I just walked past an eatery. It’s not new but I never noticed it before and now I wish I still hadn’t. Eatery is one of those  blue touch-paper words for me: it’s the invention of the kind of people who put televisions in pubs. And serve microwaved lasagne with chips. I won’t absolutely swear that I’ve never used the…

       Last week was a mildly shitty week. Nothing drastic, just a low-level hum of discontent, with the weather, with people not doing the right thing, with our dead dish-washer.  But today, what a different story. Over the weekend I got two fabulous mentions.  Libby Purves, blessed be her name, in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph described me…

      This week I’ve had one of the greatest pleasures known to writer-kind: choosing a name for a new character. I hadn’t even realised I was going to create this character until a few days ago when she sidled into view and said, ‘Frankly, I think you need me.’ She was right. But what to call her? Names…