Monique Sliedrecht

Over the years I’ve picked up a few beautiful objects from the past - items that would now be considered vintage or old fashioned: a typewriter, a phone with a round number dial and cord receiver, a black Singer sewing machine… The latter reminded me of the machine my mother had. When I was young she sewed a lot of our clothes. She was a great seamstress. One of my childhood memories involved me and my mom going to Fabricland where we spent a long time looking at the myriad o

___ It is December.  Christmas jingles are played on repeat over the loudspeakers. Many buy into the illusion of peace and wellbeing via early Black Friday sales. Days of December (and even November!) are filled with markets and flyers that point to family get-togethers and parties in the name of commerce. In many homes and businesses entertaining guests over dinner may be part of the lineup for the holidays. Most adverts overtly suggest the need for perfectly dressed tables,

Long delays and complications with my flight to Canada last month resulted in extensive time sitting in a cafe in a bleak railway station sorting through the logistics of travel. During the stress-filled afternoon of negotiating with officials and organising new flights with people on the phone (or more often, robots), my endless attempts at securing something was scuppered by constant re-routing via machine and sudden internet disconnect.  Midway through the mayhem I was int

____ There is a new feeling in the air which comes with the change of the seasons.   It's a little cooler, a little breezier. When the...

_____ A film maker from Glasgow came to the north on a work trip recently.  He only stayed for one night, as he had a busy schedule.  I...