Category sketches

burning lights and a raging bull A flickering ceiling neon casts an eerie blue light across the cracked mirror. The bathroom is filled with the musty smell of damp and neglect. You come out of the shower and sway before…

a case of gloomy introspection I’m at a bar near the Tay Bridge, that sort of springboard into oblivion, courtesy of the icy waters of the Firth. My friend Malcom jumped off the Tay Bridge. Or so the story goes.…

a random firing of neurons A suburban late afternoon. The receptionist’s pony-tailed hairdo, her fingers on the keyboard, a few waiting-room design chairs, architecture magazines, Guten Tag – Guten Tag, the muffled sound of a dental drill. I know nothing…

tripping the light invisible (the commotion) The hell he’s going to sleep rough by my door. Fierce and unkempt, she addresses the crowd of patrons gathered around a couple of bar stools, a few meters away from her. She does…

inconsequentially yours We’re sitting around in the living room and sipping Glühwein. Netflix is the subject on the table. There are probably worse ways of spending Xmas than watching Emily in Paris, my friend Celine proffers. If you want to…

a sort of farce, understated Qatar owns or holds a majority share in a vast amount of property around the world. In London, it includes Canary Wharf, The Shard, Heathrow Airport, Harrods, Sainsbury’s, and…the Olympic Village (which was apparently sold…