Goodness me, I am finding today hard-going. Could be because I woke up at 5. Could be the heat. Could be anything really. I’ve made a To Do list with lots of rewards and breaks and I would still prefer to just sit on the sofa and read.

BUT I CANNOT.

Because I have big plans next weekend and so I must DO ALL THE THINGS in preparation. I’ll just have to do them very slowly.

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I started writing this post yesterday, but I’d had a busy week, culminating in getting home at 12:30am after a concert and waking up at 5:22 anyway, before going out to do the paper round. I. Was. Knackered.

So instead of the writing I’d planned, I spent the day reading, watching TV, and stuffing my face. I had a great time!

(Tip: do not go to the shop after 5 hours sleep and 10k steps because you may spend a tenner on Haribo, chocolate biscuits, a multi-pack of Snickers and an espresso martini Buzz Ball.)

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Hello and welcome to new followers who found me via photos of cats spotted on my paper round on Substack Notes!

Lately, our main focus has been on introducing Daisy and Noodles. We’re going slowly, carefully, and trying to be consistent.

If you’re a newer reader, this abundance of caution is in part because introducing our last foster, Bunny, went very badly. Both for Noodles, who was traumatised, and for me who, as a result of trying to comfort Noodles, ended up with a handful of claws and an afternoon in A&E.

Also, Joe wants to keep Daisy, of course he does, and we can’t keep her if she and Noodles can’t learn to coexist. (Of course, since no one seems interested in adopting her, we may well end up keeping her by default. But still.)

They both seem cautiously interested rather than aggressive or upset. Daisy seems more relaxed than Noodles - eating while Noodles stares and then wandering off. A couple of times when Daisy has walked off in Joe’s room, Noodles has followed but in the hall, apparently unfamiliar with the concept of walls, bless her.

Yesterday, we tried a lower barrier. Daisy studied it for a while - Noodles still in the next room - and then, suddenly, Daisy darted through the barrier and into the other room. All of us, including Noodles and, apparently, Daisy, were startled. Daisy zoomed back to the safety of Joe’s room, leaving Noodles looking shell-shocked and the rest of us relived that there hadn’t been a cat fight.

I think we’re swiftly approaching the moment we have to let them come face to face and just hope for the best, but I am dreading it. Maybe they’ll be best friends! Maybe they’ll simply tolerate each other. I just don’t want either of them - any of us! - to be upset.

Introductions aside, they’re both happy and weird and we love them a lot.

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The goslings! First, I was worried because there was only one. Then I was relived cos there were five. Turns out they were messing with me and there’s six!

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Hi! I’m Keris. I’m an author writing about writing and books, music and films and TV, cats and life and food. All the good stuff.

I first met Meghan in an online community that she may prefer I don’t disclose…

Okay, it was for adult fans of One Direction and ‘adult’ was defined as ‘over 24yo’. Kill me.

I was so happy to find her on Substack - she’s such a brilliant writer.

Meghan Nesmith is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in the Boston Globe, the Guardian, and Teen Vogue, as well as many other dearly-departed internet publications. She now shares too many feelings in her substack, Cry It Out. Originally from Vancouver, she currently lives in Boston with her husband and two daughters. Her debut novel, the queer historical fantasy A World Apart, is forthcoming this November from Bloomsbury.

Someone gives you £10,000*. You HAVE to spend it on travel. Where do you go? What do you do? (*local equivalent)

Right now, I’m less destination-focused than experience-focused, so I would rent a sprawling beach house somewhere and fly out all my friends and their families. Think Nancy Myers but with way more sand and screaming kids.

We’d make linguine with clams and the wine would always be perfectly chilled and the kids would roam the beach in packs and my friends and I would skinny dip in the moonlight.

Crucially, this house also comes with a tiny studio in the garden to which only I have the key, where I can read and drink my tea and no one can find me.

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten? And the worst?

I love food, I love eating, I love decadence and pleasure, I have so many memories of near-perfect meals, but honestly - whatever my dad is cooking. He was our family chef growing up, and all my feelings of safety and joy are tied up in his food.

When I was a horrible, vicious teenager and would break curfew, I’d come home to find him waiting up for me in the kitchen, and he would sigh in this very world-weary way and ask if I was hungry, and then he’d make me a midnight omelette. A very good dad.

As for the worst? Anything reduced-fat, keto-friendly, artificially sweetened, etc. Splenda is a war crime. Protein bars taste like punishment. Just eat food, man.

If you could learn a new skill from anyone in the world, what would you want to learn and who would you want to teach you?

PUT ME ON THE STAGE. I studied theatre in college and I’m a passably good actor, a deeply mediocre singer, and a downright pitiful dancer, but all I have ever wanted is to be in musicals.

Maybe a year-long bootcamp with Sutton Foster? Kelli O’Hara? Someone who would be sweet to me, not laugh me off the stage the way I know Patti or Bernadette would (as they should!).

I figure I have another year or two before I’ve fully aged out of ever playing Sally Bowles.

What would be the title of the story of your life?

“I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try.”

What (fun) question should I ask the next person I interview?

At what age did you feel most like yourself?

Bonus question, set by the last person I interviewed, Zoe Lea:

In your next life, what are you coming back as?

Honestly, my girls are 3-and-a-half and 6-years-old right now, and I can’t imagine anything better than coming back and getting to experience them all over again. It’s already going too quickly.

Please also recommend something - a book, film, TV show, song or album - and tell me why you love it.

Keris and I bonded over our shared love of the Australian show Please Like Me, which I maintain holds the record for best-show-the-fewest-people-have-seen. I really struggle to talk about how great it is because I simply do not have the words. It’s intimate, deeply human, hilarious and heartwrenching. It is a perfect show. Perfect!

AGREE. Thanks so much, Meghan!

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cry it out

a newsletter about motherhood, portals, and the occasional face oil.

By Meghan Nesmith

This scene was my introduction to this song and now I listen to it often and always picture them in the camper van. (And, yes, that’s Hannah Gadsby - this show was my intro to them too.)

Hi! I’m Keris. I’m an author writing about writing and books, music and films and TV, cats and life and food.

I meant to send this on Wednesday, but I’m afraid that my brain had melted along with the rest of me and I only remembered it this morning.

It’s cooler today, thank goodness, but still sunny. Pretty perfect, in fact. If it carried on like this for a little while, I’d be happy. But of course it won’t.

Did you have the thunderstorm? I haven’t heard one like that for a long time. Maybe not since the almost-22yo (what?) was little and, following a crash of thunder, came scurrying into our bedroom going “no no no no no no no.” I almost scurried up to his bedroom the other night. But he would have given me short shrift.

What did I do in May?

Let me check my phone…

I went to London for a friend’s birthday and pretended it was also for my birthday. I had the loveliest time.

Spotted these flowers on my paper round and I just love them. The mixture of colours!

I’m still loving Threads. In fact, when the thunderstorm woke me up and I was spiralling in the way I can sometimes do at 2am - ‘The world is too scary! We’re all doomed! I shouldn’t have had kids!” - I went on Threads because I knew it would be cosy and/or funny there. And it was.

(Yes there are loads of arseholes on there, of course, but it’s so easy to curate the feed that I rarely see them - unless I seek them out to mute and block, which I also enjoy.)

(I’m also becoming increasingly concerned about the amount of older and old men replying to AI girl bots thinking they’re real. Do they really think they have a chance with these incredibly beautiful, significantly younger women? Do they genuinely not know what human women actually look like? It troubles me. But I also block them, because ffs.)

Anyway, someone on Threads made this for me:

And I turned 55!

Genuinely unbelievable to me. I actually started typing it to a friend and stopped and thought that can’t be right… But it is.

I don’t have an issue with ageing, I just find it almost impossible to believe that I am FIFTY-FKN-FIVE. My friend Diane just started rewatching Golden Girls and Dorothy is 55. While I love both Dorothy and Bea Arthur, I just don’t feel like I’m there yet.

What have I been writing?

I started something new. I know, I know.

I also rebranded my money newsletter from The Ladybird Purse to Good Fortune. You can read all about that here.

AND I rebranded my store to complement it and there’s FREE UK SHIPPING this weekend. No code required.

What have I been reading?

I have given up on quite a few books lately. I have such a ridiculous tbr that if I put a book down and I’m not excited to get back to it, it’s probably not going to be for me.

But I read and loved How to Read a Book by Monica Wood, Mania: Tartan, Turmoil and My Life As a Bay City Roller by Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood, The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke and Heated Rivalry by Rachel Reid. The last one really surprised me because the TV show barely changed anything. Almost all the dialogue was there word for word! I’ve actually got the third in the series available in the library from today - excited to get to it.

What have I been watching?

So many episodes of The Rookie. I love it when they lean into the humour. This killed me (and has been stuck in my head for days).

What have I been eating?

This, Joe said, was one of the best things he’s ever eaten. I loved it too. We’re having it again tomorrow night.

Amy Sheppard Food

Tuscan Salmon & Butter Bean One Pot

I’ve been feeling really nostalgic this week. Thinking about some of the dinners I shared on here when I first started, when my boys were still little…

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3 months ago · 26 likes · 2 comments · Amy Sheppard

That’s a wrap on May! Apart from the flying visit to London, it was a pretty quiet month, which was fine with me. June is a lot busier and July and August are shaping up to be quite full too. I’m excited.

How was May for you?

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If you’ve been reading for a while, you’ll remember the goose in the pond nearby.

Well, I’m sorry to say that goose - the wingless one - disappeared a while ago. We’re choosing to believe it went to a rescue and not to the great goose rescue in the sky.

Since then, there’s been two or four geese and, for the last couple of months, we’ve been waiting for goslings.

And on Tuesday, one appeared!

Just one, though. I was worried. Last year there was six! Do geese ever have just one gosling? However cute it might be?

And then by Thursday, there were five! I haven’t managed to get a photo of the five yet - they’ve been over on the other side of the pond - but hopefully we’ll get a good look at them soon.

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After my dad died in 2010, my sister was clearing out his house – the house we grew up in – and found a small suitcase in the loft.

The case was full of stuff that Mum, who died in 1999, had saved, but had never mentioned. Letters, cards, postcards, photos, programmes from shows, even things like dry cleaning receipts from when she lived in America in the early sixties.

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It’s my birthday next Monday, so I looked for something that mentioned me.

Content warning for a couple of offensive jokes

Thursday 22 [I looked it up and it must be 22nd July 1971]

Hi mine children

I’ve just climbed out of the bath and I’m all fresh and lovely so I thought I’d drop you a line or three.

Did your hand heal up alright after the last writing bout?

Boy, what a summer we’re having this year, it’s rained 10 weekends out of 10 and only a couple of times has been about 80 and once 87, it’s been hovering about 75.

The raccoons have been visiting us again, four nights on the run they tipped over the garbage cans and pulled the plastic bags out and clawed them to shreds. Last weekend I was down the back collecting wood for the fire cos we were going to have a weiner roast and hot-dogs, etc., anyway the next thing a skunk came trotting out of the bush and right in front of me. I let him go on his merry way, there’s no way I’m going to argue with one of those.

I was thinking about when we were standing in the queue outside the Gaumont with Dave Bennett the other night because of the film I was watching on TV – have you guessed the title? “The Glenn Miller Story” (who’s Glenn Miller?).

So talking of Benito, how’s he doing? What’s he doing? And who’s he doing it to?

OK now it’s “referring to Ernie’s last letter” time. I’ll answer your questions in order – yes, yes, no, yes and a definite maybe.

Details on Kerris. She was born (which is good for starters) weighing in at exactly 7 pounds and 21 inches long, she now weighs 10 pounds, is still bald except for a fine spray of blond hair to match her blue eyes (Hitler would’ve been proud of her). She’s a happy soul, always laughing, the only time she’s serious is when she’s filling her pants – usually when I’m holding her.

Yes, we are coming home for good because workwise here it’s not too good and also we want my folks to get the benefit of their only grandchild. Another thing is we’re fed up with the 6 month winters here and the mosquitos in the summer are a menace, also the education system here is for the birds, we’ve never met so many ignorant people1 so of course we want only the best for our child. I can see her going to Riverside school with her string of conkers and a poison apple for Mr Booker then graduation day to Gorsedale Collegiate and a jam jar to collect “ankers” at dinnertime.

Enough about mine – let’s talk about yours – how are the little blighters doing? You’ve taught them how to play “Duck’s Off” “Relieve-O” “Kings” and “3 holes” haven’t you, Ern? We’ll be able to fix up a baseball team when we get home cos I bought a glove and ball. I’m going to buy another glove and a bat before I leave – Play Ball!!!

I liked that joke of yours about the Queen in the hospital, that’s another thing we miss over here – the British sense of humour, I tell a joke at work and they never see it, half the time they think I’m serious, most of the jokes here are about Poles or Ukrainians, they’re well known as being complete idiots. There’s one “Uke” in the local government office, they say his wife told him to put a clean pair of socks on every day and by the end of the week he couldn’t get his shoes on. Did I tell you why they don’t give Poles coffee breaks? It’s too costly to retrain them. Exit stage left.

[Apologies for these offensive jokes. I thought about deleting them but I decided these are historical documents and so should be left intact, even when they paint a less than pretty picture.]

Friday 23

The TV programme you mentioned was on here last year and we’ve visited the scene of the massacre, I couldn’t find a tomahawk like the one Tommy Smith had, I couldn’t even find an old scalp.

[Sigh]

I see by the local paper that Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon are coming to Winnipeg in September to open the new museum or something. I’ll get a case of beer in just in case they decide to call in on us.

Well I’m quitting work August 1st and we’re flying East to either Toronto or Ottawa, we haven’t decided yet cos we have friends in both places.

A film has just come on called “Two Flags West” starring Jeff Chandler. It’s probably the usual cavalry junk – Harry Von Zell is even in it.

Well it’s raining cats and dogs again because the weekend is here.

It bugs me that we have to sell all our electrical stuff because the juice is only 110 here.

Do you know that Allan’s wife was expecting on the 18th of July? We’ve heard nothing yet though.

How’s the car running, Ern? I’m going to have a job choosing one when we get home cos I don’t know what’s what. The Datsuns look like good little cars.

Well folks!
That’s yer lot for now
so I’ll say Adios for the noo

Mo, Agz & Kerris

These photos are datestamped July 1971, i.e. same time as the letter was written.

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I must open with this hilariously terrible song Joe introduced me to yesterday. I insisted it must be a joke, but apparently not.

I spent much of yesterday singing random words or picturing this:

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Hello to new followers who found me via photos of cats spotted on my paper round on Substack Notes! Welcome!

To bring you up to speed… my sons had been asking for a cat for ages and then my eldest suggesting fostering. In September 2024, we fostered Noodles and, inevitably, ended up adopting her.

In September 2025 we fostered another cat, Bunny. She was sixteen and not in great health and we sadly lost her just before Christmas. (In the short time we had her, she was very loved.)

A few weeks ago, Daisy arrived. She currently lives in my younger son’s room while of course Noodles has the run of the flat. We’re planning to introduce them, but when Noodles and Bunny were - accidentally and admittedly badly - introduced, I ended up in the hospital, so we’re taking it slow!

Daisy, Daisy

Daisy is settling in well. She loves Joe, likes me and just about tolerates Harry (presumably because he smells like Noodles).

She likes to sleep on - or in - Joe’s bed, loves chasing the laser pointer and sitting on the windowsill, and rushes to her scratching post whenever she feels anxious.

We’ve let Daisy out of Joe’s room a couple of times to have a wander and she’s gone a bit further each time, but she’s still skittish. Once she’s more confident we’ll do a managed meeting with Noodles.

Noodles

When not worrying about Daisy, Noodles is her usual lovely, clingy self. Since I’ve been back from Dungeness, she is even more clingy - as soon as I sit down, she is on my lap and she sleeps in my room most often.

Yesterday afternoon I fell asleep on the sofa. As I was drifting off, I felt Noodles climb up onto my hip and start making biscuits.

I’d set a timer for 45 minutes, but when it went off I a) didn’t want to get up and b) couldn’t if I’d tried because Noodles was deeply asleep on top of me.

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What’s that you’re eating? Now also featuring Daisy

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I’ve been loving all the nineties nostalgia recently, particularly the documentaries, podcasts and memoirs dedicated to the period. What I was not expecting was a podcast about my actual place of work!

London Records in the mid-nineties was a vibe - we wouldn’t have called it that back then, but it was - and I loved working there. Because I was a small nervous nerd, I missed pretty much all drama and debauchery (I regret this now, but if I had my time again, I’d probably be exactly the same).

I listened to the first episode this morning and really enjoyed it. But it also made me tearful. It was such a long time ago, but it feels like no time at all.

A different world. A different life. A different me.

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Hi! I’m Keris. I’m an author writing about writing and books, music and films and TV, cats and life and food. All the good stuff.

I first met Zoe in an online writing community maybe twenty years ago and we’ve always got on like a house on fire, so obviously I had to get her to do the Five Fun Things interview!

Zoe is a published psychological thriller author, freelance copywriter, and brand storyteller based in the Lake District. With over 20 years of professional writing experience, she helps brands find and tell their stories through strategic copywriting and narrative consulting.

When she’s not writing fiction or crafting brand voice, she’s out on the fells with her English Pointers and a peregrine called Dot. She writes about slow, intentional creativity and marketing for authors on her Substack newsletter. To work with Zoe or find out more about her books, visit zoelea.com.

Someone gives you £10,000. You HAVE to spend it on travel. Where do you go? What do you do?

Oh, so tricky! So many places I’d love to go and see!

I did some copywriting for a rail travel company recently (shameless plug if anyone needs a copywriter) and I can’t stop thinking about train holidays since, so I’d love to do that, but as I’m writing this, I remembered I’ve always wanted to go on the Orient Express, so yep, it would be that.

The best holiday they have on the Orient Express.

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten? And the worst?

Best thing I’ve eaten is so hard as I adore eating and most meals are a delight.

The first time I tried a handmade macaroon was something, but I think the most delicious thing I’ve eaten was a meal that was wrapped up in an experience, so it would have to be when I went to New York and went into a hotel lobby, stepped behind a red curtain and discovered a ‘secret’ burger place.

It was one of the best burgers I can remember having, made all the more special because it was hidden behind a curtain, like The Wizard of Oz. It was the burger equivalent of the film, and it was fun and delicious, and I would absolutely go again.

The worst thing I’ve eaten was at a pizza restaurant in Soho, London, where the pizza arrived cold, was super doughy and soggy, and tasted like tinned tomatoes on wet mush. Ugh.

If you could learn a new skill from anyone in the world, what would you want to learn and who would you want to teach you?

I just tried skiing for the first time in my life, and it’s no exaggeration to say I was overly optimistic about how easy I thought it would be. I went down on a French blue run as my introduction to the sport and nearly died. But then I took a proper lesson and LOVED IT.

So I would love to learn how to ski and would love to be taught by Seth Rogen. (I do not know if he even skis, but imagine how much fun it would be!)

What would be the title of the story of your life?

This is so hard, but I think it would go back to the one line that was said to me over and over when I was a kid.

My mum said it to me, then the teachers, then I complained about it and told friends, who then said it every time I had a glass of wine or got an idea, and now sometimes my kids even say it to me when I get overexcited.

‘Stop being so giddy.’

You can tell from this that I quite like being giddy. Oh, maybe that’s a better title!

What (fun) question should I ask the next person I interview?

In your next life, what are you coming back as?

Bonus question, set by the last person I interviewed, Alex T Smith:

If you woke up one morning and found you were the size of a Borrower, how would you spend your day?

This almost very nearly became a short story, so thank you for the amazing prompt, but the TLDR answer is I would totally spy on everyone I could.

I’d hop on a train to London, swing by the kitchens of some Michelin-star restaurants for delicious food, sneak into a concert, get backstage, and get all the gossip. That kind of stuff. I know that I should have probably said I’d use my new superpower for good, but I’d just use it for getting all the tea!

Please also recommend something - a book, film, TV show, song or album - and tell me why you love it.

It would have to be either of the amazing TV shows, The Detectorists or Small Prophets.

Both created by the super talented Mackenzie Crook and both really special. I love a British sitcom, and these hit the magic spot of being a comfort watch and being really funny. I love them and know I’ll watch them over and over. I am jealous of anyone who has yet to discover them.

Thanks so much, Zoe!

Zoe Lea

Trad-published thriller author going indie, sharing the honest, messy process of writing, self-publishing, and finding readers. For writers who love the craft but hate the hustle.

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It’s my birthday later this month. This morning I declared (to myself and Noodles) this month

All About Me May

I’m going to do whatever I want. Read/watch/listen to what I want. Eat what I want. Go where I want. See who I want.

So far, I’ve had two coffees and a Creme Egg and spent most of the morning trying to finish the novel I’m reading before it becomes due at the library.

I didn’t say it was going to be exciting. But I am going to enjoy myself.

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Hi! I’m Keris. I’m an author writing about writing and books, music and films and TV, cats and life and food. And ennui, apparently.

I feel a bit weird today. Tired, almost certainly. Jittery? Restless with a side of ennui? I’ve been reading a chapter of a book (this book) between every item on my To Do list because otherwise I couldn’t make myself get going.

Partly it’s that I got out of my routine when I was away in Dungeness (cat-sitting) for two weeks and partly I think it’s because my birthday is fast approaching. In 26 days, I will turn 55. Genuinely unbelievable!

What did I do in April?

Joe went sort of viral a dozen years after the fact.

I left a comment about the time when Joe was small I asked him “Can you put a name to how you feel right now?” And he said, “Yeah. Jimmy.” My comment currently has over a thousand likes and loads of replies. Plus a typo, ffs.

This made me laugh a lot:

DUNGENESS. I didn’t know much about it. I had such a good time. I read and wrote and cooked and wandered. I had a lovely day in Folkestone (including a lobster roll).

The cat I was there to look after was the sweetest. And our new foster cat, Daisy, was settling in at home. And Noodles was only slightly suspicious…

What have I been writing?

Should this be ‘Have I been writing?’ I have!

In March, I wrote that I was thinking about maybe possibly giving up writing. Then I went to Dungeness and wrote every day and enjoyed it. Then I got home and… ughhhh.

I’m not giving it up. I doubt I could if I tried. So many times I’m about to go to sleep and I have an idea and I have to roll over and grab my phone and make a note. (I did this just last night!)

I’ve always written. I likely always will. I need to find a way to make it more fun. Or, if fun is out of the question, less angsty and annoying.

A couple of hours ago, Harry said I need a “soft reboot” of my writing career. “Forget all of them,” he said, pointing at the shelf where the sixteen books I’ve had published in the past sixteen years live, “and just write what you want to write.”

Smart kid.

What have I been reading?

Of course in Dungeness I planned to read a book a day and I did not do that. I think I read five books though, which wasn’t bad. My favourite was The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett, which I absolutely LOVED.

What have I been watching?

We saw Elvis again. Harry said that’s enough Baz Luhrmann now and I am inclined to agree. I haven’t seen Australia though, so maybe I should watch that just to have to full set.

Do you know what Baz is short for? It’s not Barry. Look it up. And then look up the story behind it.1

While I was away, I didn’t watch anything but Taskmaster. And now I’m home, I’m not that fussed either. I was going to start Margo’s Got Money Troubles (LOVED the book), but my Apple subscription offer ran out, so it’ll have to wait until August when I get it back to watch the new Ted Lasso.

What have I been eating?

I bought one of these Salted Blond Chocolate, Pistachios, Shortbread and Cornflakes bars (name’s a bit unwieldy; they should call it Jimmy) at Lime Street and it was GOOD. I had a voucher, which I was grateful for cos they cost four quid. In Lime Street that is. I’ve bought two more since - in Liverpool One M&S they’re £3.75 and in St Pancras £4.25!

I made this earlier this week and it was good and easy and I’ll be adding it to the regular rotation.

The side quests continue!

I’ve added some non-death items to my death shop, including this fetching Fox hat (it’s a Harry Styles lyric especially for me).

How was April for you?

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Check out my memento mori mug shop. There’s free UK shipping this weekend!

What’s the opposite of ennui?

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I am back from my travels! I planned to come back a totally different person, but I did not! I am exactly the same! But while I was away, I realised that’s okay. I’m pretty great.

And so, as it turns out, is the Kent coast.

Also I just made a coffee and dipped in a Dark Chocolate Digestive and learned I do not like Dark Chocolate Digestives dipped in coffee.

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I am not currently at home. Earlier this week, I travelled to the south-easternmost tip of England to cat-sit for a friend. Just me. No kids.

The day before I was due to leave, the local rescue messaged to ask if we’d be able to foster a cat. Impeccable timing! I told the boys of course we can’t! I’m buggering off tomorrow. You’d have to take care of her alone.

They said, yeah, we can totally do that. Off you pop.

Introducing Daisy

Daisy’s person died earlier this year and she’s been with a foster since. But one of the foster’s other cats had five kittens and she wasn’t keen on Daisy bothering them. Because Daisy? Can open doors.

(The rescue told us about the foster having a camera set up in the room with the kittens and, at night, seeing the door handle turn and Daisy come strolling in, while the kittens’ mum hissed and growled. Sounds like a horror film!)

We bought child locks for Joe’s door, which, it turns out, were warranted, cos when Daisy arrived she went straight under Joe’s bed but 24 hours later, she was dangling pointlessly from the door handle. Foiled!

So far she seems to sleep a lot in the day, and stamp on Joe in the night, but he tells me they’re happy together.

You know who’s not happy though?

Noodles is Not Happy

The night Daisy arrived, Noodles was waiting outside Joe’s door, her tail swishing. I cried thinking about how we’ve made her safe space feel unsafe and then I left my bedroom door wide open so she could come and be safe with me. Which she did, sleeping on my legs. (Remember last month I said she’d added Joe’s room to her sleep rotation? Well that’s out now.)

After the cock-up with Bunny, we’re going to make sure we introduce Noodles and Daisy properly, slowly, carefully. But not yet. So far, Noodles is getting extra treats and love, and they’re getting used to each other’s scent.

And how about the cat I’m sitting?

She’s called Derek. She’s adorable.

And, like Noodles, she really wants to eat all my food.

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I woke up early and was trying to work in bed, but my laptop decided to update. It’s been at it for at least twenty minutes and it’s currently on 3% 🫩

Also it’s raining. But the sun shone earlier this week. Look!

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Hi! I’m Keris. I’m an author writing about writing and books, music and films and TV, cats and life and food. All the good stuff.

I’ve known Alex T. Smith online for years and years. I don’t even know how long. He’s always been brilliant and hilarious and his books are gorgeous and his Substack is a total joy.

Alex T Smith’s Pigeon Post

Words! Pictures! Jolly Happenings!

By AlexTSmith

As soon as I read Anna Carey’s bonus question in the last 5 Fun Questions interview, I knew I wanted Alex to be next and since I know how busy he always is, I was so happy he said yes.

Do you have a favourite era in fashion history? I could only think of the eighties, which is demonstrably wrong.

Anyway. Back to Alex. He’s an award-winning, bestselling author, illustrator and screen writer based in the UK. He is the creator of the bestselling Claude series, which is published in 20 languages worldwide, and is now a TV show on Disney Junior and ITVBe.

He’s also the creator of the critically-acclaimed and well-loved Mr Penguin books as well as a clutch of beloved “Countdown to Christmas” books including How Winston Delivered Christmas, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’s Christmas Shenanigans, and The Grumpus and his Dastardy, Dreadful Christmas Plan. His first full length children’s middle grade novel, Murder! By Narhwal! was children’s Book of the Month for both Waterstones and bookshop.org when it published in 2024.

As an illustrator, Alex as collaborated with with Richard Adams, David Almond and Juno Dawson, among many others. He is also widely acclaimed for his work illustrating children’s classics and has created new art for books by Dodie Smith, Eva Ibbotson and Richmal Crompton. He is also the creator of The Coop Troop - a CGI adventure series airing in the UK and across the world. His forthcoming books Alex T Smith presents... J. Algernon Pickle in… The Mystery at Odd Doings House and How Winston Delivered a Christmas Wish, publish in September and October 2026 respectively.

Alex is on Instagram @mralextsmith and on Substack with his weekly newsletter, Pigeon Post.

Someone gives you £10,000. You HAVE to spend it on travel. Where do you go? What do you do?

Ooh! This is a tough one! What WOULD I do? I’d definitely spend a month living in a little flat in Paris, somewhere where I can see the river and stroll to the flower market and bookshops and never be too far from a croissant. Then maybe I’d go to Japan and have a really good time looking at things there.

I also LOVE travelling to places by train so maybe after Paris I’d do a long luxurious train ride - maybe across Europe in the manner of Hercule Poirot on the Orient Express or the Trans- Siberian or Trans Mongolian journeys?

Whatever I did I would want to arrive at my destination looking exactly like Miss Piggy in this photo.

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten? And the worst?

There are so many things I could pick from here, but in thinking about it I’ve realised that although the food is obviously important, for me it’s about the place I’ve eaten it in or, more often than not, the people or person I’ve shared the meal with.

I could have picked many things - my grandmother’s Sunday dinners (best gravy and roast potatoes ever!) the Christmas stuffing my dad makes, or the cakes I helped my mum bake when I was little. Or maybe the improvised picnics of baguettes, cheese, apples and wine eaten on the banks of the Seine or the late night Swedish fast food gobbled down standing in the snow after being at the filming of the Melodifestivalen grand final, or hot salty, vinegary chips by the sea, or hotel room picnics or the snack of salad cream on ready salted Pringles my friend Lindsay and I would eat sitting on my kitchen floor after nights out when we were teenagers. All of these are delicious memories.

What I’m going to pick though is (fried) egg, chips and baked beans. A few years ago I realised that I seemed to be the only person I know who didn’t get a work Christmas party. This is because I’m freelance and work by myself at home. I decided to do something about it. Now, after my final work day of the year, I tidy my studio and then have my own festive bash which involves eating Egg, Chips and Beans in my pyjamas and watching Meet Me In St Louis, accompanied by Babycham in vintage Babycham glasses. It’s a nice way to end a busy year and to spend an evening reflecting on everything that’s happened in the previous twelve months before getting stuck into the goings on with the Smith Family (no relation.)

Without doubt the worst thing I have ever eaten was fermented shark in Iceland. I’m vegetarian but I was coerced by friends to try a tiny bit as a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ sort of experience. It was absolutely diabolical. It’s how I imagine the floor of a pub toilet would taste and even now after all these years the thought of it makes me want to boke.

If you could learn a new skill from anyone in the world, what would you want to learn and who would you want to teach you?

I would like to go back in time and have Nancy Mitford improve my French. I think she’d be a hoot of a teacher and I imagine a lot of the practical lessons would involve us sitting in the front row of Dior’s shows whilst she picked out what she was buying that season. Also, I’d just like to hang out with her and gossip.

What would be the title of the story of your life?

When I was a child I was almost cast in the role of Young Jesus in a film. I didn’t get the part because I was too chubby, so I’ve always thought my autobiography would be called “Too Fat For Jesus”.

What (fun) question should I ask the next person I interview?

If you woke up one morning and found you were the size of a Borrower, how would you spend your day?

Bonus question, set by the last person I interviewed, Anna Carey:

What are your favourite eras in fashion history (mine are the 1720s-1790s and the 1930s)?

This couldn’t be a better question for me.1 I am a huge NURD for historical costume and fashion history. I collect fashion magazine for my reference library. Answering this is tricky - I adore the New Look of the 1950s and am always intrigued by the absolute Panto Dame-ness of the 1830s, but for me the 1920s will always have my heart. So radical and stylish and fresh even 100 years later. (For anyone interested I would recommend looking at the work of fashion illustrator Erté. Mind-bogglingly gorgeous!)

Please also recommend something - a book, film, TV show, song or album - and tell me why you love it.

I’m going to recommend the Barsetshire novels of Angela Thirkell. There are 29 in total stretching from 1933 to 1961 and they are WONDERFUL. They are a little bit Nancy Mitford and a little bit Barbara Pym, but also absolutely their own thing entirely. They are honkingly funny, and also often moving and surprising. The ones written on the build up to and during WW2 are fascinating in the way they give an immediate, real time account of what life was like during that period from the point of view of people bumbling about trying to get on with things whilst also contending with with jumble sales and evacuees and shortages and also not knowing really what the outcome of everything will be.

My favourite (and it’s difficult to pick) is Wild Strawberries from 1934. It’s a hilarious, fizzy romantic comedy revolving around the Leslie family. The matriarch, Lady Emily, is one of my most favourite literary characters ever.

Thanks so much, Alex!

Alex T Smith’s Pigeon Post

Words! Pictures! Jolly Happenings!

By AlexTSmith

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Easter weekend’s got me all upskittled, as my ex-MIL used to say. I thought yesterday was Saturday, today Sunday…

Yesterday I literally said to myself ‘A long weekend feels longer than a normal weekend.’ A genius!

Started today with weird dreams and then saw a dead hedgehog on my paper round, so I really, really want another coffee. But we are almost out of coffee. (Yes, I could go and buy more coffee, but then there’s another thing on my list and where does it all end?!)

Before I hop over to the paid portion, a quick reminder that my Everyone Dies Eventually store is now LIVE with free UK shipping all Easter weekend.

I have also added one (1) non-death mug. Get it while it’s hot. You probably are too.

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Hi! I’m Keris. I’m an author writing about writing and books, music and films and TV, cats and life and food.

Doesn’t seem like a month since I did the February update, does it?

That’s cos I did it two weeks late, halfway through March. And here we are in April already. Good grief.

Talking of grief… I’m going to start with a new thing I’ve been working on slowly for the last couple of weeks and then frenetically for the last couple of days.

A couple of weeks ago, I woke up at 3am with the words ‘Dr Greene died and one day you will too’ in my head, out of the blue. I rolled over and noted it down on my phone. Rolled back and thought ‘memento mori mugs’. Rolled over again. Woke up and, after coffee, decided that rather than talk myself out of it, I would actually do the thing.

I posted on Threads (which I am still loving, come follow me) asking people about their most upsetting fictional deaths and got 1.6k replies, which I decided to treat as proof of concept.

I was working slowly on an Etsy shop with the printing and delivery being done by Teemill when Teemill emailed to tell me they have free UK delivery all Easter weekend, so that seemed like a good opportunity for a soft launch. So from tomorrow (if you’re in the UK) you can get a mug for a tenner with free delivery.

I’ve added the most “popular” traumatic pop culture deaths, but if there’s one you want and it’s not already there, let me know and I will add it!

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What else did I do in March?

I read my WIP. I thought about my WIP. I made a lot of notes. I edited the first chapter. And then I abandoned it to set up the dead mug shop.

The other day I was thinking about how someone will likely see this on Instagram and think ‘She’ll do anything other than write her book.’ And they wouldn’t be wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t be writing my book. This book. Any book? I don’t know. It’s something to think about anyway.

I’ve got ten days cat-sitting alone in a couple of weeks, away from home. I was planning to use it to write, but maybe I’ll use it to think about what I actually want to do. It’s my 55th birthday in six weeks, so it’s pretty good timing.

(A voice says ‘thinking about what you want to do is just another way of putting off writing’ and then another voice says ‘if you come up with so many reasons to put off writing, maybe just stop writing?’)

Sigh. I don’t know. At least it’s spring. Have a photo.

What have I been reading?

I’m listening to Project Hail Mary on audio (from the library) and really enjoying it. I’ve never listened to fiction audiobooks - I tried years ago and couldn’t concentrate, so gave them up as Not For Me. But maybe I was wrong? I’ll certainly try another after I finish this one.

I just started The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin and I am desperate to get back to it! I’m also enjoying Amanda Barrie’s autobiography, which I got from Netgalley on the basis of having once seen her in Boots in Covent Garden and wondering if she lived there. She does! In fact, she just moved there full-time (she had a second home in Somerset), aged 90. An inspiration, quite frankly.

What have I been watching?

Last night, I saw Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet at the cinema. I saw it when it came out and remember thinking it was good, but last night I LOVED it. A masterpiece, honestly. But I’m sure you all know that already.

I’m watching The Rookie with Joe and that’s fine, but I don’t love it like I loved 9-1-1. But then I don’t love 9-1-1 so much anymore either - the writing has gone right down the pan. I love the characters though, so I stick with it.

Am also watching Season 2 of Deadloch, finally, and I just finished S2 of Last One Laughing, which I also loved, despite the presence of Jimmy Carr.

Taskmaster’s back next week. Thank god.

What was your most upsetting fictional death?

Do you have a favourite Baz Lurhmann film? (We also saw Gatsby and Moulin Rouge recently. And Elvis is coming up - again - soon.)

Any audiobook recs?

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