Author Archives: pjoread

May 20, 2022 How we treat femaie bodies (This short story was first published in Trading Places, 2019 anthology from @MomayaPress) PART 1 She couldn’t understand why she was having trouble turning her head. Her hair seemed to be caught on something hard. Her neck was pressing into her shoulders. Her eyes, just now openingContinue reading “Consider Our Ways”

March 23, 2021 First anniversary of the lockdown The creation, ‘Marilyn Monroe,’ ponders her life as she is starting to gain recognition in her early days as an actress in 1950s Hollywood. So many rooms in so many buildings in so many locations. She cannot recall them all. She only knows that men are inContinue reading “Thinking about men and women“

March 10, 2021 Animals are not simply a food source for us humans Factory farming exists because we believe animals exist only for our use.  There is some recognition that farm and other animals are ‘sentient beings’ but this is not enough.  Animals are our fellow creatures. We must recognise a sense of equality.  Continue reading “The Tragedy of Factory Farming”

The more I read of what happened in occupied France during the Vichy years of the Second World War and the aftermath, the more I see parallels with our current situation both in the post-Brexit UK, and in the USA as it grapples now with a post-Trump future. ‘France for the French’ ‘Make America greatContinue reading “Vichy – a warning?”

Something you may not know… An interesting factlet: A delicious French aperitif known as Kir, white wine (bourgogne aligoté for the purists) with a dash of crème de Cassis (blackcurrant syrup), is named after le chanoine Kir (Canon Kir) who served this drink at official ceremonies in Dijon where he was deputy Mayor. Canon KirContinue reading “Kir not Keir”

When we bought our house in France back in 1992—two rooms and a shed, laid out in a line—there was no toilet at all. There was, however, running water and a thunderbox in the shed that stood next to the stone exterior of the house on the site of what had once been another room,Continue reading “Tales of the Toilet”

When I started writing this book, the most significant decision for a generation in Britain had not yet been taken. This is a book about following a dream, one shared by many people, but one that only a few manage to fulfil – the dream of making your life in another country of your choice,Continue reading “Ah Brexit…”