
I'm sorry, but I do feel you need to shoulder some of the blame. If you don't slap me on the wrist when I go off on a tangent, I'll get the impression I can write what the hell I like here, and who knows where that will lead? Don't you see, part of the function of the comments box is to rein me in. So you can hardly complain, if I act like I'm talking only to myself.
Anyway, back to the main topic.
As I was saying, I wanted to spring clean my categories. There's a part of me that loves systems as much as Macon does in that wonderful novel The Accidental Tourist and I really believe that if I just try hard enough, I'll come up with a way that will have all my bits neatly compartmentalised. So I was a bit miffed when I realised I'd saddled myself with way too many categories (having confused categories with tags, most blogs having both but weebly providing facilities only for the former). But when I thought it over, this blog really does have only one category, which is writing, from the inside and the outside, from back and front, underneath and upside down, and all the rest are variations on theme. While it might not be something to boast about, I think I'd struggle to assign any of the posts to a single unique category.
I used to listen to Alistair Cooke's Letter from America on BBC Radio Four. I liked how he'd start out in one place and take you somewhere you'd never expect. I'm not saying I'm trying for that effect – to be honest I'm not trying for anything, I'm just playing around and seeing what happens – and I don't think anyone would accuse him of a lack of focus, but for some people sometimes it works to approach your argument in a roundabout way.
The disappearing apostrophe is coming very soon …