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Latest
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The Red Lights
I complained about last year’s Christmas tree: “It hasn’t got enough colour!” So, I ordered a string of red lights to brighten up this year’s tree. When they arrived in the mail,
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Complement
The other day, after my husband had washed the dinner dishes, I returned to the kitchen and discovered everything was clean and tidy except for the sink. A pile of rice from
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Pretend
Early yesterday morning, I snuck into Gemma-Rose’s bedroom. “What are you doing, Mum?” A sleepy voice from the bed. As I fumbled in the dark for a pair of shoes, I whispered,
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Infinite Love
Today is Thomas’ birthday. Andy and I drove to town this morning to choose a scented candle and a card to display with his photo. We also bought flowers for his grave.
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Sticky Fingertips
As I exit the car, the tree attacks me. It grips and twists my hair with its sticky fingertips. It pokes me sharply in my ribs. “Could you have parked any closer
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Children’s Novels and Carol Birds
In my post, The Spark, I told you I was updating my first children’s novel, The Angels of Abbey Creek. I was revising the words and, with AI’s help, generating a new
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The Short Cup
We give our daughters our Aldi pod coffee machine when they leave home. “We’ll treat ourselves to a new one,” we say, not realising there isn’t a single Aldi coffee machine for
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One Molecule at a Time
I ask, “Watch the movie or read the book? Which one do you prefer doing first?” Imogen replies without hesitating, “Read the book.” Then she adds, “Unless the book is based on
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The Spark
I gave up crying, petitioning, begging, “What am I meant to do?” Exhausted by the struggle, I stopped fighting, rolled on my back and rode the waves, content to go wherever the
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The Woman Chain
Just over a year ago, I was in a dark place. The world had returned to normal after covid, but I was finding it hard to shrug off the effects of being
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True Love
I was attracted to the novel The Hundred Loves of Juliet when I realised it was a Romeo and Juliet book: After a bad breakup, Helene Janssen runs away to Alaska to find some peace
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Silence and Slow
The other day, I listened to a podcast conversation between Fr Mike Schmitz and Matt Fradd. Matt said something like, “I’ve been telling people I went to Sydney to give some talks,
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Waiting and Creating
“If art doesn’t make us better,” Alice Walker said, “what on earth is it for?” I found these words in Claire Cook’s book, Life Glows On. My sister, Barbie, gave me this
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Delightfully Slow
The other day, my husband, Andy, and I offered to pick up my mother, who’d been away on holiday, from the train station and take her and her heavy luggage home. Arriving
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The Wise and Sparkly Older Gang
Do you ever get concerned about ageing? Do you slather on the anti-wrinkle creams, hoping to preserve your youthful appearance? Perhaps you choose and edit your photos with care, accepting only those that make you look young? Or maybe you don’t worry about such
The Shaming Things People Say
She was so fat she couldn’t fit into a telephone box. How
Ashamed of Being Ashamed of Looking Older
The other day, while I was browsing the shelves in our local
How Many Children Do You Have? (Part 1)
One question I always have trouble answering is “How many children do
What if Wrinkles Were Beautiful?
“What if people liked wrinkles?” I say to my girls. “What if
