Spring’s symphony is longover. Birds that filled everytree and bush with songare now hushed,and the dawn chorusis stifled by long hot days. A garden chiffchaffgives a final flourish,knowing that autumnand then winter will rushin, only in a matter of weeks,on a lonely crow’s cawand a tawny owl’s shrieks. Kim M. Russell, 15th August 2023 Image […]
The Day the Traffic Stood Still
For weeks there had been an unusual increase in activity in the night sky, which had begun to leak into daytime; massive meteors, fiery shooting stars and UFOs were reported every day, and crowds of people were leaving urban areas for mountains, coastal and forest regions, causing chaos in all kinds of traffic. Holding its […]
All Grown Up Now
I’m delighted to announce that not only is the book version of my pamphlet, All Grown Up Now, available to pre-order on Amazon, but also the Kindle version, for which the link is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CDWF1N4Y I’m also excited about the Zoom launch, which is scheduled for 6pm GMT on 26th August 2023. More information to follow.
Grandma and the Red Umbrella
Whether it’s for protectionfrom the bullion blazeof the sun or acidic city rain,the red umbrella draws the gazeof everyone on Grandma’s street. It’s with her whenever she goes out,furled or unfurled, swung or twirled,you can see her coming in the distance,dancing and tripping on the pavement. She is the personification of jolly,always ready for gossip […]
Still Life with a Plate of Onions
His hog hair brush elicited ochre orbs;their pale sprouts, long grown through,contrast with green pot of camphor oiland candlestick’s cobalt blue. Were onions the only vegetablethe ailing artist could affordonce he had paid for rough wine,pipe tobacco and humble board? Or was he keen to improve his healthafter battling with hallucinationsand mutilating an ear? Throughoutthe […]
To Move or Not to Move
Moving house is something we all think about as we get older: to be closer to family; for easier access to amenities like doctor, dentist and shops; to downsize. I would love to see more of my daughter and grandsons, but love where we live, the familiarity of our small village, the cottage we have […]
A Riff on Infatuation
I have fallen in love with dragonflies, vicious predators that make me look a fool. I watch for dragonflies, and feel like a fool, transfixed by their buzzing and spangling. How those devil’s darning needles keep spangling! I love to watch them hover and flicker but summer light will soon begin to flicker, and the […]
Father’s Self-portrait with the Family
Mother put my hair in a plait,dressed me in my best blue skirtand red sailor blouse.Father set a timerand photographed the pose. I knew it would be boringand, deliberately turning,rummaged for stories in a chest,while mother froze, her blue dressblending into the mise en scene. She smiled faintly at the lensand then looked away,as did […]
A Norfolk July
In Norfolk, we’re surrounded by water: the sea, the Broads, and rain’s no stranger. Overnight downpours drench field and garden, fill water butts, gutters, and rain- drops sparkle on the plants on my patio, where green dill fronds unfurl and the lavender is purple. Kim M. Russell, 24th July 2023 It’s Quadrille Monday at the […]
Day at the Seaside
It was one day at the seaside, midway through the summer holidays and, despite the trauma of tepid vomit lying heavy in a paper bag, about to drip on my new cotton dress, as soon as we reached the top of the hill, the whole coach sang with the thrill of seeing the sea. After […]
writing in north norfolk 