The weather has turned cold again, and on the day I took this photo in Richmond Park, we had hail, thunder and lightning in the afternoon. By now, the high winds and heavy rain have probably ripped most of the early blossoms off the bushes. So I think I was lucky to spend an hour [...]

Here I am on one of my favourite sofas in the Friends’ Room at the Royal Academy of Arts. Over the years, on this very sofa or the ones next to it, I’ve discussed all manner of things with friends from near and far. We’ve met here partly to look at paintings and partly to have coffee and talk. [...]

‘If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?’
It’s funny how the first flowers of the year – crocuses, daffodils, aconites -seem especially vivid in colour. Are they really brighter than other flowers, or do they just strike us that way because our eyes have gradually adapted to the long drabness of winter? I found these gorgeous things in the [...]

The Guardian is publishing excerpts from Out of Silence in the Review section on Saturday 20 March. I’ll post the link on Saturday when I know it.
In the meantime, many thanks to everyone who silently toasted my book from several different countries and three continents on Thursday evening at my ‘virtual book launch party’. It was rather [...]

Thursday’s the day when Out of Silence is officially published. As I haven’t managed to organise a book launch party, how about a virtual book launch that day?
At 18:00 hours (UK time) on Thursday 18 March, I’m going to raise a glass to toast my readers, wherever they are. If you’d like to take part in my [...]