Athelstone

Well done Terrie, and everyone else who between them provided a kaleidoscope view of Christmas, and thank you Ath for prompting me into putting a long-held memory into words.

Lord of Yule

Riann contemplated her decision of allowing the snow-covered stranger, now tending the fire, into her cottage. His ice-sprinkled cloak and hood hung at one side of the fire’s mantle, a puddle forming below it, while his boots and mittens lay close to the hearth.

He hadn’t actually set her senses tingling with alarm but there was a p…[Read more]

Still a  few days to  go  and  i am  on it, honestly , Ath.

After a  hectic  but  lovely  build up to  xmas  and a family orientated  day   yesterday I settled  down  about  half an hour ago  to  try and finish my offering.  ……. son  was  carrying a  very large  bucket  of  soapy  wash  water  out to the drive  to clean his  motorbike when…[Read more]

A never-forgotten Christmas

The telegram sent by my new-made grandfather, telling my father of my safe arrival, at five minutes to midnight on the twentieth December (and, according to my great-grandfather’s fish scales, weighing 6lbs 4 ozs) is explanation enough of why I don’t remember my first Christmas. To establish whether it was my sec…[Read more]

Running the Christmas Gauntlet

Brace yourself, girl. Everywhere is going to be madness today. Most of the throng will be feeling much the same way … which means shouting and kids screaming; means shoving and pushing … but take a deep breath. Concentrate on the list. You’ve successfully run the Christmas shopping gauntlet before.

The veget…[Read more]

Thank you, Terrie! And congratulations on a truly creepy story, Ath. And Jill for a heart-warming, magical tale – exactly right for the time of year.

Jill  –  a heart-warming  tale  with a hint  of  caution and a happy ending as  luckily the fairies didn’t try to whisk  Ellie away.

The warmth between Ellie and her grandma really shone through and I enjoyed how you blended something modern with a fairy tale too.

Libby  – I tried to  leave the scope  of the  challenge   a  little open…[Read more]

Only one more  day remaining  for anyone  thinking about submitting   something  for  the   November    competiton .

You asked for a heart-warming tale, Terrie, but my story, after I started it and got stuck, became the opposite. You’re welcome to disqualify it or not read it at all.

Content warning: includes postnatal depression

499 words including title

I Lied When I Said My Daughter Lived Abroad

After that walk up and down a steep crag, I sat beside t…[Read more]

Sorry, Terrie, no way do I have head space to do anything for this. Will aim to Do Better next time

I expect lots of you, like me,  are  creating and drafting  exciting  entries  for the  September  Song  competition  but  dont forget  there are only  fourteen days until the  monthly (November ) competition closes  and i’m looking forward to  reading  your entries for that  too .