• Writing

    Blood and Moonlight

    Moonlight’s kind of romantic, isn’t it? A whimsical soft light that adorns the world, turning everything a shade of blue/grey… (Insert screeching brake sound here.) But wait.Blood in moonlight doesn’t sound so romantic, yet that’s what I needed to research in one of my writing sessions. Actually, what colour is blood in moonlight?My brain jumped to the usual rational conclusions and acted all sure of itself, but I wasn’t convinced. Helloooo Google! What did I just read?Must be some dud site.No, here it is again.Blood, in moonlight… is red. Seems I’m not only a sceptic of my brain’s opinion, but Google’s as well. I needed to see it with my own eyes. I…

  • Life

    New Year, New Tree

    For more than 12 months I had this scrap of paper under a magnet on my fridge. “What’s this?” visitors would ask, and tug at the note covered with my scribbly writing. “Oh, just some random sketchy details about how to find a tree.” “A tree?” “Yeah. You know what I’m like, it’s another tree I’d like to visit.” My obsession has led to thousands of photos, and hundreds of kilometres of travel with sore feet, aching muscles, and even broken bones. But I have a particular fondness for oaks; my beloved Quirkus. I grew up squeezing through this little gap in my hometown to hug the oak inside, and when…