Author: Margaret Kelly

  • AN INTRODUCTION TO MY FUNNY AVATAR’S LIFE OF WRITING

    AN INTRODUCTION TO MY FUNNY AVATAR’S LIFE OF WRITING

    Meg Blomfield was the person I was before I married The Sexy-Hot Kelly Nerd. She had a social media presence under her maiden name so students wouldn’t find her to send her friend requests on Faceflop, or Twittillations on Tweetie-pie or follow her on Instaspam. She is not a born writer, just an entertainer with…

  • KOM OMBO TEMPLE EGYPT

    KOM OMBO TEMPLE EGYPT

    In 2010, I went to Egypt. What can I say about this amazing museum of a country? It’s hot, it’s dirty (don’t even dip your toothbrush in the tap water) and you should learn how to say ‘no thank you’ in Arabic, adding ‘I don’t want’, ‘I don’t need’, ‘It’s not possible’ and ‘please go…

  • THE TRAVELLING COLLECTOR

    THE TRAVELLING COLLECTOR

    What souvenirs do you collect when you travel? My own particular fetishes are fridge magnets, teatowels, postcards and a more unusual collecter item— soft toys. I call them ‘stuffies’ as in ‘stuffed toys’, but more commonly they seem to be known as ‘plushies’. Some people collect particular lines of toys (eg. Ducks or cows or…

  • TANABATA IN KOFU

    TANABATA IN KOFU

    You’ve probably heard of Tanabata—the Festival of the Stars, celebrated on the seventh of July in many parts of Japan. It’s the one where they write wishes on pieces of paper and tie them to a bamboo bough. I’m still waiting on my packet of TimTams that never runs out, but the festival itself’s a…

  • SELF-DRIVING ICELAND?

    SELF-DRIVING ICELAND?

    The Snæfellsnes Peninsular, not too far from Reykjavik, has all the natural features of Iceland represented in one small area. But make sure you don’t zoom past Hellissandur and Rif. These little fishing villages are easily missed if you’re en route to Kirkjufell or exploring Snæfellsjökull National Park. When you reach the end of the…

  • THE VIKING AGE NEVER REALLY ENDED IN ORKNEY

    THE VIKING AGE NEVER REALLY ENDED IN ORKNEY

    I wish I had had longer than one day in the windswept Orkney Islands, north of Scotland.The day I did have was halcyon and perfect. We were chasing deep time—standing stones, Skara Brae and more recent time—the Churchill Barriers, and the beautiful Italian Chapel but for somewhere so steeped in time, I needed more of…