‘For 43 years, there were flowers, cards, a dinner out, gifts and after retirement a trip to celebrate our wedding anniversary,’
This episode, we hear from Ann about her different marriage anniversary, during the isolation of 2020.
Category: HOME
The first story – on the island of Massachussets
The first story sent to us comes from Kathy. This is a story of loss, love and resilience. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Here is a fragment of this story:
‘Overnight her world shrunk to the spaces in her home and to the trips to the doctor’s office where she would receive her treatments. Whereas before I would sit beside her during the nearly three hours to help her pass the time, I was now no longer allowed to pass through the office doors. Our other hours and days together were spent in the confines of the small rooms of her house. We had no outside distractions. The walls closed in and a heaviness, weighted with heightened concerns, rode on our shoulders. The world became an unfamiliar place.’
THANK YOU SO MUCH, KATHY, FOR SO GENEROUSLY SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US.
Continue reading “The first story – on the island of Massachussets”
The potato and the stone
It was a hot summer’s day. It always is, if it’s school’s sports day. Friday, last week of June.
It was a hot summer’s day, it was school sports day, 8am and no school lunch. Or rather picnic lunch.
It was a hot summer’s day, school sports day, 8am, no picnic prepared – no problem. I was going to attend the day, and bring the picnic lunch with me.
Continue reading “The potato and the stone”Once upon a time
Do you tell each other stories at bedtime? Do you tell your children stories?
Here’s my answer: we READ stories. It is generally fairy tales from our native countries. I sneak in my favourites – myths deep-rooted in Romanian culture and traditions, mystical fairy tales with meanings crossing centuries and habits. Continue reading “Once upon a time”
The dog
The dog had the strangest tick – he would relentlessly swirl around his tail. Loop on loop on loop.
His favourite toy – a round rubber ring. Continue reading “The dog”
Iced Christmas Cake
featuring #Change This Christmas
Do you remember the first time you tasted chocolate? Or beer? Or cake?
I remember the first time I tried icing on a cake. I was 24 years old and had recently started working at the YMCA.
Continue reading “Iced Christmas Cake”A Suspended Christmas
featuring SELFISH MOTHER and Save the Children
If you do not live in the United Kingdom, then grab a seat! This post requires an explanation.
A Christmas jumper is ‘a top pulled over the head to cover the torso, themed with a Christmas or winter-style design.’ Save the Children UK encourage people to wear a Christmas jumper on a specific day in December (it’s the 14th this year) and raise money for the charity. Most people wear Christmas jumpers outside of that one day, during Advent and Christmas.
Five Christmas stories
I was asked, a few days ago, what was the best Christmas present I had ever received.
The coat
featuring WRAP UP LONDON
I arrived in Britain in the summer, fifteen years ago.
I had with me one photo album, one diary, pens, a couple of books, a Walkman (do you remember those?), my university diploma and a very small wardrobe of mainly tops and bottoms. The only pair of shoes I had thought of taking was on me and it lasted a whole year. I still retain wonderful memories – my best ever shoes!
Leftover Lunch
‘Maybe you should just leave it for a few more days, and it would exit the lunchbox on its own. Imagine, the lunchbox monster escapes and you would have so much less washing up to do.’
‘It’ is the leftover lunch that is awaiting, unopened, on the school rack. It was abandoned since Friday, so it had a whole weekend to work its way into life.