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 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
Did you know London begins on the A22 just outside Whyteleafe? Unless you're on the train, and then it's probably somewhere like Purley Beeches. This is when you're travelling from Sussex. Of course that's just my opinion. There are actual signs up on roads that say things like 'Welcome to the London Borough of Croydon'. … Continue reading Boundaries, baldness and the art of listening carefully
When I was little there were only two occasions when someone might say 'Bless you'. The first was when you sneezed. The second was when someone wanted to indicate compassion or affirmation, the blesser always being someone of indeterminate age. i.e. So old you couldn't place them. Why is it that when you're young you … Continue reading Aw, bless…
'Future Polly's going to love past Polly...' My daughter first said this when she was quite small. 'What do you mean?' It was Sunday afternoon and she led me to her room. Always tidy, with everything in its place, her bedroom was usually an oasis of organised calm, but that night there were things everywhere. … Continue reading Living backwards or forwards?
Call me sad but I loved Latin verbs. At an all-girls school, stuffed with hormones and self-obsession (I levelled out but have recently declined again - for obvious reasons), Latin verbs were immensely comforting. Like the shipping forecast , there was a predictability, a rhythmic quality to the conjugations that soothed you, suspended time and … Continue reading Prayer, Advent and Latin Verbs
stillwonderinghere 