Buondì. A couple of years ago, before artificial intelligence made freelance writers redundant, I was getting a lot of pitches from young people who were keen to write articles, ebooks, basically anything, as long as it was paid. And I always pay. I responded to one or two of them (that’s how I found some […]
Archives for October 2023
Dusty corners to explore, and a public service announcement!
Buondì. The final days of my ‘break’: Monday I’ll be back to the usual routine, plugging a new ebook and taxiing baby Bug around Bologna. Today though, a quick whizz around some dusty corners of the club website which you might have forgotten, or never have explored. What’s left to tell you about? In approximate […]
How not to be one of ‘those’ learners…
Buondì. We slept the whole night through! Probably ten hours or more. But I dreamt of small animals… There’s a blue sky here in south-west England, and the streets are busy with half-term families wearing rubber boots and wind-proof jackets. Today we’re headed for Truro, to look at the shops and eat pasties. Probably while […]
Worn out. Taking a (sort of) break.
Buondì. While driving Bug to the petting zoo this morning, after a particularly disrupted night of not-much-sleep, I had an epiphany. Today I’m supposed to be preparing an ‘eBook of the Week’ offer, then writing an interesting and entertaining article, and then packing for a trip we’re taking this week. During the trip I’d then […]
Do grammar ‘rules’ make you nauseous, too?
Buondì. After more than three weeks of waking up multiple times each night to microwave Bug’s three-hourly meals, you’ll understand that my energy levels are low, and that work has piled up to an absurd height. Today I have to start clearing a path through it, before the weekend when the petting zoo is closed, […]
Two pizzas and two red wines. Grazie!
Buondì. Here’s an exercise for you: 1.) The spaghetti is/are just right this time, not too soft, perfectly salted. Well done! 2.) Can we just have two pizza/pizzas and two wine/wines? Grazie! This provoked by emails received from a variety of Ancient Greek enthusiasts, pointing out that I used the phrase ‘hoi polloi‘ incorrectly while […]
This week why not brush up your Ancient Greek?
Buondì. British club members will know that certain odious recent prime ministers have been the products of the ‘public school’ system, ‘public’ in the British context actually meaning ‘private and very costly’. ‘State’ schools are for the hoi polloi, ‘public’ schools in the UK being reserved for the sort of elite who will be ‘first […]
How do you know?
Buondì. Our miniature new house guest, Bug, and I were sitting outside, enjoying a little late-afternoon sunshine, and chatting with neighours as they passed by, mostly on their way home from work. Bug was awake, which he is more and more each day, and telling me loud and clear that he’d like to eat, and […]
Deb emailed
Buondì. Deb emailed. I got permission to share her missive here, and have added my replies (IN CAPS), hoping that it might be helpful more generally to club members, some of whom, no doubt, have similar issues. +++ I’m … wondering if you might talk about, in a future message, on the importance of immersion, […]
Don’t buy these ebooks if…
Buondì. I’ll be brief and commercial today as we had a brutally bad night. Something was bugging Bug, who screamed in agony for what felt like hours at a time throughout the night. We took turns, so did sleep some, in short bursts at least. But the total hours of ‘sonno’ couldn’t have been more […]