wanderings & wonderings

Bali. Early August. A day of bright sunshine and happiness laughing in the air. A day that makes you feel so glad to be alive and the earth shimmers with joy. At dawn the tendrils of cloud strung out across the heavens were a pastel palette of glowing colour ... dusky pink, soft peach, pale lavender, golden yellow, in no hurry as they drifted languidly across the silvery blueness of the sky. The silhouettes of Gunungs Agung, Abang and Batur stood sharp and clear against this

It sounds like a shoot out between gangs of Sicilian Mafiosi ending in the untimely death, or some might say the well overdue demise, of the much-feared Frangipani family. In actual fact it refers to gardening, of a sort. Central Bali. At the start of a season that should be dry and sunny during the day but which was still wet and overcast. Windy and cool. The occasional day of glorious sunshine reminding us that behind the clouds the sun always shines. He is just extremely

Ubud, Bali, in the hour after dawn. The ether shimmering in the soft, golden light of early morning. Birdsong and the distant melody of gamelans drift across a sea of emerald green rice fields on the wings of a cool, gentle breeze. In the woods by the house a cockerel crows and from the rafter above my head a large pink and turquoise tookae peers down at me, laughing in his croaky voice. Walking around the garden is a sensory delight. Flowers are in abundance everywhere. The

You can’t live in Africa without noticing, at some point in time, a Muti Man’s shop. Well, that is what I call them. Shops that are found on street corners in every city, every town. Places where native medicine men, the sangomas, purvey their wares. Even in the heart of glitzy Johannesburg you would find these shops. At least you could in the early Eighties. I always hurried past them. They seemed to have an air of malevolence about them to me. A feeling, I suspect, borne of

Another little piece I have found, also from 2009; an exercise for the writing group I belonged to in Singapore. The task was to write about our favourite smell in less than 100 words. This is my offering - 99 words. Rich, round and yellow this aroma arrives without knocking. A blast of fragrant happiness that makes the limbic system salsa. A trace of spice underlying a big, bold statement of lemon. Or is it? Sherbet lemons, for sure. But lemons off the tree? No. If this aro

The sky is blue the sun is shining all around the little birds sing In the distance the sounds of a lawn mower the laughter of a child Pink flowers on the camellia bush green moss in the grass leaf buds on the oak tree Sparrows on the feeder a blackbird taking a bath a robin looking at me from the fence in this time of global pandemic this is my normality a surreal reality Working from home a novelty for many today my life for much of twenty years social isolation daily life

I was so anxious when I woke up this morning. D-day - the day that the cast comes off, an x-ray is taken and I find out whether surgery was

This morning, for the first time this week, I walked to the Friendship Bench and sat a while. A beautiful morning, bright and clear, no wind

Yesterday (Tuesday) morning when I woke up I was a tad blue. No visitors nor jailbreaks scheduled until my escape to the hospital at the end

This image signifies community for me. Togetherness, sharing, empathy and support. It's colour is vibrant and it lifts my spirits.

Awareness? Why has it become so rare? I have been pondering just this a lot. I still am. The answer I am coming to is not definitive, just m

Action is rife for the planet. This is good. But what of our species? We need to take action to reclaim community, reclaim empathy ...

I have to admit that when I came round from my surgery and saw my foot I commented to the nurse that it wasn't the neatest of bandages ...

I have been so looking forward to today. Jailbreak #4! I awoke this morning at 03:30 overwhelmed with frustration and the blues.

After yesterday's disappointment of the cancellation of my jailbreak to see my god daughter due to my accomplice's bout of flu it was over

t is Monday. The day has dawned bitterly cold, wonderfully sunny and with a white frost casting its icy fingers across the lawn, the fallen

I was too excited yesterday to do any writing. Yesterday was the day, you see, that with the help of an accomplice I was sprung from 'jail'

I have come to completely understand over the past 26 days how easy it would be to 'let go', for want of a better expression.

No musings here yesterday. The 11th day of the 11th month was spent in quiet reflection and remembrance as it is every year.

This is the view from the bench at the end of the street. It is a wonderful escape from the house even though it is not far away.