Hello all, welcome to this week's Pop Essays - I trust I find you all well? I'm quite well aware of the fact these seem to be the only posts I've been doing with regularity on here recently but I think I'll cut myself some slack for once. Unusual times and all that! Shall we … Continue reading Pop Essays #3: Scent, ‘Up and Down’
Welcome to this week's Pop Essays, as I continue my new weekly series which profiles favourite songs and artists of mine from years past that I am revisiting and shining a well deserved light on that may not have had it before. Thanks for all the lovely feedback on last week's first essay - it's … Continue reading Pop Essays #2: Ladyhawke, ‘Paris Is Burning’
Firstly a happy new year to you all, albeit one that seems to be starting suspiciously just as the last one did globally speaking. But no matter, I'm a firm believer, in the words of D:Ream, that things can only get better. Especially as today, I write both my first blog post of 2021 and … Continue reading Pop Essays #1: Ultra, ‘Rescue Me’
Love In All Things by Alex MacGregor When life hands us lemons, there is lemon drizzle cake When life hands us confusion, understanding and helpful ears are there When life hands us endings, new starts begin When life hands us despair, hope springs up When life hands us darkness, there is light within When life … Continue reading A poem for Christmas Day.
It's funny really. I do sometimes forget that I have an audience for this here corner of the web. In fact, whilst not wishing to sound glib, I genuinely believed it was just my good self twittering into the great cyber ether without much of a thought of an audience beyond that. It's only through … Continue reading A nice new accolade from EssexLive
Hope you're all having a lovely Easter break! It's when the weather starts turning towards Spring again, that I am immediately seeking out some old literary favourites that evoke my fondest memories of this time of year in particular. This usually includes, but is not limited to: Wordsworth's famous Romantic poem 'The Daffodils', Arthur Ransome's … Continue reading Another perfect day: My ranking of favourite Beatrix Potter stories
Friday, 7th August 1987. Los Lobos are at number one in the UK charts with their cover of Ritchie Valens' hit 'La Bamba'. Dynasty and the late Sir Terry Wogan's chat show are on TV that night. Sylvanian Families are the must have toy of the moment. And you, Mairi, my dear sister, are born … Continue reading Three Zero
by Alex MacGregor Awaken, friends, this is the dawn of a new day For now we leave behind the time we can no longer turn back For now we leave behind the futile grains of unfulfilled sand Let us not hold onto our grievances, the dead lichen of the day before Let us not deny … Continue reading Begin Again
Dear Cat & Fi, Hellllooo thar! Firstly my apologies. This is the first and long overdue 'Dear Cat & Fi' of 2016, which we are now a whole month and a bit into. Scary how fast the year has gone already that we are now approaching spring (although looking outside right now as I write … Continue reading Dear Cat & Fi: The One with all the Soup
By Alex MacGregor Nothing has changed. Polished wood, radiator guards. Chairs stacked in two. Windows peeling with white paint. Nothing has changed. Pyrex mugs, a giant urn. Coffee, tea. Custard creams and bourbons. Nothing has changed. The distant echoes. Squeaking footsteps, joyful laughter. Not knowing where we were going. Nothing has changed. Clinging evermore to … Continue reading The Hall
