Author: Sarah

No time to lose. No, time to lose. Make time to stand and stare.... Did you see that?

Love it or Hate it?

Apparently the Marmite factory in New Zealand had to close following the earthquake and now there is a shortage of the product, which is different, apparently, to the UK version. Thicker and stronger, I believe.

“An announcement by New Zealand’s leading manufacturer of the black sandwich spread, Marmite, has sparked “marmageddon” fears among Kiwis.”

Before Christmas a different version of the usual UK Marmite came out … I wonder how that compares?

In the 80’s in Australia we became accustomed to Vegemite, though it is but a poor substitute – but I have never tried the New Zealand version: can anyone add to this taste debate? Continue reading “Love it or Hate it?”

Short Story – ‘Magical Thinking’ for Bilby

Magical thinking

I come downstairs just as the girls are ready to go out – they had spent so much time getting ready and now I can see the end result of their ‘finery’ – their hair, the fake tan, the spiders’ legs coatings of mascara. All that time and money does not disguise their thickened waists. Rowena at 5’11” is taller than me, just, but in her 4” stiletto heels she towers above me, and Angelica is wearing thigh-high black boots and a very short leather skirt, of the type I have heard described as a pussy pelmet. I didn’t understand how Melinda could let them go out like that. Since I only assumed the role of step-father just as they were going into their teens I have never felt I have any authority over these girls and they treat me with disdain.

Melinda arrives in a gush of exuberant compliments.  She can’t wait to see her darlings before they go out and I can so clearly see the similarity between her and her daughters: the coarseness and petulance if everything doesn’t go their way. Of course in the early days I couldn’t see that, smitten as I was, still grieving for my first wife.

The girls call me Albert.

“Hey, Albert,” said Rowena, “What d’ew think?” She strikes a pose.

“Will you be warm enough?” I ask her, “without a coat?”

Three pairs of eyes are raised to the ceiling and I shrug as I pick up my newspaper. Continue reading “Short Story – ‘Magical Thinking’ for Bilby”

Forget-me-not

“Oh, no!” said Cyclo, “I’ve found a packet of seeds. Forget-me-nots. Have you forgotten to plant them?”

Haha!
The seeds were from the Alzheimer Disease Society: a freebee. A nice idea, but I didn’t need them.

My garden is full of Forget-me-nots which flower freely Continue reading “Forget-me-not”

Weather be nice

Today, being Monday was sunny. OK for me, as I don’t work Mondays as a rule. But I thought of all those folk, who’d had a completely washed out weekend and then went to work in blazing sunshine this morning – (well sunshine intermittently at least) – while I walked in the woods with a friend and two Labradors and we caught up with a few weeks’ news.

“Wait until you see the blue bells,” she said.

The rain has had a significant effect on the river levels around here. Lots of places where it had burst its banks, including someone’s back garden. And they say the water hasn’t finished rising yet and that there’s more to come. Continue reading “Weather be nice”

April – a busy month

This month I have mainly been working (the paid variety) managing those about to take GCSE and A levels, gardening and trying to keep up with the challenge of writing a poem a day, among other things…. there’s a major garden project going on and normal life to keep up with…. a woman’s work is never done.

The blossoms are suffering from  the heavy rains and high winds….

Wet, windy weather
clusters of blossom blown down –
fragile button-holes

girls in dancing clothes
pick up the battered blossoms
to put in their hair

the cat, exhausted
from chasing whirlwind petals
lazily stretches

For the National Poetry Writing Month, NaPoWriMo, which you can find here

 

Now I see the photo competition is ‘growing’ I shall be getting the camera out in the next few days, given that we get some good light…..