‘Love Island’ devotion delightfully absurd
Every night at five to nine, I brew myself a cup of peppermint tea, tuck myself into bed, open up my laptop and head over to the ITV website, right in time for the daily live showing of my most...
Tinker Tailor Student Spy
Making procrastination productive
Making procrastination productive
I write this article tucked up in bed with a cup of hot chocolate and Stranger Things playing in the background.
Adjusting to the bizarre world aboard a luxury cruise ship
Adjusting to the bizarre world aboard a luxury cruise ship
Jean Balchin is on her first cruise - and it all feels very surreal.
Destroying books a unique tragedy
Destroying books a unique tragedy
I was about 14 years old when, in search of a new Enid Blyton book, I stumbled upon my father’s teenage diaries wedged into the back of a bookcase in his library.
Must-watch period drama that smoulders with desire
Must-watch period drama that smoulders with desire
"You are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires."
The beauty of isolation at St Kilda, bastion of another kind of life
The beauty of isolation at St Kilda, bastion of another kind of life
Some seven years ago, I was fortunate enough to travel to the furthermost part of the British Isles; the splintery archipelago of St Kilda, abandoned over a century ago.
Media literacy should be curriculum subject
Media literacy should be curriculum subject
In 2017, I had the enormous privilege of interning for the Science Media Centre of New Zealand as part of my honours year at Otago University.
Selfish idea of freedom the stuff of nightmares
Selfish idea of freedom the stuff of nightmares
Well, it finally happened — I caught Covid.
Dangers of having a writer in the family
Dangers of having a writer in the family
As any reader of mine has probably realised, my writing in these columns is deeply personal.
Opinion: No shame in grieving a celebrity’s death
No shame in grieving a celebrity’s death
On January 18, French actor Gaspard Ulliel collided with another skier at La Rosiere in Savoie, France. Ulliel, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered serious brain trauma and died in hospital the...
Novel raises questions of fact, fiction and identity
Novel raises questions of fact, fiction and identity
Summer is the season for reading, for stretching out on the sand with a new thriller, or retreating from the heat into the cool cocoon of an air-conditioned bedroom with a good romance.
Wisdom, stories enrich friendship
Wisdom, stories enrich friendship
Somehow, I have found myself living in a beautiful but crumbling old manor on the outskirts of Oxford, caring for a 93-year-old gentleman, his house, his extensive art collection, and the...
Comparing vaccine mandates to rape cruel, wrong
Comparing vaccine mandates to rape cruel, wrong
As an avid reader and aspiring writer, I have read (and no doubt written) my fair share of ridiculous metaphors, similes, analogies and other figures of speech.
Time to rethink what ‘counts’ as reading
Time to rethink what ‘counts’ as reading
Recently, I have rediscovered the joys of listening to a good audiobook as I traipse across the Oxfordshire countryside.
Taking stock of Sally Rooney
Taking stock of Sally Rooney
It seems as if every which way I turn, I am met by the calm, impassive presence of Irish novelist Sally Rooney.
Vaccination shows you care
Vaccination shows you care
Over the past few weeks I have noticed the seemingly inexorable growth of anti-vaccine misinformation and conspiracy theories across social media. Like opening a bag of bread and noticing a few...
Please get your Covid vaccination
Please get your Covid vaccination
Covid isn’t leaving us at any point soon. It’s the unwanted guest lingering in the kitchen, eyeing up the half-full bottle of wine on the counter, and menacingly staring at your elderly grandmother, writes Jean Balchin.
Life is a struggle when your past self is a stranger
Life is a struggle when your past self is a stranger
My father has the most impressive memory I have ever encountered.
Sunflower lanyard hijacking hurts everyone
Sunflower lanyard hijacking hurts everyone
You may have seen one — a green and yellow sunflower-bedazzled lanyard hung casually around the neck of someone sitting on the bus or pushing a trolley around the supermarket. Perhaps the lanyard...
Anxious times, unable to come home
Anxious times, unable to come home
Two Saturdays ago, while collecting firewood in the back garden, my 65-year-old father collapsed from a heart attack. He was found by my little brother Jack, who alerted my mother, who then called...