jdettmannFeb 20, 20184 minPanic StationsLike sorting Lego into colours, listing your worries makes you feel like you’re making progress. In both cases this is an illusion. I’m...
jdettmannAug 17, 20173 minThere Will Be BooksCurious George is a movie that can penetrate even the most noise-cancelling of headphones. Writing a novel in the same room as a...
jdettmannJun 13, 20174 minNot What It Seems‘What’s that window doing there?’ I asked. ‘It’s not really a window,’ the brickie told me. ‘It’s more of a vent.’ I said nothing. ‘So...
jdettmannApr 10, 20173 minHow to Make Terrible GnocchiThe pesto would have been better tossed with small snails than with the gnocchi I made. I know I have a tendency to toot my own horn on...
jdettmannNov 2, 20164 minNovember: A To-Do ListMe, making a to-d0 list. Sketch by H. Attend My 20th High School Reunion This weekend I’m going my 20th high school reunion, an event...
jdettmannOct 10, 20163 minPining For The FjordsI’m doing that thing I always do when I come back from new and wonderful, and I try to transport the lifestyle. When H and I went to...
jdettmannSep 21, 20164 minLeave No Bag BehindMy suitcase, in disgrace It’s my fourth day in Finland and I know three words. They’re same three words I knew before I got here. Sauna,...
jdettmannAug 25, 20165 minArea of Particular InterestThat aside, we are really very extremely excited. We are going to Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The trip has come about because Jess is a...
jdettmannJul 20, 20164 minIn The End, It Was The Odd Socks That Finished Her OffGarnet searching for his socks. We’ve been on a holiday. A driving holiday, and while I’ll try to write about that soon, and tell you all...
jdettmannMar 16, 20164 minTesting TimesOccasionally he makes up a word (‘You nuckus!’) or just pops something that’s not an insult at all (‘You big sandwich!) None of it is...
jdettmannApr 15, 20143 minThe Perfect Gin and TonicAs much as I love a gin and tonic I am surprisingly unfussy about how they are prepared. As long as it has gin and tonic water in it,...
jdettmannJan 15, 20143 minWhen You Think He’s Fast Asleep, He’s Always Wide AwakeWhy the italics, you might ask. What has Gusto done to merit that? Nothing. Gusto is being an exemplary feline. It is the jellicle cats...
jdettmannDec 14, 20122 minKeep Calm And Carry On Like A Pork ChopMay Blossom re-enacts what will happen if you don’t shut about about your birth plan while having coffee with friends. My friends Lou and...
jdettmannNov 24, 20123 minMy Wedding AdviceMy most excellent friends Nic and Wilf are getting married today! So, in their honour, I present my top ten pieces of wedding day advice....
jdettmannNov 22, 20122 minTalking TurkeyActually, this year the game of Move The Tables From The Verandah To The Garden And Back Again Thrice As The Weather Changes was knocked...
jdettmannNov 18, 20121 minProbably For The BestMust dust cat. To our dear friends whose hen’s and buck’s nights we failed to attend last night, the following conversation is what we...
jdettmannNov 13, 20121 minThis Is What You Get When You Mess With UsI think we all feel like this today. Because of the wonders of Facebook, I know, for certain, that everyone else in the civilised world...
jdettmannNov 13, 20123 minChildren’s Parties for the Back-yardlessInvitations: To get the numbers up, it’s useful invite people to your party. I used Paperless Post for electronic invitations. It is...
jdettmannOct 18, 20123 minGrant Me The SerenityLunch out with a tiny nun always helps. I haven’t been feeling very good lately. It’s nothing that the birth of NB won’t fix (or possibly...
jdettmannApr 20, 20123 minOutstandingFirst prize for The Pun With The Most Elaborate Set-up: H announced this morning that his watch is set to 'Green H mean time'. We’re back...