My lovely sister enabled me to achieve a long-held wish to see the Keukenhof Gardens this spring. I love tulips. I like many flowers, but tulips are special because they vary so much, and every variation has its own beauty. They can be cup-shaped, star-shaped, narrow, full or fluffy at the edges. They vary in … Read more
I entered a poetry competition which required an “ekphrastic poem”. This is a poem inspired by a work of visual art. I enjoy going to galleries and art exhibitions of all types, but I have my favorites. Impressionism and Expressionism are really colorful, which appeals. I also like classical “still life” featuring flowers or fruit. For … Read more
When I was visiting my cousin in Edinburgh a few years ago, she told me about the unusual swan behaviour on the local pond. I was immediately hooked on the swan saga of Craiglockhart Pond! This story is based on the true story of Brighid, one of the Craiglockhart swans. With thanks to The Friends … Read more
Let me lie In your spread copper skirts. Let me feel your toes sucking Sugar and spice from the chalky loam. Let me caress Your sculpted grey limbs, And bask in the smell Of your strength. Sway your arms in dance With the murmuring breeze, Shake the jewels in your waving hair! Let me bathe … Read more
In the sweet warmth of summertime I wait to watch the men from the monk’s lair. Low bushes and rushes hug the riverbank And the fields are full of stools of willow Sprouting dense, vigorous rods That sway and clack in the breeze. Here come the lay-brothers Rowing across from the stone place, Plain caps … Read more
Three Lions on a shirtJules Rimet still gleamingThirty years of hurtNever stopped me dreaming Ah, there is something so comforting about that football chant. First of all, no one minds if you sing it out of tune and, more importantly, if it is on the TV it means that the grief of the end of … Read more
“What a wonderful view!” they gush. They always gush. And then they wonder. “Why are you selling?” When they say that, I hear a demonic cackle from the bay window, which, despite being newly-glazed, leaks, as does the new door. They can’t hear it, and they can’t hear the walls and floors and roof taunting … Read more
“Never too late! Never say never! There are so many rays of sunshine from the positive thinkers on social media,” Don mused as he munched his toast and jam. “Bless them.” He sighed. He had been feeling very lonely since the untimely death of his wife of thirty-four years. Not that they had been the … Read more
Bauble-dripping tree We cherish for just two weeks Our Christmas comfort…. That was a haiku I wrote for a Marlow Writers’ Society Christmas gathering. I love to see a heavily-laden Christmas tree. I don’t bother to get one for my sad little flat, because early December is a great time to visit National Trust properties … Read more
