The moon has departed leaving an impenetrable night with a cold mist gently rising across the still fields around Amesbury. In the hedgerows around one expanse of grass, sparrows packed close are beginning to shift in their sleep. To the east of this field a steady gaze would be rewarded with the slightest bloom of purple in a world…[Read more]

Pre-dawn on a midsummer morning, Tait Duncan, drove  south-east along an A1 empty of all but Highlands-bound supermarket wagons, conscience similarly uncluttered by the lie he’d last night told his wife as to the reason for his early morning departure. (In what had become th…[Read more]

Thanks for setting the comp, Sandra. Congratulations also to Ath and Terrie.

Looking forward  to  seeing the prompt  for June .

  Songs from the charts  31st  October   1998  – 

Aerosmith   ‘I don’t want to miss a thing’

Bachman Turner Overdrive – ‘You aint seen nothing yet.’

Contains one, bleeped, swear word.

True   story

This story involves my youngest daughter, who’s the sassy, won’t give an inch if she thinks she is in the right, type, and the anniversar…[Read more]

‘Got to get you into my life!’ sings Mum. She and Dad have brought me, newborn, from the hospital. She sits at the kitchen table, cradling me, delivering the loud lullaby.

Or so she tells me, when I’m seven. We’re at the table again. I say, ‘I was already in your life. In your tummy and then ou…[Read more]

I hope you’re able to enjoy…[Read more]

But there’s another option. Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann is the German bestselling novel for adults which the film is…[Read more]

The iron tablets should make a big difference, and they tend to take effect within a few days. I do hope all goes well with your referral. Do please keep u…[Read more]

I do hope you are able to resolve the outstanding issues swiftly and then make some plans to do something special after all you’ve been through 🙂

I’ve been on blood thinners (apixaban) since I was admitted to hospital. My problem is that the hospital doctors didn’t share any plan for dealing with the existing clots which have blocked two major veins to the liver. I strongly suspect that they were anticipating a worse outcome from the endoscopy and…[Read more]

Take care.

Today I had the endoscopy which I believe some of the doctors in my hospital thought would show cancer. the symptoms were all lined up. There was even consistent evidence from CAT scans and other X-rays. To be fair to them, they never said that, though they always…[Read more]

Stuart’s story

People call me Plug ‘cos they reckon I look like Plug from the Bash Street Kids I ain’t never seen him, so I don’t know. Stuart’s my real name, and I just done three months in nick for something I ain’t done. Possessio…[Read more]

1)  choose  a  significant anniversary in your life:  e.g.  birthday,  wedding, first child: graduation – then,

2 ) Google the UK Top 10 singles chart for that week.

3) select two, three or four  song titles  from that list and,

4) use them (loosely if necessary!) as a basis for  a short story, of…[Read more]

Thank you , Terrie, both for the challenge and your comments on both my entry and Jill’s excellently crafted, sensitive  story. I’ll aim to set something for June by the end of today.

Sandra, I loved…[Read more]

And as it turns out, we nearly didn’t. My God, what a time you’ve had. All my best wishes for your continued recovery, and I do hope that the issue still hanging over you turns out to be not too catastrophic.

Not sure if you know, Ath, but positive feedback for specific nurses ‘Natalie did this, Esme supported me with that’ can be used for their revalidation. Just saying. ☺️

I hope you are taking things easy and making good progress. It’s great to see you back at the Den. Sending very best wishes for a speedy recovery 🙂

Crikey Moses, William, I’m heart-heartedly glad to hear you are home and hopefully on your way to some sort of recovery – what a torrid time you and your family must have gone through, and thank you for updating us so vividly.

Sendng love and the most healingest of good wishes

Sandra