From the blog

Spud Talbot-Ponsonby

Small Steps with Paws and Hooves by Spud Talbot Ponsonby

It is sad that people are now afraid of journeys because they are afraid of the very people they should be trusting. The same applies to emotional journeys, which are inextricably woven into other people’s lives; every day we place or receive trust, every day we confide, we chat and we gossip. Often, one meeting […]

Judy’s Vintage Fair – Edinburgh

Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair is coming to Edinburgh When: Sunday, 28th September Where: The Assembly Rooms How much: £2 (under-12s free) I attended this vintage fair last year, when it was held in the film house on Lothian Street. It was totally worth the £2 entry. There are tons of vendors – I was very […]

Torp, Norway Airport Fiasco

We spent only five minutes in Torp Airport on the way to Trondheim When the early airport bus left the station, Kim and I were on the other side of town, staring out the windows of the train from Holmenkollen–the Oslo ski jump–listening to a woman chatting on her phone in another language. “That’s Polish,” […]

Writing Exercise: Eliminating Words

Ok kiddos, it’s time for another writing exercise [cheering] This is a new one that I’ve only just come up with (like maybe just a minute ago), so I’m not sure how well it will work. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me it’s terrible. It’ll help build my thick writer’s skin. Yep. […]

This is only the beginning

So you’re done with your dissertation…what now? Oh the dreaded “Now What” question. I never thought I’d be asking this question so far into my twenties. I mean, you’re supposed to have it all figured out by 26, right? Like, a few years into a steady lifelong office job or something. Or at least know […]

Historic Troubles in Belfast

What are The Troubles? “The Troubles” is a conflict between the Irish Nationalists (those who want N. Ireland to become a part of Ireland) and the Northern Irish Unionists (those who want to remain a part of the United Kingdom). The conflict began in the 1960s and “officially” ended with the Belfast ‘Good Friday’ Agreement […]

A Solo Trip to Toulon, France

Three Weeks in the South of France. Sounds like Heaven. I booked my stay through Airbnb two months in advance, contacting my host to see if he’d give me a discount for staying so long. He did. I had a dissertation to write and a desire to spend a few weeks in the sunshine (after […]

Bookish Holiday at Gladstone Library

The Perfect Bookish Holiday If you’re into books, Gladstone’s library could be a dream come true. It’s a residential library founded by former Prime Minister William Gladstone that hosts visitors and students in affordable bed and breakfast accommodation. They strive to keep prices low in order to stick to Gladstone’s desire to make the library […]

Art Exhibition in Dublin

Sometimes, it’s the unplanned parts of your trip that have the most impact. In Dublin, I kept running into problems: museums and attractions were closed, the woman at the tourist office was rude, and the Guinness Storeroom was a letdown. But then I followed my instincts and wandered into this free exhibition at NCAD, the […]

An Afternoon in Bath

On Our Way to the Cotswolds, We Stopped by Bath Having heard very little about Bath besides what I read in Northanger Abbey, upon arrival we headed straight for the Roman Baths. I convinced the ticket-sales woman that I was in fact a student despite my lack of student card (I was starting a Masters […]