Reporting from Italy in February and March 2020, I was one of the first people on Medium to write about Covid. Three years on, here’s how I feel about it all. — Three years ago, I watched from my balcony in central Florence as the unthinkable happened and the lively, vibrant, 24/7 city was silenced as Italy became the first European country, and the second in the world after China, to lock down. I had lived part-time in Florence since 2017, new…

In this thrilling series on rhyming schemes, we look at one of the most famous forms in the world. But is it all an urban myth? — I have been delaying writing about the haiku for a rather embarrassing reason. I hate the form and its smug simplicity allegedly conveying profound meaning. To me, it’s a bit Emperor’s-New-Clothes-ish — all style and no substance. Like those abstract pictures critics rave about which look like a chimp or…

I decided to try. After all seven days can’t be that hard, can it? — When I realised the other day that I was spending more time worrying about Prince Harry’s relationship with his brother than thinking about people I actually knew, I decided to take time off the internet. We are only gifted so many minutes of life. As you get older you begin…

I wanted a mix of Hogwarts and Gaius’ workshop in “Merlin” so I set to work… — We all need a place to write — a corner, a couch, a coffee shop or, in my case, a small room tucked away at the back of the house. …

You might think writing one of these is as easy as ABC, but you’d be wrong. — Right, all you word wizards and mathematical magicians. This week’s challenge is quite a tricky one, although the premise is simple. The English alphabet has 26 letters. (You might think that is true for all European languages but the Spanish alphabet has 27 letters — they add an ñ —…

Solve the puzzles in these books and you could make some real money and exercise your brain — Walt Disney famously said: “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life” But what if reading a book could literally lead you to treasure? That would be exciting, wouldn’t…

It’s not all fluffy cuddles and wet-nosed kisses you know … — There are some pet owners who dance on the periphery, never quite understanding what it is really like to look after an animal. You know the ones. They dress their ant-sized dog up in stupid clothes. They dye their cat pink to match their hair and stick the video on…

The next in my poetry rhyming scheme series is a form that reconnects the arts and the sciences. A little Fibonacci will explain everything… — After my earth shattering terza rima revelations and shocking challenge to the ChatGPT bot to write a sonnet, I’m now going to look at a poetic rhyme scheme that was born from science. This is dangerous territory, joining techie and tale-teller, bean-counter and bard. …

A lament for overlooked writers … — I once worked in a dogs’ home And those adopted first Were the showy, young or cute ones While those that came off worst Were older, brown and medium-sized Quite average you might say. But still they hoped their turn might come For all dogs have their day. And when…