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Aliens, lasers and sunrises: A magical Green Man birthday
Some birthdays are more extra-terrestrial than others. This year, mine involved sequins, lasers and a pair of alien antennae. Because if you can’t dress up as a disco-loving visitor from space at Green Man festival, when you turn 44, then when can you? I’ll never get bored of banging on about how lucky we are
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A daughter’s memoir of a dad who drank, and a story familiar to too many in Wales
Few books grip me from the opening lines. Fewer still leave me coming up for air five hours later, feeling like my insides have been through a spin cycle. Long Going, by Welsh author Sophie Calon, subtitled ‘a daughter’s memoir of a dad who drank’, is one of those. It’s not light holiday reading, but I’ve recommended it
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Return of the (panicky) pack
Not that I’m counting, but in 144 hours, I’m off to Italy. It’s my first summer break in eighteen years without The Lad, who’s heading to Zante with his mates. So, as he’s drunkenly stumbling home from a night on the strip, I’ll be meditating on a terrace overlooking Lake Como, breathing in the sunrise
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No more school shoes in September
It was his black school jumper, strewn across the passenger seat, that did it. As soon as I spotted it, the floodgates caved and my face started leaking, a hot tumble of tears splashing all over my lap. The Lad’s final day in school, and I’d been doing so well. I held it together for
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Stars, stillness and a Spring reset at Fforest Fields
I write this to a chorus of wrens, chiff-chaffs and willow warblers, layered with the bleating of lambs and the low burble of a nearby stream. Not a car engine, police siren or news bulletin in earshot. I wish I could seal this soundtrack in a jar and uncork it on grey city mornings. If
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Discovering a dream doggy destination at Bala’s Palé Hall
I am increasingly convinced that humanity doesn’t deserve dogs. They ask for nothing except food, warmth, and belly rubs; in return, they demonstrate more intuition, love, and loyalty than most of the so-called superior species (I mean, have you read the news lately?). I grew up with Labradors – not in a Mowgli-from-the-Jungle-Book-meets-Andrex-advert sort of way; it’s
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A love letter to Nanny Hazel
This week, we said goodbye to my beloved Nanny Hazel—but not really. Glimmers of her remain everywhere. The only words I could write this week are about her. Because I believe we keep people alive by sharing their stories. And what 93 years of life she lived. I picture her as a child darting barefoot through
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Could AI companions be the cure for festive loneliness?
Christmas is hurtling towards us again; a time of peace, goodwill to (most) men, and all that jazz. Yet, for many, it’s a difficult time of year. For those missing someone special around the dinner table or spending Christmas alone, it can be a torturous holiday to endure and wish away. While Christmas has a
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Joining a Joni cult in La-La Land
I’ve tried many times to write about what Joni Mitchell means to me, but I always fail miserably. I mean, lines have poured out of me. But none do my obsession justice. Even attempting to write about her generation’s finest poet and musician feels audacious. You see, there’s something mercurial about Joni. When she left
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Time to kick out killer heels?
Click, click, click. What’s that sound? Could it be stilettos sashaying to the sartorial graveyard, where fashion trends go to die? Here’s hoping. Off they trot, and not a moment too soon. It’s high time we waved goodbye to these sole-destroying objects of orthopaedic torture. They’re called “killer” heels for a reason. There are encouraging
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About this blog
Hello. I’m Sara. This site is home to my writing for the Western Mail, a newspaper kind enough to publish my internal ramblechats. In 2022 I was named Wales Media Awards Columnist of The Year for this column. Madness. You’ll find me spaffing opinions on feminism, inequality, festivals, tech, art and whatever else pops into my head at 3am the day before deadline. There’s also bonus content, when the muse takes me (WHERE IS SHE TAKING ME? I DIDN’T ORDER THIS CAB! Etc…).
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