Gum on My Shoe

Writing prompt: Tell the story of something that happened to you, but write it from a different perspective, or as fiction rather than fact. It was our first visit to the Green Festival. In past years I’d learned about it after the event, or we were doing something else, or ... well, anyway, this year we went along: my wife Pamela, son Michael and step-daughter Emma. When we arrived there seemed to be plenty going on. Lots of stalls and tents, noise and people. Our first priority, though, was food: somewhere to sit and eat the picnic we’d brought with us. We found a suitable spot close by a huge felled tree that was providing children with a makeshift and ecologically sound climbing frame. We attacked our picnic with good-natured greed to the accompaniment of the loud, live, 70s music emanating from a marquee somewhere close behind us. My hunger pangs assuaged, I sat back to take in the surroundings and indulge in a little people-watching. Perhaps from a desire on the part o...

Shout-out to the typos that make it through three rounds of content edits, copyedits, and two rounds of proofreading. I am inspired by your dedication and tenacity. (Unknown) You’ve written and edited your blog post. You’ve proofread it, added the links, photos, and keywords. It’s just about ready to go — but something isn’t quite right. You can’t put your finger on it, but you feel there’s something missing or out of place. A tenacious typo or missing word, perhaps, that eluded your proofreading skills. Or maybe it’s an important topic and you just want that extra level of reassurance before pressing the publish button. That’s where text-to-speech (TTS) comes in. There’s nothing quite like having your words read aloud to you to help gauge the tone and flow of the piece. It can help you identify repetition, omissions, typos, and awkward phrasing. It couldn’t be easier, and it needn’t cost a penny. Let’s take a look. My First Experience of Text-to-Speech I remember the firs...

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At the end of 2020 I shared one photo and one blog post for each month of a year that none of us could have predicted. I did the same thing at the close of 2021 , documenting my emergence from covid lockdowns and restrictions. Continuing the tradition, here’s my personal look back at 2022 in photos and blog posts. I hope you’ll enjoy looking through it as much as I did putting it together. January The year began on a social note when I attended a party organised by my friend and fellow blogger Aimee Wilson to mark her blog’s continuing success. I enjoyed helping her celebrate her achievement and met several of her friends for the first time. Taken at the venue, Room 305 in Whitley Bay, this photo captures the spirit of the occasion and my hopes for the year ahead. From January’s blog posts, I’m choosing Helping People Helps You Too (But Don’t Lose Sight of Your Needs) . I wasn’t doing very well at the start of the year and this post reminded me there are things we can...