A scratching behind the television intrigued Pippi Long Stocking who tried to get in to investigate.
I put her in the (f)utility (if a woman’s work is never done, why start?) while I investigated, by pulling out the TV corner-unit, and taking off the room-side cover of the air-vent installed a few years ago (as a daft requirement of having the walls insulated.)
I fully expected a nest of mice. Inside, to my amazement was a little sharp-beaked bird. Possibly a tree-creeper, but difficult to be sure. All I could see was a silhouette of a flapping small thing. Continue reading “Nesting?”
Author: Sarah
No time to lose. No, time to lose.
Make time to stand and stare.... Did you see that?
January 2012 Short Story, Marking Time.
Marking time
Margot had found it rather comforting, after the turmoil of the previous few days, to lie awake in the dark, waiting in the pause before the weighty inevitability of the funeral. It had been restless night: her sleep interspersed with vivid dreams and it was pitch black when she woke, no light yet edging in around the curtains. Once awake she had just lain there inert, but acutely alert, with every cell of her body tuned into the emptiness beside her in the large double bed. Eventually she had reached out into the chill air for the light, and peered at the clock. Not yet five.
Teenagers
Their exams are over for now, so next I have to tackle a growing need to tidy bedrooms. Need I say more?
Parents’ evening
Tonight’s early evening sky had a wash of palest blue, with a flush in places of rose pink, all overlaid with smudges of windswept charcoal. I watched it change, and as we travelled the blue deepened until it was truly dark.
I noticed this on the way to Scout’s parents ‘student review evening’ just after we had squeezed around the roundabout, avoiding the turning where the ambulance and police cars were acting as an effective road block. By the time we reached school is was completely dark. We commented on how the evenings are really drawing out now.
Low light and peaceful
When the fitter said he couldn’t turn off the stop-cock I decided to go for a walk. Better be out, I thought, if there’s going to be a flood.
I left the house after three o’clock and by the time I’d done my deliveries and postings I decided to walk back the long way, through the Churchyard and park. The light was like golden-syrup, the sun low in the sky and here just throwing light onto the old yew tree, over the Churchyard wall. It was so very peaceful and still. In the air a slight scent of woodsmoke.
A brisk walk
A walk this afternoon: briskly striding around the village with Cycloman. I want to be with him. On Monday I had news of a friend who died, leaving his wife and family and the sadness of it all is with me.
I see a red rose: in January, is this the last rose of 2011 or the first of 2012? The sun is already going down at about half past three and alters the colour of the photograph. There were three roses on this briar.
January 14th – a brief nature report, for near Oxford, UK
Today when I opened the curtains at about 8:45, I was greeted with white scenery. A hoar frost had covered everything and as the sun came up it made a wonderful sight. Soft yellowed light, long shadows. But no photos. I hadn’t had my first cup of tea.
Later, after Scout’s Judo run and a little light shopping we came back at about mid-day to find the little garden in our communal driveway still in shade and therefore still frosted.
Continue reading “January 14th – a brief nature report, for near Oxford, UK”
A little sunshine
January can be rather dreary here in the UK, but we have had some lovely skies. Here are some photos to cheer you up – in case you need cheering up.
On Tuesday after work as I drove home (I had finished in good time) the sky was fantastic, and I decided to go down to the canal to take some shots, but arrived after the main colours had faded – too late really… but I like this one
On the canal Continue reading “A little sunshine”
Concrete Cows
A trip to a large shopping centre is not necessarily my choice of how to spend a Saturday, but with a dying freezer (the bottom part of our fridge-freezer is no longer taking anything below -6c) we had to come to a decision promptly, and Milton Keynes has a very large store where we could actually compare, choose and order – all in one go. Continue reading “Concrete Cows”
How to deal with a whole salmon
I have lost count of the number of meals I prepared over the Christmas and New Year period, but have now reached a point where we are simply using up the left overs. Tonight I will be making fish cakes with the salmon, left over from New Years Eve lunchtime. The salmon has already helped to provide for 14 and there’s a decent part left.
I was lucky, in that I was in the right place at the right time as the fishman in Sainsbury put out the new batch of whole salmon just before Christmas. It was marked at £8 and was suitable for home freezing, having not been previously frozen. I was unlucky, in that when I arrived home to put the salmon in the freezer I discovered that the small freezer which forms the bottom of my kitchen fridge was failing to keep the contents below -6c. Continue reading “How to deal with a whole salmon”
Boadicea's Chariot 
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