Our bay tree had to be trimmed back. It’s a sad fact. When we first moved in, almost seventeen years ago, it was a neat little tree, reaching just above my head. I loved it. I still do. But it evolved into a giant that was wrecking the gutter, the roof, the paving stones that […]
Tag: Haibun Monday
Melanzane Parmigiana
My husband David is an excellent cook. He has some marvellous signature dishes and isn’t afraid to experiment when time allows. We love food from the Mediterranean, particularly Italian food for its freshness, rich flavours and colours. The first time David tried his hand at one of my favourite Italian dishes, I was transported to […]
A Walk in the Rain on Pewley Down
My daughter Ellen and her husband moved from South London to Guildford in Surrey just before Christmas and, as she was working over the holiday, in between unpacking all their worldly goods, we agreed on a date in February for my first visit to their new home. My mother’s death in January and her funeral […]
Free as Light
Living between the North Norfolk coast and the Broads, and having moorings at the bottom of our garden, I am drawn to water. Not that I swim or even paddle, but I like to sit and watch the free light shows: sequins sparkling on water, underwater shadows, light refractions and sky reflections. Now that winter […]
Here Comes the Bride
Under blue skies on a sunny day at the end of May in Tuscany, I trod the stony, dusty track from the farm buildings to the wheat field where the wedding ceremony was taking place. After a busy morning placing five almonds in each of a couple of dozen mini Kilner jars and tying them […]
Surprise
My husband is excellent at planning surprises. Among many others, he planned and organised a birthday party on a boat on the Norfolk Broads with family and friends and a two-night stay in Cambridge, all without me having an inkling of what he was up to. But the most wonderful night I remember was on […]
Descent to Wroclaw
I don’t like getting to and from airports, the hanging around, the waiting in queues and the scrutiny of airport officials, but I do enjoy flying. I like switching off and ignoring other passengers, immersing myself in a book with nothing else to distract me – no telephone or door to answer, no appointments to […]
22nd November 1980
It had been a difficult transition, moving from one country to another; from a city’s familiar streets and longstanding friendships to the middle of nowhere in another country with a baby on the way. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. What I didn’t realise was that I’d be thirty odd miles from the […]
Spanning Centuries
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 […]
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 […]
writing in north norfolk 