Thinking Allowed

It’s all a bit ... peoply

You haven’t hugged a friend in weeks. You’re starting to feel like one of those experimental monkeys from the ’60s who would choose a fluffy cuddle over a bottle of milk, writes Liz Breslin.

Liz Breslin: If you see what I meme

If you see what I meme

Liz Breslin has been overcoming her emoji-anxiety in the past couple of weeks.

I prefer Connect Four

Poems are an excellent source of social cohesion and symbolic coping, writs Liz Breslin.

How hard can it be . . .

OK, so I peaked too soon. Day one and I was already vacuuming little pockets of home-hacked hair from my carpet, writes Liz Breslin.

Liz Breslin: Tailoring a wardrobe to fit

Tailoring a wardrobe to fit

If I had my way, every day would be a dress-up day, writes Liz Breslin.

A very useful and meaningful survey

Thank you for your time in filling out this survey. This survey may look like other surveys you have filled out in the past but this is only in your imagination, writes Liz Breslin.

Things to do

Things to do

Liz Breslin.on what to do in a screwed up world.

What (not) to wear

You pick out your outfit the night before, to save time and also to quell the questions running around your mind, writes Liz Breslin.

Stewing over resilience

When in doubt, drink tea, writes columnist Liz Breslin.

Liz Breslin: Nothing you can buy

Nothing you can buy

Nothing you can buy will ever make you more whole. It’s always a good time of year to remember that gem of truth from Kate Tempest’s Hold Your Own, writes Liz Breslin.

Spreading the panto magic

This is the start of panto week in the Upper Clutha, writes columnist Liz Breslin.

Liz Breslin: Wings on my heels

Wings on my heels

I have, of late, remembered that I have a superpower that I have under-utilised for the last decade or so, writes columnist Liz Breslin.

Where words matter

A tree planted for Wislawa Szymborska in Krakow. Photo: Getty Images

Where words matter

This is my last column from Krakow. Hello. I think it's Saturday. And November. Is it? I missed a day somewhere on the dateline, I'm very completely massively liminally overadverbially...

In the dark over mushrooms

Turns out there is much room for improvement in my appreciation of one of Poland's proud culinary/cultural traditions. Mushrooms. (Much room. See what I did there!?), writes Liz Breslin.

Art and ash in equal measure

Art and ash in equal measure

It's reasonable, when you're away from your people and your place, for an extended amount of time, to feel a little homesick, writes Liz Breslin.

Judge not the nuance navigators

Unesco City of Literature residency writer Liz Breslin finds a way to cool off in Krakow. Or does she?

Liz Breslin: Attending to the tusks at hand

Krakow's Old Town, in 2009 two boars (see below) toook up residence in a disused building here....

Attending to the tusks at hand

So, hello from the other side. I'm staying at the Villa Decius, set in parkland almost equidistant to the airport and the Old Town Market Square of Krakow, writes columnist Liz Breslin.