“What colour is snow?” The child had topaz coloured eyes and dimpled cheeks like punched dough. “Well,” I looked down at him, puzzled, wondering if the cold had turned his head. Building snowmen on the field with thirty nine and … Continue reading The Colour of Snow
I know this sounds a bit barmy but I think ageing has little to do with age. When you look in the mirror, who are you expecting to see? A child, a teenager, a young person making your way in the … Continue reading How do you age?
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 … Continue reading Waiting for Dad
I refuse to believe you get fussier as you get older more experienced (we’ve banned the “o” word in our house due to occasional bouts of melancholy). I mean it’s true that answering the question, “Can I get you a cup of … Continue reading Tea and Other Transforming Things
At what point do you stop saying Happy Christmas and start saying Happy New Year? I’m never quite sure. After all, the Twelve Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day so perhaps we shouldn’t say Happy New Year until 5th … Continue reading Happy Old Year and the Little Painted House
Sad fact – people have no inclination to open presents I’ve wrapped. This is because, instead of tantalising hints at treasure within, they give off an aura of utter tat, fallen from the back of a lorry or bought at … Continue reading Bad Wrapping and the Gift of Hope
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 … Continue reading Prayer, Advent and Latin Verbs
We’re climbing the Malvern Hills, and I’m wheezing like a catfish. I briefly consider whether dropping dead on a narrow path between trees in sight of the summit, is a good way to go. An action exit, so to speak, … Continue reading Hills and giving thanks on All Hallows Eve
It was the biggest summer since we’d grown sunflowers from seed. I’d got a new job, my daughter got great exam results and two days later she was going to be a bridesmaid for the first time. These things in … Continue reading The Unexpected Cost of Celebration
I’m trying to decide how to age. Not on the outside – I have little choice about that and am coming to terms with veiny hands and neck wrinkles like the skin of a T Rex – but on the … Continue reading How to Age and the Joy of Nasal Flushing
