A Word A Week Photograph Challenge – GAP

January 6, 2014 / Dee / 2 Comments

This is a photo challenge from Sue Llewllyn and her chosen word this week is -GAP

My photo is here –

Looking at Barcelona

A different view of Barcelona – between the trees in the distance, you can just make out Gaudi’s ‘Sagrada Familia’

You can see more photographs here http://suellewellyn2011.wordpress.com/2013/12/31/a-word-a-week-photograph-challenge-gap/

The Best

January 6, 2014 / Dee / 7 Comments

‘When and where do you do your best thinking? In the bathroom? While running? Just before bed, or first thing in the morning? On the bus? Why do you think that is?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us THE BEST.’

______________________________________________________

Be single-minded as you set off on your quest

Ensure you are aware of all the choices

Seek out all the different themes and genres

Then confidently reveal to us your BEST

BEST – the most excellent of a particular group; most suitable, advantageous, desirable, attractive etc., the superlative of good – (didn’t know that)

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/daily-prompt-best/

The weather outside is frightful…

January 1, 2014 / Dee / 4 Comments

‘but the fire is so delightful…’

Thank you all for following and taking the time to comment, your interest in my blog is very much appreciated.

Wishing you all a very HAPPY & HEALTHY 2014

Jake and the Dolphin

December 20, 2013December 20, 2013 / Dee / 11 Comments

Thanks to Rochelle for shepherding the Friday Fictioneers throughout the year. I have thoroughly enjoyed posting a story almost every week, and thanks to constructive comments from some very talented writers, I feel my writing has improved a great deal. The lovely photo this week is courtesy of Jean Hays – I seem to remember having another of her beautiful stained glass panes as a previous prompt.

Not long now until Christmas, only five sleeps as youngest son told me (he is 36). So, may I take this opportunity, whether you celebrate Christmas or your own particular special celebration, to wish you all peace and happiness and a wonderful holiday with friends and loved ones.

Genre: Fiction

Word Count: 100

Jake and the Dolphin

Every year Jake’s parents took him to Florida for Christmas, hoping the holiday sunshine would help him.

‘We’re going to swim with dolphins this trip.’

Jake didn’t react; that wasn’t unusual.

Late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, as they splashed about, a dolphin appeared alongside. Gently nudging Jake, it guided him through the water. Jake held him tightly. People stopped to watch the boy with the dolphin, seemingly playing together.

When he was put to bed, Jake turned to his mother and whispered ‘Love you’

She stared momentarily, not believing her ears, then hugged him.

‘Jake, you can talk.’

This is based on something that happened to a friend’s son. He was diagnosed with autism, a most cruel affliction, when he was two years old. He had no speech at all and although seemingly happy in all other ways, his frustration at not being able to make himself understood, gave rise to terrible temper tantrums that affected all the family. It got so bad that at times they just couldn’t take him anywhere.

When he was nine, he went swimming with dolphins and a short time afterwards, he was able to speak. Not fluently, but enough to make himself understood. The medical team was very doubtful that the dolphin had anything to do with it. His mother believed that the dolphin had helped her son and I like to think so too.
for more stories from the Fictioneers click the little blue froggy

Happy Birthday Dad

December 11, 2013December 11, 2013 / Dee / 32 Comments

Thanks as ever to Rochelle for guiding us towards another challenge and to Adam for his great photo this week.

Today would have been my father’s 90^th birthday. Due to the date, he has been in and out of my mind all day, when I saw the prompt this week, I knew I had to write about him and so I crave your indulgence.

Genre: Memoir

Word Count: 100

Happy Birthday Dad

Some weekends he would take off on his motorbike, heading for the Lake District and the hills he had roamed since boyhood. He knew the places untouched by tourism, and would lose himself in the majestic beauty of the scenery; whatever worries he took with him, vanished into the clean, fresh, air.

After the accident, his motorbike was sold. He was 58 and my mother judged him too old to be in charge of such a powerful machine.

He sulked.

He died at 67; we scattered his ashes into the wind on Scafell Pike.

I’m sure I heard him laughing.

I wrote more about my father here, I still miss him. https://40again.com/2010/06/20/thinking-about-my-father-today/

Falling Apart

November 20, 2013 / Dee / 36 Comments

Time for Friday Fictioneers again. Thanks as always to Rochelle for keeping us all together (see what I’ve done there?) and thanks for the photo prompt this week to Sean Fallon, what an intriguing photo it is too.

My story this week, follows on from the one I wrote last week. A few of you Fictioneers kindly asked what was going to happen to ‘Tom’ and I have to admit I wasn’t sure. A few people were very annoyed at his attitude to Maggie, I thought I would revisit them this week.

Genre: Fiction

Word Count: 100

Falling Apart

Tom can’t understand why friends ask, ‘everything OK now?’

The attack on his wife was an attack on him too. Why can’t they see that?

The thoughts about what happened replay over and over. Maggie tries to reassure him that the attack, though violent, was brief, but his imagination runs riot.

He watches every man he sees, ‘Is it him?’ ‘Did he do it?’

Waiting, for the police to make an arrest; waiting, for THAT phone call; if they don’t charge someone soon he fears he will fall apart.

And it’s still affecting Maggie. Her behaviour has been odd lately.

For more stories, click here

Maggie’s Choice

November 15, 2013 / Dee / 31 Comments

My story is rather bleak as that is how most things have seemed to me this week, though I have tried for a hopeful ending.

Thanks go as usual to Rochelle for continuing to host Friday Fictioneers. I must admit to slight envy when I read in her post that she will be meeting up with some Fictioneers this weekend, it must be so good to meet up in person with the people whose stories we read each week. I can dream…

Thanks also to Kent Bonham for the intriguing photograph this week.

Genre: Fiction

Word Count 100

Maggie’s Choice

Maggie walked carefully down the dimly lit back street. Her small bag contained the items she was told she would need, afterwards. The house in the back street was her only option, no-one must ever find out about ‘It.’

The bright room smelled strongly of antiseptic; the strange array of equipment on the starched white cloth, looked alien and frightening. Though her body had healed after the violent assault, the nightmare continued. Tom still could not bring himself to touch her and now, this.

She endured the pain and, with her body cleansed, at last felt ready to move on.

For more stories click the little blue froggy thing

Remembrance Day – ‘We will remember them’

November 10, 2013 / Dee / Leave a comment

‘They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.’

From the poem ‘For the Fallen’ by Laurence Binyon

Making a Scene

November 6, 2013November 6, 2013 / Dee / 46 Comments

Greek mythology has always been of great interest, I love the way the stories that have been handed down through the generations, are part myth, part magic and part history. The photo this week, courtesy of Al Forbes was always going to inspire one Greek tragedy or another. I decided to take a slightly different view, but I think I have managed to get some of the attributes of Hermes into my effort this week. So, a fanfare for the goddess of Friday Fictioneers Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, as she summons us all once more to the podium.

Courtesy of Al Forbes

Fleeing the Scene

Genre: Fiction

Word Count: 100

Waking from a deep sleep I stretch feline-like

And then relax into the deep comforting mattress

Unbidden the memory returns.

The words cut deep, wounding us both,

Hateful bile spilled out of our mouths as we paced the room,

I cursed you for taking my love and trampling it underfoot,

For cheating and betraying me.

You grabbed my arms and roughly twisted one behind me

Trying to force me down onto the floor,

I felt excitement first then fury, that sheer strength could overcome me

Where words had failed

Shaken by your intentions you ran, fleeing the scene

And me

I’ve just found out that this is my 200th post and I have to admit I’m rather chuffed to have got this far.

Nothing wrong in asking for a pay rise

November 4, 2013 / Dee / Leave a comment

A recent survey by YouGov for the Sunday Times, found that British women are less likely to ask for either a pay rise or a promotion, than men.

I’m sorry, but this isn’t news to me and the findings don’t surprise me in the slightest.

Although women can manage the household budget and make most of the larger financial decisions at home, they are totally embarrassed about managing their own worth in the workplace. One friend once confided that if she was worth a pay rise, then her boss would make sure she got one. I wasn’t sure if she was scared of being told ‘No’ or not confident enough to ask.

Most men don’t seem to have the same reluctance, they also have more confidence to stand up for themselves and on average get paid more than women doing the same job – (on a personal note, this has always seemed an appalling situation to me, employers should set a rate for the job irrespective of the gender of the person doing it.)

In these uncertain times, hanging on to a job, any job, it a top priority for men and women alike. Unfortunately, most of the low paid, part-time jobs are done by women and when cuts have to be made, this is where the axe usually falls.

I haven’t any solutions and perhaps it is just that women are more interested in the broader picture of life, than the narrow view provided by work; whatever the reason women do need to find more confidence in the workplace.

See the full YouGov survey results here