Last weekend, I marked the change of season in three different but equally significant ways: I wore shoes for the first time since October, instead of boots. I exchanged my heavy Swedish winter coat for my ‘summer coat’ (surely an oxymoron) and I even went for a run wearing only…
Category: Blog
The horses drink milk
After a 27-day Italian streak on Duolingo, I have given up. I simply got bored: after a month, I should be having little conversations, not still drilling I cavalli bevono latte and Gli elefanti leggono il libro. This adventure on Duolingo, which is more a time-filling twiddle than a serious…
Toenails in the carpet
My flat has no carpet. This pleased me from the start. I’ve had a variety of landlord carpet in my time as a tenant, including a thick synthetic shag that harboured yellowed and horny crescents of toenail, a stomach-churning discovery. It was best not to look too closely into the…
The cancellation of touch
Over Christmas, tango was cancelled again. Milongas and practicas had started up again in autumn. The organisers were very careful to follow all the guidelines, which, it must be said, are highly changeable, not always clear and open to interpretation by the entitled. Tango is an intimate dance, unless you’re…