Snow has fallen on our land. The first snow of winter. The children rejoice, for finally they have the world outside as their playground. Though I delight in their play, my heart is heavy for I know that soon I must make my pilgrimage to Father Winter in the Highlands. Father Winter controls the weather... Continue Reading →
Reading what I have just written, I now believe that I’m a coward. ‘Let them shoot me,’ I thought as they marched me in, ‘I will not talk.’ But as soon as they showed me the knives, I crumbled. All my bravery evaporated like the breath of winter. One piece of paper, five names: the... Continue Reading →
For two weeks, I haunted the cemetery lodge. I was going through a phase of house-sitting, as I no longer wanted to live at home but couldn't afford to move out and live independently. The lodge was centuries old. The family who lived there were away on holiday. They'd left to my care their menagerie... 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 →
Today's guest post comes from the unique mind of Valdis Stakle, who does not have his own blog, but perhaps he should? In addition to writing flash fiction, he paints impressionistic portraits of the characters in his head. For more details you can contact him at valdiss@hotmail.co.uk. Adrian the Unloved Adrian, by Valdis All his... Continue Reading →
Today, I am very proud to be hosting my first guest post: a short story by Nick Reeves. Nick lives on the North East coast of England and many of his stories are set in the fictional town of Penn Beacon. He counts magpies (of which there were 8 at the last tally), and collects... Continue Reading →
I was packing up my life. It was time to move on. I'd found employment, yes; but not the kind I had been looking for. I sat behind a desk for 8 hours every day, deleting or ignoring emails, until someone shouted at me loud enough to elicit a response. It wasn't what I'd been... Continue Reading →
Today, I'm revisiting an old post, in the light of our current situation. With a third of the world's human population on lockdown, we've seen a definite reduction in global carbon emissions. We've also seen the natural world thriving as humans take shelter and reduce their day-to-day polluting activities. I wonder if all of this... Continue Reading →
Forget Paris, forget Venice, forget Rome... For me, the most romantic city in the world is Liverpool. Dreams of long-departed emigrants hang in the dockside air; ever expectant; awaiting transportation to the New World. I can almost hear their chatter on the docks. Maybe it's from the many visits to the Maritime Museum as a... Continue Reading →
