Thanks for dropping by. I'm a writer and teacher with interests in education, mental health and community. I like to wonder aloud about everyday life, hope and the silly, incongruous things that shape us and make us who we are. I also like hats, cake and those tiny little snores cats make when they sleep. On the Home page, you'll find around 100 wonderings, all different in length and content. On a pc, you'll see a 'Select month' menu at the side where you can choose a piece from the last 8 years. I'd love to hear your comments below each post. Have a good day. Deborah
'I am a textbook people-pleaser. You can't trust me. I probably need help.' This is my (slightly adapted) favourite quote so far from a series my daughter introduced me to recently. She had been telling me about it for ages, to the point where I agreed to watch a couple of episodes just to stop … Continue reading Living to please?
How brave are you? I mean, on a scale of 1 - 10 how easy would you find it to: - be admitted to hospital for an operation spend an evening with strangers make a speech at short notice go to the dentist I would score 2, 9, 8 and 1 respectively. I don't like … Continue reading To be brave?
Lately, to add to my other foibles, I've been staring at trees. I've always been a bit of a tree freak but in these STRANGE TIMES (sorry), I'm becoming a bit obsessed (in my defence, I am shielding, but not for much longer!). The fruit trees are fat with buds and every day their baby … Continue reading Slowly, then all at once
The 'Egg Station', with its one pack of gorgeous eggs, was literally in the middle of nowhere. Down a lane, behind the church where two footpaths crossed...
I read somewhere that there's been a dramatic increase in the sale of eye make-up since Covid, and a decrease in sales of lipstick. I wear both and haven't changed much, though I wear less lipstick. Reusing a lip stick-smudged mask tends to produce the cold-sore-effect, Not a good look. Most of us probably make … Continue reading Looking the part
I don't know what it is about daffodils but they're such HAPPY flowers. The colour of a smile. Not that yellow is the actual colour of a smile (unless you have bad teeth) but it should be. I'm not going out much at present, but my husband came back from the supermarket again with a … Continue reading Lifting the heart on a grey day
I found out the other day that there are over thirty words for mud in Sussex. Although the local dialect is rarely used now, some of these beautifully descriptive words still occasionally pop up. Ike - a mess or area of mud Clodgy - muddy and wet, like a field path after heavy rain Gubber … Continue reading Mud and compost, Sussex-style
Does that make sense? I say this a lot, with various responses depending on the context: at work (usually a nod - thank goodness), at home (Yep - they know me), to friends (Absolutely! Bless them.) I can't always hear and understand others correctly because of a strange condition I've explained before but I do … Continue reading Making Sense
I've always wanted twinkly trees but in London we didn't have trees to twink. So when we moved to this house in Sussex, the fruit trees by the front door filled me with quiet joy. At Christmas, we would have twists of tiny lights and their delicate glow would lift the hearts of passers-by with … Continue reading Christmas lights
Dad loved Christmas. His eyes would go all shiny and bright as he recounted stories of his youth, how he and his brothers would choose a Christmas tree, cut it down and drag it home by sledge through the snow. We never knew how true this actually was. As with many of Dad's stories, it … Continue reading Look up
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