Part three - Italy A gigantic, immovable mountain blocking a short cut to Italy? 'We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We've got to go through it', as Michael Rosen might say. Mont Blanc was, obviously, impossible to miss, and his mouth could be glimpsed ahead, wide open and hungry for vehicles … Continue reading Road trip – part three
Writing
Road trip – part two
Part two - roof down (for ten minutes) As the car swung through the open gates...wow. A beautiful, palatial French manor house, dating back to 1766, set in lush green grounds. Cream coloured stone, the fourth tier in grey brick with matching slate roof. Tall double doors in the centre, with pairs of long shuttered windows … Continue reading Road trip – part two
Road trip – part one
Part one - roof up As a schoolgirl, September for me always brought with it a mixture of feelings. Joy, at the thought of using my new pencil case, sporadic slivers of excitement at the idea of fresh beginnings and the unknown, but predominantly, trepidation. New school year, new lessons, new teacher. Eeek! At primary school … Continue reading Road trip – part one
#GE2017
More cars than usual, more pedestrians too, for this street, at this time. Despite the rain there is an air of busyness - as if the occupants of the surrounding houses have all decided to go and buy the morning paper at the same time, like perhaps one would, if one lived in a delicious … Continue reading #GE2017
Wedding words
Once upon a time, a lovely dark haired anaesthetist, of the German kind, asked a lady writer to embark on a top secret mission. A mission to combine words and joy and love. A secret literary quest, the findings of which were only to be revealed on the day of his wedding to his true … Continue reading Wedding words
Rodent requiem
'The music block is closed until further notice'. This stark proclamation shouts at me from an A4 piece of paper sellotaped to the outer door. I read the smaller print beneath the title for further explanation. Vandalism. I sigh. Guitars have been subjected to yogurt abuse and the carpet embedded with biscuits. The destructive properties … Continue reading Rodent requiem
Home sweet home
Way too early to be up on a Sunday morning and I find myself sipping tea at the dining table, television on, watching Gardeners' World. Is this what happens once you reach a certain age? A flick through the channels for something friendly and non-taxing to keep me company whilst my Earl Grey kicks in … Continue reading Home sweet home
Finding Mozart
A rather beautiful spring day. Not hot, but warmish and sunny. I boarded a bus bound for a rehearsal in town. It was one of those small, whizzy looking buses, and was already nearly full. I took my seat next to a dapper looking older gentleman with white hair and a tweed jacket. "Here yer go … Continue reading Finding Mozart
Fruit cake
And so it came to pass that the 'going to work on Thursdays' era came to an end. The last day dawned perfectly - cold, grey, sombre. The familiar route was travelled, the familiar stairs climbed, the familiar work completed. Her final contractual obligation, fulfilled. The distinctive tones of her boss could be heard somewhere in … Continue reading Fruit cake
Resigned
Upon pressing 'send' with quivering finger and re-writing one's future with an email of resignation, a thorough hoovering of the stairs and landing on hands and knees, with special cordless attachment, was required. The dirt had been visible for some time, but the domestic goddess, with other fish to fry, had let the dust bunnies … Continue reading Resigned
The Blog of a Nobody 