Stories without Borders
You will find the pristine glacial valley of Logarska Dolina hidden away in Slovenia's Kamnik-Savinja Alps to the north of Ljubljana. Unlike the tourist hotspots of the Julian Alps, this area boasts no lakes nor flashy tourist resorts: there are only lush meadows, crystal clear rivers and steep soaring mountains rising almost vertically from the... Continue Reading →
I am revisiting my poem 'No Homelike Place' for tonight's dVerse Open Link Night, which is also an Open Mic Night. In response, I have added included a video of my reading the poem at the end of this post. No Homelike Place There is no homelike placeOnly an empty spaceWhere once the toys were... Continue Reading →
It's been used so much in the self-help world that it's become something of a cliche: the analogy of putting your own mask on first as a metaphor for self-care. However, this analogy has a special significance when it comes to recovery from alcoholism, or any other kind of addictive behaviour, particularly as this relates... Continue Reading →
Last time I featured the rather sombre poetic form of the Elegy for the Experiments in Fiction Poetry Challenge. Though there is a time to mourn, there is also of course a time to laugh. Life is without balance if we don't find joy in it as well as sorrow. So for today's challenge, we... Continue Reading →
I always check in on my children through the night. I did it constantly, pathologically even, the first time around. I’d been terrified by tales of ‘cot death’ and thought that if I didn’t check in on my newborn every five minutes he might die as a result of my neglect. Once I had my... Continue Reading →
I had my consultation today, with Dr D’Earth. I tried not to take the name as an ill-omen. I sat outside the waiting room, nervously but patiently waiting my turn: twiddling my thumbs. Looking down at my hands thinking ‘how long?’ or was it ‘how much longer?’ He called my name. I steeled myself. I... Continue Reading →
Lakes Bled and Bohinj, twin jewels of the Julian Alps, are linked by the Sava Bohinjka river which flows between them through the breathtakingly beautiful Bohinj Valley. If you enjoy cycling, you might well want to cycle between the two lakes when visiting the area. This post describes the route, including alternatives to using the... Continue Reading →
Today, I am proud to be hosting Don Matthews at EIF. Don is an Australian writer who's work is different to the 'norm'. He focuses on rhyme with content taken from humour, serious, nonsense, absurd etc. I recommend exploring his site 'Flippant, Comic, and Serious' for poetry with a difference: The Flippant, Comic, and Serious... Continue Reading →
The sky, for the whole of that period in my life was painted the colour of love. Love taints the sky. I cant describe the colour. An infra-red mixed with an ultraviolet; a sunny autumn day in Catalunya; a sunset over Montserrat. Love paints the sky.A colour like no other. Have you ever driven through... Continue Reading →
All day long, rain:Falling from the low cloud,Falling foul of my low mood,Falling.Visibility down to ten percent:Light aircraft grounded for today And far awaySomewhere in a far-off land I'd left behindSunshine. Rain like my tearsWhich I refused to let fall:Let the sky fall tears for me,Fall like an edgeless swordCourting despair.Where had the sun gone?When... Continue Reading →