Stories of life and people
'Lockdown is very slow,' Gemma pops up, and then ducks out of sight on the screen. 'I was furloughed for the first four weeks, and as soon as I started loving furlough life, they called me back; our systems aren't set up for working from home.' The first week was weird, she says, mainly because... Continue Reading →
The screen flickers and I see the beams of Ruth's kitchen ceiling, and I picture her little country cottage nestled in a picture perfect Cotswold village, surrounded by rolling hills and endless green English countryside. I see a figure in a dressing gown moving about at the bottom of the screen, and a voice shouts,... Continue Reading →
“I’d probably say my lockdown experience is really boring,” Natalie laughs. We’ve not spoken in nearly five years, bonded by an unforgettable induction experience when we both started a new job on the same day. Her voice and accent is exactly the same as someone I know here in Christchurch, and which is strange. I’m... Continue Reading →
"I'm sorry.....But...." This drives me CRAZY. My ex-husband used to do it all the time. Apologies seemed meaningless and insincere. There was always a reason, an excuse for shitty behaviour; usually it was me. "I'm sorry. But...you know how to wind me up." "I'm sorry. But...I had a bad day at work." "That but wipes... Continue Reading →
Continued from Meeting The Poet... It was 3 months exactly since we first met, this time Friday 13th December. There were only two Fri 13ths in 2019, and we'd met on both, neither of which were planned. We were supposed to have met the Wednesday before, but I'd pushed it back to Friday because I... Continue Reading →
It was Friday the 13th September last year and we headed up the stairs, the music thumping through the wall on the left. The air was thick and hot as we reached the bar, people jostling to get to the front of the queue. "What do you want to drink?" I shouted to Katie as... Continue Reading →
Recently I’ve had cause to think about [romantic] relationships and my perspective on them, and I've been asked to share them. (Just to be clear, this is my perspective.) Society mainly seems to define a successful relationship by it’s longevity, doesn't it? No thought of whether it’s happy, or functional, or healthy. Just long. Find... Continue Reading →
I was absolutely exhausted. It was a week since got back from Jordan where I'd run the Wadi Rum Ultramarathon and just a few weeks before I was moving to New Zealand and I'd spent no time in that week having any rest. In fact, it was the opposite - late nights and every day... Continue Reading →
It was about lunchtime, yet my brain didn't really know what time or day it was. I'd been travelling for over 30 hours and my weary body was pleased to have finally landed. I didn't know what was waiting for me behind the arrival gates. Would he be there at the front with a big... Continue Reading →
