Proof of Life

Many thanks to those of you who got in touch after yesterday’s post to say how much you enjoyed it, particularly laughing at the thought of me shoving Neil’s head through a pane of glass. He asks me to pass on that he has deleted you from his contacts and even after lockdown the door […]

Here We Go Again!

I started New Zealand’s first full day of lockdown in over a year feeling sorry for myself. We were supposed to move house this coming Friday, the organised being I am having already packed most of our things into crates and boxes to avoid a last-minute rush, depleted the contents of my pantry to avoid […]

Mangawhero Forest

Cloud hangs like mist over the trees, fingers of it drifting across the hillside. The forest is dim but glows with the low light, a myriad of greens, wet and shining. Moisture is everywhere, sitting on leaves, running down dark trunks, wallowing in muddy puddles on the path. It’s no surprise, so much water pouring […]

Sporting?

I couldn’t watch the Euro final. Neil put it on as we were getting breakfast. England were already in the lead and the crowd were vocal. With my back to the TV I could tell when Italy got the ball because the booing was louder than the cheering. It reminded me too much of the […]

Is Football Coming Home?

England’s football team are currently in the late stages of Euro 2020. (At any other time it would seem ridiculous that a tournament titled one year is played in another, but we all know these are not normal times.) I had a vague awareness that they’d played a few games recently, seen reported results, but […]

In Dreams

Last night I dreamed I went to Yorkshire.* In my mind I travelled past Fox House, down alongside the stream to Toad Rock, left around the corner and up towards Surprise View. Mist hung low over the hills, flattening their tops, hiding Cark Wark, the ancient fort, and suffusing all with a muted light. The […]

Seasonal

Bright greens have become the warmth of orange and yellow with a scattering of red, and bronze glows in the light of a low sun. Autumn is upon us, the land transforming as the leaves change colour and then fall. A stiff wind brings a chill, tearing leaves from their flimsy anchors, swirling them into […]

One Year On

Quite by accident I realised today is a year since our lockdown ended. We still had some restrictions, but a year ago is when we could start visiting cafes and restaurants again, when shops re-opened, when we could move out of our bubble and meet our friends, when we could travel outside our area and, […]