Time to get your notebooks out. | Continue reading
I have just written a few words on Julie’s birthday card to give her next week. Looking at what I had written, I was appalled to see just how badly my handwriting has deteriorated. I used to write with an elegant fountain pen, sending letters to friends who lived too far away for … | Continue reading
I know, it’s winter. I should expect bad weather, and I do. But I still don’t like it. 😊 We started the week with snow and ended it with heavy rain. Still totally dark just after 4pm, and some daylight hours were very gloomy too. ————————————————————————————— Julie had tw … | Continue reading
Cows have accents. Dairy farmers in the UK had noticed that cows mooed slightly differently depending on where they lived, so a team from the University of London decided to do a study. It turns out that yes, cows do moo differently based on their location! Birds have also been k … | Continue reading
At 5pm on Thursday, it started to rain heavily in Beetley. By the time I went to bed, the wind was lashing the rain against the windows, making it difficult to sleep. Then it didn’t stop raining. It rained all night, all day Friday, all night on Friday too. It finally stopped ear … | Continue reading
This bleak weather we are currently experiencing has made me feel nostalgic for the summer holidays of my childhood again. Long before cheap flights led to holidays abroad being more affordable, most British people were happy to spend their annual two-week holiday by a beach in t … | Continue reading
This is the final part of a fiction serial, in 858 words. Refusing to cry, Sally sat down at the table holding the spare key. He had warned her, but she had never expected it to happen so soon. Jake ran in from the living room with a question. “Mummy, where’s Jim? Has he gone … C … | Continue reading
More of that stuff. Beatrix Potter. | Continue reading
All fact-checked today, and all true except for the macaroni pie. Definitely a joke, but fun anyway. | Continue reading
This is the fourteenth part of a fiction serial, in 846 words. After the time at the beach, Sally decided to play it cool with Jim. Be as pleasant as possible, but not suggest any outings or make plans for an unspecified future. Maybe it was time for him to sit and think, he migh … | Continue reading
Marina is giving away three signed copies of her new book via Instagram Check out this link for details. Giveaway | Continue reading
This is the thirteenth part of a fiction serial, in 749 words. Trying to keep her bad mood suppressed, Sally made an effort to enjoy the time at the seaside, if only for Jake’s sake. She bought him a small bucket and spade set so he could dig in the sand, and the bucket was … Con … | Continue reading
Something different this Wednesday. | Continue reading
This is the twelfth part of a fiction serial, in 782 words. As they were eating the fish and chips that late afternoon, Jake suddenly said something that caught Jim and Sally off guard. “Jim, are you going to be my new dad now?” They exchanged glances across the table, and Sally … | Continue reading
We had more snow yesterday. I’m not leaving the house today! | Continue reading
This is the eleventh part of a fiction serial, in 788 words. Following a busy weekend, the week that followed was quiet. Jim had gone to the shopping centre one day and bought himself some new clothes and shoes. Then he threw away the old things he had worn when sitting on the be … | Continue reading
This is the tenth part of a fiction serial, in 793 words. The first weekend of Jim’s stay turned out to be good fun. He suggested they get the bus to the local soft play centre. Jake was still young enough not to consider it to be too childish, and there were lots of ball-pits, … … | Continue reading
After a mild start to the week, the weather turned very cold. Then on Saturday morning we got the first snow of the year. Fortunately, the heating has carried on working. I had to drive to Norwich in a mini-blizzard, and the snow had settled heavily there. Then the sun came out, … | Continue reading
Includes some medical photography. Baby sharks in bottles being sold as souvenirs in North Carolina. High density housing complex in Hong Kong. A rare medical condition called ‘Green furry tongue’. A public toilet placed over an abandoned 15-storey lift shaft. A Mexican restauran … | Continue reading
This is the ninth part of a fiction serial, in 852 words. Feeling very moved by Jim’s story, Sally made a spur of the moment decision. “Why don’t you stay here with us for a while? You can sleep in the small bedroom, it’s only a single bed, but it has to be better than … Continue … | Continue reading
A completely random mix today. | Continue reading
This is the eighth part of a fiction serial, in 748 words. Intrigued by what Jake had said to her, Sally was unsure whether or not to actually ask Jim that question. She made some coffee and took it into the living room, and then curiosity got the better of her. “Jake said someth … | Continue reading
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This is the seventh part of a fiction serial, in 767 words. The next morning when Sally woke up, she remembered Jim was sleeping on the sofa. So she put on her dressing gown and ran downstairs to check on him. There was no sign of him. The blanket she had arranged over him was … … | Continue reading
Some of these require reading quite a lot of text. | Continue reading
This is the sixth part of a fiction serial, in 814 words. For the next two days, there was no sign of Jim at the bench. Sally was still feeling guilty for not asking him to stay for dinner, and Jake wasn’t helping. “You should have made him stay for dinner, mummy. He helped us, … … | Continue reading
We are going to be out tonight, so I would like to wish all my friends here a very happy 2026. Fingers crossed that it is a better year for everyone, all around the world. | Continue reading
This is the fifth part of a fiction serial, in 820 words. Realising she could not turn down the offer of help without seeming to be churlish, Sally accepted that Jim was going to walk home with them and try to fix the electrical problem. She was more concerned about him knowing h … | Continue reading
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With everything going on before Christmas, I completely forgot to compile my serial ‘Road Rage’ into one complete story. So here it is, all 16,540 words of it. As the car in front of Dave’s indicated to turn right, it also braked heavily. Having to stand on the brakes to avoid pl … | Continue reading
This is the fourth part of a fiction serial, in 777 words. Sally had expected to see some kind of sign asking for money. Perhaps a small box or plate for people to drop coins into. But there was nothing like that. Jim was just sitting on the ground propped up against his three ba … | Continue reading
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Well it is the 28th, and it’s officially over for another year. We were spared any snow or rain, and even had a couple of blue-sky days over the Christmas period. It stayed chilly outside, with a cold easterly wind. Life returns to normal slowly at this time of year, and it is in … | Continue reading
This is the third part of a fiction serial, in 797 words. On the way home from school on Monday, Sally could see the man was already seated at the bench. Jake saw him too, and she felt him quicken his step to get to the bench faster. The man seemed to be pleased to … Continue rea … | Continue reading
Now that the festivities are officially over, here are some facts about Christmas for you. | Continue reading
This is the second part of a fiction serial, in 767 words. That Friday, Jake was having a sleepover at the home of his school friend, Rudy. Rudy’s mum Bernice had three other kids, all younger, and her house had that good kind of chaos that comes with a loving family in a house f … | Continue reading
I have this film on DVD. It is remarkable. | Continue reading
This is the first part of a fiction serial, in 770 words. They saw him most days as they walked back from school. Sally wasn’t sure about him, so would place her arm around Jake as they drew near to the bench where the man was sitting. You could never be too sure. Not that … Cont … | Continue reading
Back in 2015, I featured a song by the British orchestral and electronic group, Clean Bandit. Following their 2014 original instrumental version, they released a vocal version, with Jess Glynne on lead vocals. That was a considerable hit at the time, and the song was later picked … | Continue reading
Yesterday was very enjoyable, and out traditional dinner was delicious. Today is known as ‘Boxing Day’ in Britain, and we are once again spending it quietly together. Boxing Day (December 26th) originated in Britain, stemming from charitable traditions where servants received “Ch … | Continue reading
I would like to wish all my dear blogging friends a happy and peaceful Christmas. I hope you all have a very nice time doing exactly what you want to do during this festive season. Let’s spare a thought for those who are lonely, the recently-bereaved, and those families who are s … | Continue reading
We were up early yesterday, as Julie was meeting her daughters and grandchildren in Thetford, Norfolk. I had bought them all tickets to see the Santa Christmas show at the Carnegie Centre in that town. As Julie cannot currently drive, I said I would drive her there and wait for t … | Continue reading
Soe facts, and some coincidences too. | Continue reading
This is the final part of a fiction serial, in 862 words. After loading his cases and bag into the back of the taxi, Dave gave the driver Penny’s address. He thought he might just as well let the company pay for the trip. Penny had controlled everything perfectly, from making Ala … | Continue reading
Just the one thing on my mind this Sunday before Christmas, readjustment. As you all know by now, Julie had a stroke on the 10th that has affected her vision. We are both aware that it could have been much worse, but there will still have to be many changes in our everyday routin … | Continue reading
My parents were fans of the singer Andy Williams. I usually found him a bit too smooth and middle of the road for my taste, though even at the age of 11, I did like some of the songs he had hits with. One of those was ‘Can’t Get Used To Losing You’, which was … Continue reading O … | Continue reading