Sky colours, the treat, waiting
1. In the horses’ field, I turn away from the racing cocker spaniel to look for our slower springer but instead I find my attention stolen by the sky: glowing pink clouds on dazzling blue. 2. She knows I have something in my pocket but she doesn’t know what it is yet. Her eyes widen [...]
Autumn Sun(day)
1. Rainbows fill the room. The dog has one on her chest as she waves her paws in the air. There is another on my legs. They dance across the ceiling. 2. The dew glistens on the cobwebs laced between the neighbours’ railings. 3. The woods have never been lighter or brighter. The trees are [...]
Sunlight & animals, Purple parasols, Eternal nerdy teenager
1. I have lunch – leftover kedgeree – on the balcony. The cats and dog sit together in the soft sunlight. 2. Always on the look out for mushrooms, we find Amethyst Deceivers (Laccaria amethystea) – an amazingly deep, rich purple in the brown leaf litter. 3. As usual, I come home from drama and [...]
In lieu of breakfast, the most handsome cat in the world, baklava
1. After a day apart, we catch up before getting up. He tells me his news and I tell him mine. At half hour intervals, we discuss making pancakes for breakfast but neither of us moves. 2. The cats look delightful on the new duvet cover. It’s spotty (like Smarties, Katherine says) and multi-coloured, a [...]
Warm-up, someone made some effort, starting the sauce
1. Around the time of her usual lunchtime walk, her tail starts wagging even though the rest of her is dozing on the sofa. “It’s a warm-up, like stretching,” I tell John. 2. The boxes are coloured to indicate who they’re for – the big cat, the little cat or the dog. The colours – [...]
Three Beautiful Things before breakfast
(Well, actually, during the night/before my alarm went off to start the day, but that “before breakfast” has got a better ring to it.) 1. When it is dark: the world is as silent and still as I’ve ever heard it her. No wind in the trees, no traffic noise, no birds or animals making [...]
Crack, a pretty coincidence, accomplishment
1. The sharp snap as I break the twigs. 2. The arrangement of the washing on the line looks deliberately composed. The duck-egg blue of the bath towels, the washed out mid-blue of the dog ones and the soft turquoise & cream of the tea towels all coordinate while standing out against the leafy green [...]
Office humour, passing over, step by step
1. Sometimes our banter is so perfectly timed that it sounds almost scripted (in a good way). 2. A flash of red reflected in the stream as John steps from bank to bank. 3. The design evolves step by step until it’s just right.
