I had not won a prize — Some years ago, some friends and I decided to travel around Sweden by train. We slept in youth hostels or church social rooms (they often have sauna rooms, and several rooms for Sunday School, youth activities, etc). The trains in Sweden are very punctual. You can literally set your watch…

Twenty four years of photos

I kid you not — The place where I live is incredibly beautiful. It is also rural. Countryside with small market towns and smaller villages. Where these cows cross twice daily for milking is also the lane off which used to be the stables where I learned to ride ponies and horses. This area became…

A poem —

Light met light on my landing — Yesterday, I wrote about how my home is one of two halves as it is in a terrace. It faces southeast over the harbor and my garden in the back faces southwest. Often, in the front rooms, I have no idea if birds are in the garden or even if…

A poem —

So very tired — After illness, we need time to recover. I only truly realised this as an adult. My mother would send us back to school as soon as our temperature was down or our throats no longer red and sore. Our bodies need time to rehydrate, strengthen, and, well, recalibrate. Being someone…

Short-lived but unpleasant — This week the weather has been changeable, but mostly stormy, especially at night. I had mild cold symptoms for two days and felt bewildered by them. I haven’t had a cold in twelve years as I take a little lemon juice every day. …

My favorite walk — When I feel a bit stressed or just have itchy feet, I love to go to the ancient woodland along the harbour. Half the journey is getting there. I see birds, both waterbirds and the common or garden variety. The scent of the harbor is the first awareness. The salt…