On February 27th (yes, this very day) last year I 'penned' a Manky Toy post about the delectable Maureen - a doll beautifully described by Kirstie (of Beaut.ie) as "Mullingar Beef …

Writing about music close to one's heart can be be tricky. The challenge of trying to capture - through clumsy, clunky prose - its ethereal and deeply personal pleasures is a challenge this blog has rarely taken on.

It's far easier …

A Manky Toy double-bill for you on this glorious Monday (glorious because the sun has his/her hat on and I'm off work). Through no conscious design on my part a "Jesus" theme seems to have sneaked its way into proceedings. …

2) "Casting The Ruins (pdf), (html)

The path by which I came to know and (greatly) enjoy M. …

Like most sensible people I loathe and abhor Mondays. Mondays take my weekend jauntiness and kick it in the face - before setting fire to it and throwing it down …

When I was but a small, nervous, big-eyed child (in the late 70s/early 80s) two parental fears dominated all others. One concerned the possibility of me (at some time in my life) …

1) "What Was it?" (pdf) (html) (Google Books)

Despite being described variously as "a lion of literary New York", "a Poe in the minor mode", …

While the fústar/Tuppenceworth crossover FIZZOO!A girl's comic by boys…and maybe some girls. slowly gathers momentum (quietly bubbling and fizzing away) I thought I'd fill an idle hour by launching another partially baked …