The rain came, soft and plentiful. You could almost hear the bulging flowerbeds creaking at their stone edges as the plants grappled for space. The bullies in the yard stretched enormous leaves that cast dank, inhospitable shade beneath them. Others scrambled up, stretching for light, using surrounding stems as climbing frames. A few brave bumblebeesContinue reading “The Garden”
Category Archives: Prose
Putnoe Wood
It’s a short walk past the deserted football fields where black-headed gulls search out washed up worms and scream their strangled yelps. At the gateway is an old oak, knobbly-elbowed, bare branches stretching across the path. I reach my arms around it, smelling the musty ridged bark and pressing my fingers into its fissures. Alone,Continue reading “Putnoe Wood”
Wren
I’ve been sitting indoors, watching nothing in particular, isolated by my own unwillingness to go out. This is my bubble, double-glazed against sound, the rippling grey clouds that clothe the January sky, the chilling breeze that fingers the trees. The garden is a green waiting room. Not much is happening, except the marking of timeContinue reading “Wren”
Slugging It Out
I always feel a little self-conscious as I turn off the well-worn path around the four sides of the wood, I scuffle furtively through leaf litter, crouching down to examine fungi or pick apart a rotting log to see what might be hidden inside their damp, crumbling innards. This was how I found four smallContinue reading “Slugging It Out”
Morning Song
The stagnant air is fog-filled, as it has been for weeks. I’m putting out food for the birds when I hear it. A secretive burble of notes, a warm-up routine. It takes a while to find it but then I see a dead-leaf-orange amongst the holly leaves. Its eyes are hidden but I feel itContinue reading “Morning Song”
Winter Visitors
It was a damp, foggy start to the day. Cloud wrapped around us as we started walking along the concrete track. The morning chill fingered its way down the inside of my scarf. Pylons had their heads in the clouds. The wooden humpback bridge over the mud-brown River Thames was slippery and we slowed ourContinue reading “Winter Visitors”
Hedgehog
The weather has turned colder, bringing a lull in the rain-sodden autumn. The horizons of our days are pulling together. It’s a time of change, when the last shining berries are snapped up by hungry birds and the trees expose their skeletons. I’ve gone outside in the dark evening to scatter some food for theContinue reading “Hedgehog”
Hedgehog
The weather has turned colder, bringing a lull in the rain-sodden autumn. The horizons of our days are pulling together. It’s a time of change, when the last shining berries are snapped up by hungry birds and the trees expose their skeletons. I’ve gone outside in the dark evening to scatter some food for theContinue reading “Hedgehog”
Fungus
The garden has become alive with fungal outgrowths, a rich result of prolonged warm, wet weather. I don’t even need to look to know they are there, as a rich umami smell drifts into my nostrils. They are difficult to find at first. The grass is covered by big heart-shaped poplar leaves, all yellow butContinue reading “Fungus”
Alien Footprints
It was a typically Atlantic autumnal day of warm blustering wind. This is the best time of year to stare up through the canopy, enjoying the stained-glass effects of reds, oranges and yellows. So, stare up is what I did, neck creaking at right angles to my spine. Staring up at a sky that couldn’tContinue reading “Alien Footprints”
Mudwriter 