Welcome to justthoughtsnstuff

I started posting to jtns on 20 February 2010 with just one word, 'Mosaic'. This seemed an appropriate introduction to a blog that would juxtapose fragments of memoir and life-writing. Since 1996, I'd been coming to terms with the consequences of emotional and economic abuse that had begun in childhood, and which, amongst other things, had sought to stifle self-expression. While I'd explored some aspects of my life through fiction and, to a lesser extent, journalism, it was only in 2010 that I felt confident enough to write openly about myself. I believed this was an important part of the healing process. Yet within weeks, the final scenes of my family's fifty-year nightmare started to play themselves out and the purpose of the blog became one of survival through writing. Although some posts are about my family's suffering - most explicitly, Life-Writing Talk, with Reference to Trust: A family story - the majority are about happier subjects (including, Bampton in rural west Oxfordshire, where I live, Oxford, where I work, the seasons and the countryside, walking and cycling) and I hope that these, together with their accompanying photos, are enjoyable and positive. Note: In February 2020, on jtns' tenth birthday, I stopped posting to this blog. It is now a contained work of life-writing about ten years of my life. Frank, 21 February 2020.

New blog: morethoughtsnstuff.com.

Saturday 20 July 2013

30c, more wiltshire pics, sublime, developing as a creative writer, opera next 16







Wow, what a week! Temperatures over 30C--and it may be even hotter next week.

Some more pics from the Wiltshire excursion above. First three taken on the Fonthill/Beckford Arms afternoon and the next two taken when we walked to the estimable Howard's House Hotel the following day.

The bottom photo shows the moon south of Lower Chicksgrove. One of the things I love about staying at the Compasses is taking our dog for a walk through the hamlet and out into the countryside after supper. It's so quiet in this part of Wiltshire and the trees and fields seen in the fading light are sublime.

Meanwhile, it's been back to work since Thursday. Amongst other things, preparing for the Developing as a Creative Writer Summer School at Exeter College, Oxford, that starts tomorrow.  Looking forward to meeting the students.

Btw Opera Next is now available in build 16. Some improvements--sharper display, it seems to me, faster page-loading and proper functioning of web-media such as iPlayer, amongst other things. I'm sticking with the browser.
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