Out of the blue, Christine Rosier, a veteran pansyfan from our Turkey days, dropped me a line. We struck up an e-conversation which included trading memories of good times had at the Churchill Arms, a gorgeous Kensington boozer, famous for lip-licking Thai pub grub, OTT summer hanging baskets and a spectacular festive light show at Christmas. Christine lived nearby, and I worked locally. Many times our paths may well have crossed without us ever knowing it.

Christine writes beautifully and evocatively about her life and times and, to get the word out, she joined Substack just over a year ago. Everyone who’s anyone is on Substack these days. It’s the place to be for creative writers and independent voices. Remarkably, Christine has written 52 essays in 52 weeks. To celebrate this amazing achievement she asked me and some others to take part in a bit of fun. We were invited to…

…write something very short – 100 words or less – in the form and language of your choice, and as quirky or silly as you like, about the semicolon; that most ambiguous of punctuation signs…

Quirky or silly? That’s right up my alley. So here it is…

You’d think that, having attended an old-fashioned grammar school founded over 400 years ago by a cousin of Good Queen Bess, I’d know the rules of the game, words-wise. But no, I don’t know what to do with the semi-retired semicolon. I guess I threw a sickie the day it got covered. Am I bovvered? Nah. Let the grammar police clap me in irons. Let the judge hand me down two related sentences; I couldn’t care less. It’s just a semicolonic irritation. And don’t get me started on the Oxford comma.

Turns out my quirky, silly waffle is in lofty company. I’m chuffed. Click on the image to read all about it.