I’ve never liked tower blocks. I had a friend who lived on the 13th floor of what used to be called a “hard to let” block in east London. She loved the view from her balcony, and kept flowerpots tethered in five unblowoffable ways to the railings, but even stepping on to it made me feel weak at the knees. Perhaps my knees were already weak when I arrived, because I always used to walk up the stairs. The lift was creaky and claustrophobic. Supposing it got stuck? Supposing someone scary got in it with you?

Cuttings from the “I”, “The Guardian” and the “Evening Standard”‘ June 17th & 19th 2017

Even posh tower blocks – skyscrapers, rather, penthouses, high rise living and the other more affluent synonyms – worry me. The only time I visited New York, I was less scared sleeping on the 34th floor than I’d anticipated…

What’s in a name? Everything. As someone who has gone through the entire official argy-bargy to get my name legally changed, I appreciate the power behind the monikers we bear. Sally Cronin obviously shares this sensibility because this short story collection focuses on the unique power our names have to shape our lives.

Sometimes even a small change can be significant, as the first story, titled “Anne,” demonstrates so well. Just a small shift–to Annie–had great meaning to the woman who bore it. It shaped her entire sense of self, and went on to have meaning in her extended family as well.

Each tale has a given name as a significant factor. The names we bear become the basis of our own stories, as well as the foundation for the tales in this book.

Besides “Anne,” my favorites were “Celia,” “David,” and “George.” But give this book a read, and…

As many of you know, I am diving deep into the pool of wellness and seeking answers to the hard questions about which foods are healthiest to eat, and more importantly, how often can we eat them.  So many times we find out that this, or that fruit, herb, or grain is great for our bodies and we eat it every day.  (Or, maybe that was just me…)

However, as the old maxim states, Everything in moderation.

This is true even in the case of Acai Berries which according to Dr. Brent A. Bauer, writing for the Mayo Clinic’s website, “Acai is safe to consume, as long as you’re not allergic to the fruit.  But, use caution when consuming products made with acai that may have other ingredients, such as caffeine.”  [Obvious advice, but here’s the real question, Why would you add caffeine to a product with…

I am delighted to welcome as a guest writer for the next week the esteemed Horatio Grin who takes us back in history to the beginnings of the legends and myths surrounding fairies.  You can find out more about the author here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2017/06/19/smorgasbord-guest-writer-19th-june-to-27th-june-author-horatio-grin-biography/

Part 1: Lost Beginnings of the Fairy Races by Horatio Grin

In talking about fairies, we need to distinguish between the two types in popular imagination. The first are nature sprites or elementals, supernatural beings outside the scope of this discussion. The others are fairies of myth and legend. Tales as far apart in time and place as China and the Celtic fringe, speak of fairies as human, despite their extraordinary magical abilities.

When analysing fairy magic, much of it involves fooling mortals into seeing what is not there. Fairy gold turns to ash; palaces become caves or hovels; and splendid feasts, unpalatable muck. While the fairies…

I just read some great advice from Hugh W Roberts blog, hughsviewsandnews.com. Its something that I’d never thought of – backing up your blog content – especially if you have a lot of posts, images, comments etc. Who wants to lose that?

So here are some easy steps that will prevent that and ensure you have a back up in place.

Backing up your blog content:

1. Go to the WP Admin (your dashboard)

2. Click ‘Tools’ and a side window will open

3. Click ‘Export’ – ‘Choose what to export’ -click ‘All content’

4. Click ‘Download export file’

5. All content will be downloaded – you will receive a message from WordPress, saying that they will email you a link to the file

6. Go to your email box – look for the email

7. Click on the link in the email and the backup will be downloaded to…