The Air bnb guests - Louis and his brother and girlfriend - left me two gifts. The first tangible, was a book Henry’s Demons: Living with Schizophrenia by Patrick Cockburn, which had come knocking on my door before but I had not taken it up. We’d exchanged sadly similar stories of dreadful experiences in mental health… Continue reading Comings and Goings
Three nuns and a head girl
I was about to drink my free pint of Orange Wheat (Greenjack) after my Folk East bar shift, when I noticed a foreign number come up on the phone. I had to put the pint down when she said ‘This is Capps, Veronica Capps.’ She was staying with Tre and Gabriel the keepers of Magdalene… Continue reading Three nuns and a head girl
Blackbury and Apple
This slow unpacking involves coming across frequent surprises, jolts, back into the Bob. Today was 'Poplar Farm Blackberry and Apple, 2002' One of our periods of estrangement, a geography of a Suffolk long house Linstead, with Annabelle. I remember his pleasure in making jam, and gifting it, with all that time that he had on… Continue reading Blackbury and Apple
Shad
Hooker & Tamsyn and Gorilla planting in Halesworth
Oh what delight to rock up on the bike, peddling fast down Norwich hill by skin of teeth to meet the 11 o’clock rendez-vous to find Tamsyn leading the Hooker trail around Halesworth, this Hooker celebration weekend. Of course, she was. She is after all, Halesworth in Bloom inspirer, a great gardener, creator, mover and… Continue reading Hooker & Tamsyn and Gorilla planting in Halesworth
Strumpshaw
Hilary Mantel – The Reith Lectures July 2017
Discussion: We all enjoyed the novel experience of listening or reading or sometimes both. Peggy found her extraordinary voice easy to listen to. Phillip still found it annoying and read the transcripts. We discussed the main tenant of Mantal’s lectures, namely the ‘fictitious’ nature of history. Joan’s archeologist friend - stick to the facts everything… Continue reading Hilary Mantel – The Reith Lectures July 2017
Leslie to Suffolk
Unbelievably Leslie arrived with her charge - a dog. Across London, and on a train from Liverpool street changing at Ipswich. I'd never placed Leslie with a dog, just as I'd never imagined her in India, until she arrived. Actually she's far more open and versatile than I give credit for, and she'd got a… Continue reading Leslie to Suffolk
The Beck
With the best hamburger I'd ever had ('we do for farmers, so they know what's good' the happy Mobile Grill man explained. 'So good I'll have no sauce', i say) in hand, along with two dogs on two leads - challenging - we found the footpath through a rusty metal gate. I'd been here before,… Continue reading The Beck
Unexpected ream of paper
Chasing the day, moving stuff from one place to the next, a car stops, a woman gets out holding a ream of paper. 'Would you like a ream of paper?' she asks with a quizzical smile. 'Who wouldn't? Yes, please' I say, happy to accept not knowing from where it comes. 'That's all we have… Continue reading Unexpected ream of paper
Kalikellett 