughly enjoyed it. Don’t tell anyone, but in fact I found myself so swept up by the cliffhanger ending of Book 1 that I rushed out and bought Books 2 and 3. Continue reading →

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