No Big Leaps in February

the image is of crocuses growing on grass in a park, February 2021

What a pipsqueak of a month February is. Over in the blink of an eye, or perhaps that's just me experiencing time whizzing past as I grow older. I finished the Papatango online playwriting course at the beginning of the month. Taking part in the course enabled me to edit and finish an audio play… Continue reading No Big Leaps in February

Two Chopsticks and a Pencil for the Hyacinths

The image is of a bowl of three blooming hyacinths, supported by chopsticks, a pencil, and string.

A lovely neighbour brought over the gift of a bowl of hyacinths when the year was brand new, and now, in the very last weekend of January, three pale yellow flowers have bloomed gloriously and our hallway is filled with a sweet and spicy scent that we have grown to appreciate (we weren't sure, at… Continue reading Two Chopsticks and a Pencil for the Hyacinths

Falling Hyacinths and It’s Still January

the image shows two hyacinth bulbs tied with string to keep them upright

So here I am at the end of another week.  Here we are.  I said to Andrew (my husband) that it feels like such a long time since we've seen our daughter and we were astonished to discover, when we looked at the calendar, that's it's only been three weeks since she went back to… Continue reading Falling Hyacinths and It’s Still January

Buying New Glasses in a Pandemic

I was worried - how could I not be worried, given the news reports of the rise and rise of new cases of Covid-19 across the UK? But my last eye-test was two and half years ago and my most recent pair of glasses continues to disintegrate after several repair attempts, and I have been… Continue reading Buying New Glasses in a Pandemic

What the real world is

This week I wore my mask every time I went into a shop or a shopping mall, which is more frequently than I had been doing.  Once Boris Johnson announced that face coverings will become compulsory inside shops in England from July 24 (or possibly July 23?  I'm not sure of the date) I noticed… Continue reading What the real world is

Not just poems

In between the other stuff, I'm taking a free online course at FutureLearn called Explore Animation.  During the lockdown, I started experimenting with my phone, making collages and a poetry film and I'm curious to learn basic animation to see if I can extend my skills and perhaps combine poetry and storytelling with animation.  I… Continue reading Not just poems

Corona Diary: Half year, middle of the week catch-up

A small rambling post about what I'm up to at the moment, what's happening out here in my little corner of the West Wiltshire town that's been my home for the past 17 years, and what's new since my first post about living through the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK. News in the garden: our… Continue reading Corona Diary: Half year, middle of the week catch-up

Lists, including wrong lists

The image is of a white woman sitting at a table writing

The Discover Prompts from WordPress have stopped now.  I felt a little flurry of excited anticipation when they started up again for April but they never really lived up to my expectations, to be honest. Now they've gone, though,  I miss them a bit.  'Lists' was one of the prompts that I didn't actually write… Continue reading Lists, including wrong lists

Where I am

Earlier this year, or possibly last year, I cannot remember exactly, as a way of being less distracted by social media, I tried to come off Facebook but rather than deleting my account I just switched off all notifications and deleted the app from my phone.  Facebook is still a useful place to share information… Continue reading Where I am

Mid-October Notes and looking ahead to November

With both of my children now at university and not that many freelance projects on the go (but probably enough, for now) I have a lot more hours to myself these days. So far in October there have been some decent blocks of time available for me to write.  Of course, that doesn't mean I've… Continue reading Mid-October Notes and looking ahead to November