Author: sararobinson1981
-
When this is all over
Am I the only one starting most of my sentences with the words “when this is all over”? It’s day 13 of lockdown for my son and me after he developed a fever two weekends ago. It feels like a lifetime since he woke up complaining of feeling hot and coughing. I’m glad to report…
-
Calais in the time of Coronavirus: Stories from the front line of the refugee crisis
Aneta Kawecka is a Polish-born ethical fashion stylist now based in Paris, France. She is a wonderful human being I am proud to call a friend. Aneta has just returned from her fourth stint volunteering with the Refugee Community Kitchen in Calais. This time, Coronavirus cut short her volunteering. We were talking about the…
-
Festivals, Socrates and me
As you read this, I will be luxuriating in a birthday hot tub, knocking back cheap fizz, encrusted in glitter and hairspray. Where will I be lapping up such luxuries? At a spa resort before a night on the town, perhaps? Err, no. You will find me at Green Man, that most bucolic of all…
-
The mixtape is dead. Long live the mixtape!
It all started with Lee Davies*, on our annual church coach trip to the seaside, sometime in the early 90s. “Here, have a listen to this”, he enthusiastically commanded, shoving a pair of scratchy foam Walkman headphones onto my ringleted ten-year-old head. Lee was two years older than me, friends with my cousin, and my…
-
On finding my green fingers…
This column first appeared in The Western Mail on Saturday 22nd June 2019. As a kid, I’d watch my parents spend hours making up hanging baskets together. They’d sit on the patio, tag teaming as they painstakingly planted their floral masterpieces. I remember pansies, primroses and lobelias, vibrant reds and vivid greens, bursting violently from…
-
Harder now that it’s over: An open letter to Ryan Adams
Dear Ryan, I’m not in the habit of writing open letters to famous singer-songwriters who will never read them. But I’ve been feeling so angry, and disappointed, today. Actually, disappointed seems too weak a word for what I feel right now. So I had to write this just to empty the feelings from my head,…
-
The seven deadly sins of online dating
Here’s a little something I wrote for the Western Mail magazine on the seven deadly sins of online dating. Thanks to all my equally permanently perturbed female friends who chipped in anecdotes and frustrations that helped with this one. Y’all know who you are. Don’t stop believin’ kids!
-
On breaking up with my phone…
It’s the longest relationship I’ve ever had. Whether it’s been a healthy relationship is another thing. But my iPhone has been a prominent feature of my life for 10 years now. To put that into perspective, in my early twenties I entered into a marriage that lasted two years. My longest relationship with a man…
-
Yay Paree: Or how I fell in love with the city of lights…
“You must REALLY love Paris to keep coming here alone”. So says Pierre (what else would he be called?), sat next to me on the Cardiff – Charles De Gaulle flight this morning. Oh Pierre, I think. If only you knew…. I don’t quite have the words to explain, so I just smile and say…
-
It’s official. We live in a “post-truth” era.
I’m sad to say that public relations has had a part to play in creating this mess. While the industry has taken positive steps to embrace transparency, we can’t pretend we’re not part of the problem.
Silver Disco Daps 