Laura's tutor thinks mosaic is regenerative art. Laura thinks the tutor is a kook. Will she have a change of heart?
Broken Plates: a short story
Writing Poems & Stories from Photos
"A picture is a secret about a secret, the more it tells you the less you know." how photographs can help with writing.
Triggers & Tips: How to Live Better with Trigeminal Neuralgia
I bought a chest-of-drawers recently, from a local op shop (thrift shop/charity shop). The wood was in pretty good nick - sturdy and solid. But it had a sad, tired paint job - chipped, peeling, and the wrong colour scheme for our bedroom. The other day I got busy in the garage with the sandpaper, … Continue reading Triggers & Tips: How to Live Better with Trigeminal Neuralgia
Finding Your Way through Writer’s Block
Feijoa season is finished for the year in my garden. I've pruned the trees now the fruit are finished, snipping off the branches growing too close together, making sure there was space for birds to fly through. The sun was hot for late May, more like a spring day in the northern hemisphere than an … Continue reading Finding Your Way through Writer’s Block
Shoelaces – a short story
My shoelaces are missing again. My running shoes lie strewn on the floor, pointing in opposite directions. A ladder of darker grooves imprints the white leather tongues. The first time, we have this conversation. - Have you seen my shoelaces? - What do you want laces for? - I want to go for a run. … Continue reading Shoelaces – a short story
All the Little Extras: Quirks of Trigeminal Neuralgia
When I'm busy on a writing project, particularly if it's poetry or fiction, one of my favourite things to do is go to a local cafe and spend a couple of hours with a couple of cappucinos and my tablet. Most of my writing time is spent at home, in a quiet room overlooking the … Continue reading All the Little Extras: Quirks of Trigeminal Neuralgia
Rundown on a Rare Disease
Today was a lucky day. I found a four-leafed clover. Our garden was a farm paddock before they put a road and houses here, and if we don't keep the lawn under control it swiftly reverts to type and the clover runs rampant. It's the first time I found a four-leafed clover - despite hunting … Continue reading Rundown on a Rare Disease
Writing from Memory and Life
Memory and experience are fertile places for writers. I always think the stories and poems we react most strongly to are the ones that strike a chord of empathy or understanding, because we have experienced similar things or thoughts ourselves. One of my favourite poems is Originally, by Carol Ann Duffy and One Art, by … Continue reading Writing from Memory and Life
At Midnight
The clock has struck midnight and all is quiet in our neck of the woods. But there was a time, a few years back, a certain small girl (she knows who she is) thought midnight was not a time for sleeping, but singing. It's actually more like a quarter of a century back, and now … Continue reading At Midnight
Self Care, Cat Style
On a day out to Palmerston North recently, we took an unexpected detour. Most detours are tedious interruptions involving traffic cones and tortoise-paced driving. Not this one. This one was a spontaneous decision triggered by the sight of the SPCA sign at the side of the road. Shall we go in? we said. The previous … Continue reading Self Care, Cat Style
