My name is Charles Bridge. I was conceived and born in 1357. I have survived floods and seen many changes, wars and revolution. I live in the centre of Prague. During the day, I am entertained by the musicians and pedlars that attract tourists and citizens whose footsteps wear and smooth my stone on their […]
Category: Haibun
Words and Blots
When I was at junior school in South London, we had to progress from writing with a pencil to a fountain pen. I was extremely excited because we had to go and buy one from the stationer. There were two brands to choose from: Platignum or Osmiroid. We had to have one with an italic […]
Lost in Middle-earth
I was introduced to J. R. R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings trilogy by a girl I befriended in my first year at grammar school. I was eleven years old, I’d passed the eleven-plus exam, one of a handful of girls from my South London junior school, and now I was regularly lost in […]
Late Night London
Although I love living in a small Norfolk village, where there are no shops or street lights, I miss the sounds, smells and sights of London and relish the opportunity of visiting my daughter, who still lives between Clapham Common and Battersea. I love the way buses pulse like blood through the veins of the […]
Goodbye to Summer
After the heat of summer, I welcome the chill of autumn, the expressive rolling clouds, dramatic sunsets and flash storms. It’s almost as if the lion of summer is standing at the door of the season until autumn pushes him out – and this year it has been a long transition. In our garden, leaves […]
Ordinary Interrupted
I live with my husband and two cats in a cottage that’s over a hundred years old by a river in the countryside. The garden is lush with grass and damp underfoot, nurturing robust willows and rampant weeds. The house is damp too. In the summer it’s cool and in the winter we have to […]
The Story of the Bench
Many of the people who have sat on the bench and worn smooth its hand-crafted surface have been bone-weary and hungry. How often have walkers lifted their heads from loosening the laces in their boots or removing their shoes to inhale salt on the breeze and drink in the many shades of sky and sea […]
As the Seasons Change
My husband and I were at infant and junior school together. We have a photograph of us when we were in Miss Sanderson’s class, and we not only recognise our younger selves but we can also remember the names of all the children in the photograph. We were both energetic youngsters; David was mad about […]
Departure in Pigeon Steps
For five years I’ve watched my mother be consumed by dementia. At first, nothing seemed different about her: she was a little vague and avoided groups of people. Then she forgot how to make a cup of tea, how to eat, how to dress herself. She forgot my name, how to speak and walk. This […]
Our First Glimpse of the Aurora Borealis
When we first moved up to the North Norfolk coast, when Ellen was eleven going on twelve, we were amazed not only by the wide Norfolk landscapes and gorgeous sunsets, but also by the immense night skies. We had never seen so many stars or been able to identify constellations – in London there was […]
writing in north norfolk 