Pensionista

A group walk in the local park  - led by a tall man in an olive and fawn uniform, a peaked cap shading his eyes. He's a Tree Officer from the Council and he's going to tell us all about the trees.... A newly-planted lime looks fragile but is actually supported by invisible stakes, deep… Continue reading The Green Man →

On low days, it is possible to see damage and detachment everywhere.  The wallpaper that seemed settled enough has begun to peel away. A crack's appeared in a wall, a fault-line in a floor. A new wrinkle has arrived.  I've shattered my fair share of plates and glasses, more than one mirror, snapped a key in… Continue reading The Fracture →

The woman in the museum gift shop wants to be honest. "It's the real thing, but not actually from the Jurassic Coast. Maybe North Africa. There are a lot of them about...".  Hesitate. Do I really need an ammonite from anywhere? A few days in Dorset included a castle, a cobb, a cream tea, an abbey… Continue reading The Souvenir →

More begging letters.  All good causes, of course. One urges me to 'fight for every heartbeat', another invites me to raise funds for water filters in desperate, densely populated villages.  A letter last week wanted donations to dogs in distress. Or was it donkeys?  So much paper, so many disasters...Must care harder. Once, 62 years ago,… Continue reading The Bond →

A football has landed on my lawn. Balls make frequent flights over the fence. My neighbours' garden is a sports centre. In one corner, a wooden Wendy House on stilts, next to a set of swings, a slide and a trampoline. Two sheds. One animal hutch. Lots of steps and ladders. The man next door likes… Continue reading The Vote →

Something new in my airing cupboard. Someone came yesterday, sawed at a simple rectangular piece of wood for a while and fixed it above the household god, the boiler. When the beige dust cleared - a new storage opportunity!  A space no longer dead. A proper home for the old leopard print sleeping bag, the quilted playmat (flowers… Continue reading The Shelf →

My passport is out of date. So one of this week's highlights will be the filling in of a renewal form and a visit to the Post Office, then a sitting in a small booth with curtains. A little queuing of course, but it's the photograph that's the hard part. The camouflage kit will help… Continue reading Passport… →