July 28, 2019
On the decking the nasturtiums have all but given up the ghost, bowing their heads in submission. Even the water in the hose comes out like it’s been mainlined from the kettle. It’s only been two or three days but it’s debilitating. Daisy is lying on the wooden floor breathing fast and heavy. Logically I […]
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July 21, 2019
I’m sitting in the car alone, waiting for everyone else. It’s a familiar scene and one which, oddly, still surprises me. My daughter emerges first. “Where is everyone?” I ask. “Apparently you said we were leaving at 6.15” “It’s 6.14”, I say. Beth looks at me with a tight smile and raised eyebrows before looking […]
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July 14, 2019
England will play in their first World Cup cricket final today for 27 years and, as something of an obsessive for the game, I’ll be largely avoiding it. It’s always been the same. Whenever a team I have supported is involved in an important game I’ve found it almost impossible to watch “real-time” in some […]
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July 7, 2019
A series of signs have appeared in the nature reserve and their purpose isn’t immediately clear. “How ridiculous,” my sister says as we notice yet another new sign. “Lime Tree Avenue” along a path which is canopied with lime trees. “Who gets lost in here? It’s not even that big” she adds. It’s true. It’s […]
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June 30, 2019
I’ve been away in the scorching hot sun of a European heatwave. The mercury rose to the mid ’30s and that’s where it stayed all week, with no air conditioning. The only place which could be described as refreshingly comfortable was the swimming pool until I climbed in on top of a wasp which stung […]
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