Thanks for dropping by. I'm a author and teacher with interests in education, mental health. faith 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 12 years. You can find out about my books on the Books tab. Miracle! I'd love to hear your comments below any posts you read. Have a good day. Deborah
The old man leans on the gate at the edge of the park. It is heavier than he remembers but then so are most things. Like his own stomach and the bag of weekly shopping. He sighs. If only he had taken better care of himself when the whole damn thing had started – the … Continue reading Waiting for Grandad
Have you heard the definition of English hospitality? According to a peculiarly honest American who once stayed with us, it’s - Making people feel at home when you wish they were. It made us laugh, then it made us think. Then we wondered if he was trying to tell us something… I would defy that … Continue reading Retreat, Reuse, Recycle
I hate closing doors – on the house, the classroom, the car - there’s always a tiny stab of panic just before the lip of the door hits the jamb. Sometimes I have to go back and check things – the oven, heater, brake. I don’t quite know why. Call me O.C.D. but I suppose … Continue reading Hunting for Small and other Sacred Pathways
What do you do on a thin day in winter when you’re not at work, your To Do List is vile and the air outside beckons with cut glass finger? You go out of course, with your husband or your friend, to Richmond Park. You worry you’ll regret this later because there are decisions and … Continue reading Moles and Glimpses of Things
January’s a bleak sort of month. We’re all saying it, (we do every year, but it’s okay, we’re British and atmospherically unstable), bemoaning the dark get-ups, the rain, the bedraggled garden (if we’ve still got a garden. The photos of flooded homes along the Thames fill me with horror.) But even those of us who … Continue reading The Most Thankless Month of the Year
The older I get, the more people I meet and the more often I go on London trains and have direct, unintentional access to The London Evening Standard, the more I realise that there are so many ways to die. (Sorry to begin your New Year like this, but it’s just true). You can get … Continue reading There are so Many Ways to Die!
The day is dark and November-heavy. There’s no milk. I search through the window for a breath of beauty but there isn’t any. It’s wet, and last week I left my umbrella in a John Lewis changing room. I went back but it'd gone and I was cross because it was a pretty one – … Continue reading Gold
Welcome to my new home. Not the easiest place to get to but you can cross at low tide. It’s only 3 miles along the causeway. You should note though that the island is cut off twice a day when the sea returns and the road disappears under pleated water. You may wish to … Continue reading Home
How do you gauge your stress levels? Some people get neck tension, others drink. I count bruises. This week was a 2-bruise week. Last week was a 5-bruiser. When I have too much to do, I race around and bump into things – doors, tables, chairs (mostly empty ones). I have been known to walk … Continue reading Bruises
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