House sharing… are dogs easier than people?

This is a piece I wrote a couple of years ago for The Herald after a news story in which a girl was found to have sprayed glass cleaner in her housemates' food. I was reminded of it during the week because we're thinking of getting a second dog to keep Vimes company - dogs, poo, [...]

If your friends are in low places… Get down to their level

Only friends in low places would skip your wedding for a concert Garth Brooks’ decision to begin his comeback tour in Dublin has caused an unprecedented level of hype among country music lovin’ adults of all ages, but has also thrown a spanner in the works for those planning events this summer. And when I say [...]

2018-12-01T09:57:17+00:00 January 23rd, 2014|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , , , , |

Visiting emigrant friends is bittersweet

It was my first visit to London in three years. It was also the closest thing I’ve had to a reunion of my college class in nearly ten years, as so many of my classmates have ended up there. The week before, I’d visited a friend at home on his family’s farm. One of four kids, [...]

2013-09-07T18:42:32+00:00 September 7th, 2013|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , , , , , , |

Tea time

I've never really been able to bake. I'm a cook in the careless, "let's see what happens" sense of the word, and that doesn't really suit baking. Baking is all about precision, timing and patience. Not my strengths. But since I got Lilly Higgins' brilliant book Make, Bake, Love, I've gone a bit baking mad. Not [...]

2012-05-11T13:46:03+00:00 May 11th, 2012|Categories: Opinion|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |