So I have decided to write a blog. It probably says a lot about me that one reason it has taken so long is that I could not think of a name. I have never been good with names – they seem so important that sometimes that stifles me. I have written a lot of untitled stories and poems for that reason. So why a blog? It seem self indulgent – a bit like publishing your journals or using face book as a personal billboard. I have frequently been accused of mounting soapboxes and to me the blog seems like the modern equivalent of a soapbox. In fact, that was my first choice for a name…maybe I’ll change it to that…yep, names are not my forte. Oh, for those of you (in the event that anyone ever reads this) – who may not get the soapbox reference here’s a small explanation. In the dark days before social media and even television and when the press was not necessarily receptive to alternate viewpoints – hang on, has that changed? – speakers would mount soapboxes – I can only assume that soapboxes were made of wood or some other strong material – to speak their truths on street corners and in public places. A bit like standing on a milk crate at Mardi Gras. So this is my version of a soap box and. like all good soap boxers, I intend to shout.