Here, I am unknown, unnoticed, unimportant.
I move as though a low flying cloud, floating, a vapor.
Everything passes through me and I through it, unscathed.
I am just an essence, a ghost, a spirit.
Apart and yet a part of life, belonging yet longing to be free,
to be gone where I am known and loved.
Like a specter spectating, a mirage, a figment of someone's imagination,
a speck in some unsuspecting eye.
As a ship in the night I pass by, unrecognised and alone.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Swan Song
My dream has always been to make my living as a writer ( some dream when you look at all the starving writers there are around!) I only really feel truly alive when I am writing, its like I suddenly sprout wings and the possibilities take flight. Whatever wordly stuff is going on in my life I can always transcend it when my fingers come into contact with the keyboard.It doesn't matter whether I'm composing soul deep poetry or trying to spice up a dry article on mortgages, I somehow feel as though I have some sort of power trip going on, must be "the pen is mightier than the sword" syndrome or something.Language is such a fascinating medium, the choice of each word is so important,one little word can change the whole mood or rhythm of a piece. Like music really, one note can make it or break it. In these days of texting and instant messaging, our language seems to be curling up and giving up the ghost.It's so sad that something so evocative of emotion is dying. Is this maybe why compassion and empathy are also on the way out? Why illiteracy is on the way in? Language is about sharing, isn't a sunset all the more poignant when shared, a story more vivid, a sad experience less painfull? It is more common nowadays to see hoardes of people communicating with a cellphone in a crowded place than with each other, so sad.I read today that the sales of video games outnumbers the sales of books 100 to 1, imagine that.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Article Five
Take Time to Make Time.
In this busy world we live in its sometimes easy to lose track of our identity, to become just another face in the crowd It’s even harder for us ladies to keep track because we have to be so much to so many for so long; We are the dutiful daughter, finding time and often resources, to help out Mom or Dad when they need us. We are the sensible sister, always there for our siblings, ready with helpful advice and comfort on demand. We are the adored aunt, babysitter extraordinaire, confidante and go between in family feuds. We are the magnificent Mom, juggling work and home like a circus performer and still finding time to listen to our offspring’s woes and complaints. We are the sexy spouse, taking pains to keep our husbands happy and at home. We are the Cordon Bleu chef, serving up tantalizing delicacies for the delectation of our friends and family. We are the accomplished and efficient personal assistant to the blah, blah, blah de blah!
O.K., but who are we REALLY? Deep down inside there lurks another entity, one only you really, really know. It’s the one whose hopes and dreams are on hold just until---- the kids are older, your husband gets his promotion, your Mom has her operation, your sister moves into her new house, etc .etc. etc. Maybe one day you’ll actually get to fulfill them, that’s if you’re not too old by then, of course!
Why not now? If you can make time to cram in the one thousand menial every day chores, then you can make time for YOU. Just get up one morning and decide that this is THE day. The day that you begin living your life as the real you. You will write the first chapter of your novel, take your first piano lesson, learn to ride a horse, take Spanish classes or you will just take an hour out of your day to sip on your favorite drink, be it herbal tea or fine wine, while perusing your favorite magazine or novel! You will be amazed at how different you feel right from day one. The real you has finally surfaced, keep it up!.
In this busy world we live in its sometimes easy to lose track of our identity, to become just another face in the crowd It’s even harder for us ladies to keep track because we have to be so much to so many for so long; We are the dutiful daughter, finding time and often resources, to help out Mom or Dad when they need us. We are the sensible sister, always there for our siblings, ready with helpful advice and comfort on demand. We are the adored aunt, babysitter extraordinaire, confidante and go between in family feuds. We are the magnificent Mom, juggling work and home like a circus performer and still finding time to listen to our offspring’s woes and complaints. We are the sexy spouse, taking pains to keep our husbands happy and at home. We are the Cordon Bleu chef, serving up tantalizing delicacies for the delectation of our friends and family. We are the accomplished and efficient personal assistant to the blah, blah, blah de blah!
O.K., but who are we REALLY? Deep down inside there lurks another entity, one only you really, really know. It’s the one whose hopes and dreams are on hold just until---- the kids are older, your husband gets his promotion, your Mom has her operation, your sister moves into her new house, etc .etc. etc. Maybe one day you’ll actually get to fulfill them, that’s if you’re not too old by then, of course!
Why not now? If you can make time to cram in the one thousand menial every day chores, then you can make time for YOU. Just get up one morning and decide that this is THE day. The day that you begin living your life as the real you. You will write the first chapter of your novel, take your first piano lesson, learn to ride a horse, take Spanish classes or you will just take an hour out of your day to sip on your favorite drink, be it herbal tea or fine wine, while perusing your favorite magazine or novel! You will be amazed at how different you feel right from day one. The real you has finally surfaced, keep it up!.
Article Four
We are the World We are the Women-----
In society far too little credit is given to women’s achievements in everyday life. Somehow we have become our own worst enemies in that we quietly and efficiently go about our business in such a way that everyone just takes it for granted and forgets what an enormous contribution we make to society. Somewhere along the line we have made it all look way too easy and now there is no going back! So maybe it’s up to us to take stock of our role in the scheme of things, making sure that we are being true to ourselves in the process, and just get on with it.
Let’s face it; we only have to look around at our children and know what a miracle has been perpetrated through us. We have the future in our hands here; we have the power to give shape to our dreams of a better world. The way in which we bring up our children is the key to the future. If we instill the now almost extinct virtues into our children from the very beginning and insist on honesty, respect, loyalty, integrity, and accountability, surely the world will be a brighter place with these types of people leading us.
We have so much power and yet if we don’t use it wisely it can turn out to be just the opposite. A mother, who insists on doing everything for her son, long after he is capable of taking care of himself, is making a candidate for Male Chauvinism, and we women know how counterproductive that can be! The Mother who defends her children even when she knows they are in the wrong, is not helping them to face up to life, she is encouraging their dishonesty. By not setting boundaries to their behavior, she is creating human beings who feel that the world owes them something and take rather than give and feel no compassion for others.
Women let’s not bemoan our fate, but rather work together in strength and unity and use this power that we have been given to improve the quality of life, if not for ourselves then for our children.
In society far too little credit is given to women’s achievements in everyday life. Somehow we have become our own worst enemies in that we quietly and efficiently go about our business in such a way that everyone just takes it for granted and forgets what an enormous contribution we make to society. Somewhere along the line we have made it all look way too easy and now there is no going back! So maybe it’s up to us to take stock of our role in the scheme of things, making sure that we are being true to ourselves in the process, and just get on with it.
Let’s face it; we only have to look around at our children and know what a miracle has been perpetrated through us. We have the future in our hands here; we have the power to give shape to our dreams of a better world. The way in which we bring up our children is the key to the future. If we instill the now almost extinct virtues into our children from the very beginning and insist on honesty, respect, loyalty, integrity, and accountability, surely the world will be a brighter place with these types of people leading us.
We have so much power and yet if we don’t use it wisely it can turn out to be just the opposite. A mother, who insists on doing everything for her son, long after he is capable of taking care of himself, is making a candidate for Male Chauvinism, and we women know how counterproductive that can be! The Mother who defends her children even when she knows they are in the wrong, is not helping them to face up to life, she is encouraging their dishonesty. By not setting boundaries to their behavior, she is creating human beings who feel that the world owes them something and take rather than give and feel no compassion for others.
Women let’s not bemoan our fate, but rather work together in strength and unity and use this power that we have been given to improve the quality of life, if not for ourselves then for our children.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
About My Books!
STORY CONCEPT: What if you could just dive into the crystal clear, turquoise ocean or run along the pristine, white sand beaches of the Bahamas and experience first hand all the amazing adventures that lie in store for you there? What if a brave and fearless heroine wth an insatiable appetite for adventure was your guide?
STORY SYNOPSIS:
Who Let The Dog Out???” This is no ordinary “doggie” story, it is the story of Dottie, a V.I.P. [a Very Insatiable Puppy] from the very beginning. Born into a world of tropical splendour on a tiny Bahamian island, Dottie’s life is one long adventure. Not content to stick around her eight sisters and one brother, she sets off to discover the wonders of the world, and discover them she does! From head on clashes with a viscious Pitbull puppy and a giant Loggerhead Turtle, to single handedly surviving a Category Four hurricane, Dottie races from adventure to adventure. The story flows along gaining momentum with each chapter, until the final and greatest adventure of all leaves the reader gasping for more!
“Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!!!” Dottie, the spottie Dalmatian dog is off on the road to adventure again!!Now quite at ease in her new home on Grand Bahama Island, she finds lots of new and exciting adventures to keep her very busy! She discovers first hand just what a jetski is all about, bravely saves the life of an abandoned puppy and almost gets roasted alive in an enormous bush fire! As usual Dottie triumphs over adversity and is once again the heroine of the hour. Join Dottie on her Bahamian adventures and get a taste of island life with Dottie as your guide.
“My Island In The Sun” [Work in progress.] Theodore Seamus O’Sullivan is a debonaire Dalmatian about town. He hails from New York and is convinced that the best things in life are far from free. When he inadvertently gets locked in the landscaping trailer in the gardens of his owner’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and is taken far from home, he discovers that there is a big bad world out there.
When he eventually shows up in the Bahamas, full of anger and frustration, Dottie and her Owner have a big job ahead of them convincing him that there is more to life than material possessions. After a disasterous start , the magic of the Bahamas begins to work on him and with Dottie’s help, he eventually realizes that the best things in life really are free after all!
STORY SYNOPSIS:
Who Let The Dog Out???” This is no ordinary “doggie” story, it is the story of Dottie, a V.I.P. [a Very Insatiable Puppy] from the very beginning. Born into a world of tropical splendour on a tiny Bahamian island, Dottie’s life is one long adventure. Not content to stick around her eight sisters and one brother, she sets off to discover the wonders of the world, and discover them she does! From head on clashes with a viscious Pitbull puppy and a giant Loggerhead Turtle, to single handedly surviving a Category Four hurricane, Dottie races from adventure to adventure. The story flows along gaining momentum with each chapter, until the final and greatest adventure of all leaves the reader gasping for more!
“Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!!!” Dottie, the spottie Dalmatian dog is off on the road to adventure again!!Now quite at ease in her new home on Grand Bahama Island, she finds lots of new and exciting adventures to keep her very busy! She discovers first hand just what a jetski is all about, bravely saves the life of an abandoned puppy and almost gets roasted alive in an enormous bush fire! As usual Dottie triumphs over adversity and is once again the heroine of the hour. Join Dottie on her Bahamian adventures and get a taste of island life with Dottie as your guide.
“My Island In The Sun” [Work in progress.] Theodore Seamus O’Sullivan is a debonaire Dalmatian about town. He hails from New York and is convinced that the best things in life are far from free. When he inadvertently gets locked in the landscaping trailer in the gardens of his owner’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and is taken far from home, he discovers that there is a big bad world out there.
When he eventually shows up in the Bahamas, full of anger and frustration, Dottie and her Owner have a big job ahead of them convincing him that there is more to life than material possessions. After a disasterous start , the magic of the Bahamas begins to work on him and with Dottie’s help, he eventually realizes that the best things in life really are free after all!
Monday, August 4, 2008
After The Hurricane.
A CLEAN SLATE.
Sometimes just when you think nothing really bad could happen to you, it does. One minute you feel as though finally your life is taking direction, falling into place; and then suddenly within a very short period of time everything, everything is literally swept away. To stand on the threshold of your home, or what was once your home, where you and your family had memories, where a whole segment of your life and love had been lived and shared, and see nothing but utter devastation and ruin. Everything you ever held dear, sacred even, lying destroyed at your feet— words fail. It is as if a giant hand has smashed down from above in supreme anger and then swept aside the debris in disgust. The very precious things in your life, your memories, every meaningful sentimental little object you ever held dear obliterated. Your child’s first Mother’s Day card - I love you Mummy- in scrawly, ill-formed letters, lying torn, soaked and muddy at your feet. Pictures of family holidays, birthdays, special and never to be repeated occasions, every innuendo of your children’s lives thus far, recorded in glorious Kodak technicolour, now brown, blurred, blobs of waste paper. That is the worst of it- the total extinction of the framework of your life. You never were materialistic; the simple and meaningful things in life giving most pleasure. You were always simplistic in your needs and wants- thank God for that, at least you can wade through the splintered, smashed, soaked, sodden remnants of your material life and try to grasp at the waning straws of your emotional life! But then you step back, try to blot out the first muddy, stinking, horror of it and try desperately to come to terms with that first shattering, reeling image of your life in ruins. You begin to realise that it is not your life that has been destroyed, you still have good red blood in your veins, your heart is still beating, even your children have been spared the horror, in their various havens around the world. All that has been destroyed is the “stuff” of your life, not your life itself. That will go on and its up to you to make it work. You are the epicentre, you have to get past the shock, the horror and the pain and begin again. You have been given a rare gift- a clean slate- a precious opportunity to completely start over and you WILL!
Sometimes just when you think nothing really bad could happen to you, it does. One minute you feel as though finally your life is taking direction, falling into place; and then suddenly within a very short period of time everything, everything is literally swept away. To stand on the threshold of your home, or what was once your home, where you and your family had memories, where a whole segment of your life and love had been lived and shared, and see nothing but utter devastation and ruin. Everything you ever held dear, sacred even, lying destroyed at your feet— words fail. It is as if a giant hand has smashed down from above in supreme anger and then swept aside the debris in disgust. The very precious things in your life, your memories, every meaningful sentimental little object you ever held dear obliterated. Your child’s first Mother’s Day card - I love you Mummy- in scrawly, ill-formed letters, lying torn, soaked and muddy at your feet. Pictures of family holidays, birthdays, special and never to be repeated occasions, every innuendo of your children’s lives thus far, recorded in glorious Kodak technicolour, now brown, blurred, blobs of waste paper. That is the worst of it- the total extinction of the framework of your life. You never were materialistic; the simple and meaningful things in life giving most pleasure. You were always simplistic in your needs and wants- thank God for that, at least you can wade through the splintered, smashed, soaked, sodden remnants of your material life and try to grasp at the waning straws of your emotional life! But then you step back, try to blot out the first muddy, stinking, horror of it and try desperately to come to terms with that first shattering, reeling image of your life in ruins. You begin to realise that it is not your life that has been destroyed, you still have good red blood in your veins, your heart is still beating, even your children have been spared the horror, in their various havens around the world. All that has been destroyed is the “stuff” of your life, not your life itself. That will go on and its up to you to make it work. You are the epicentre, you have to get past the shock, the horror and the pain and begin again. You have been given a rare gift- a clean slate- a precious opportunity to completely start over and you WILL!
Article Three
What Are We Doing to Man’s Best Friend?
It’s a known fact that animals play a major role in our lives, in fact 63% of households in the US have pets and consider them family, but how far do we go to protect them? Lots of love and attention, regular meals, protection from heartworm and fleas and a comfortable place to sleep are no longer adequate nor in their best interest it would seem. Results of a recent study carried out by the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit environmental research organization based in Washington, DC, (http:/www.ewg.org/reports/pets), point to a very worrying fact, the chemicals that are in many common household products including, pet grooming supplies, pet products, and even in pet foods are taking their toll on our furry friends. The study showed high levels of toxins present in the blood and urine of both the dogs and cats tested. So without being aware of it we are slowly poisoning our best friends!
Obviously something needs to be done as soon as possible. We need to make sure that the products that we are using to care for and giving to our pets are “green “products. These are products which are environmentally friendly and do not contain harmful chemicals. Choosing pet food without chemical preservatives and using a water purifier on the faucet ensures a reduction of toxins in their bowls, Reading labels suddenly becomes of tantamount importance and avoiding any ingredient that even sounds like a chemical, the rule of thumb. Many pet suppliers also carry herb based flea and tick repellants as well as shampoos and grooming aids. It is also important to check contents of pet toys and bedding as many are produced in countries that do not regulate the use of toxic chemicals. With a little more care and attention to detail, your pet will live a long, healthy and happy life!!
Article Two
WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?
Those of us who grew up in non technical times, who had to rely on books to glean our information and were solely at the mercy of our brain power to figure out mathematical problems, we now are the obsolete, illiterate generation. We are the ones who stumble and fall by the wayside in the face of technology. It's like starting over, but this time without the necessary tools to get the job done! Technology has taken over every aspect of our lives, there is a machine to take care of our every need, from our morning wake up call, coffee with two slices of toast, communicating with the rest of the world while we drive to work on cruise control, through the whole spectrum of our day's activities, up to the moment when we lay our bodies down on our custom crafted, fully adjustable at the flick of a switch, bed! What hope is there for those of us who learned by using our powers of reasoning? We are like the poor illiterates, who never quite got the knack of this reading and writing business and so spend the greater part of their energies trying to hide the very fact from the unforgiving world at large!! The very mention of texting, megabytes, search engines, urls, even digital, can send us running for the hills and safety! I speak with the voice of experience, I who have conscientiously, staved off the advance of technology in my life, even down to insisting on manual windows and standard shift in my new car!!
What is this fear that grips us when we are confronted with anything that does not come within our sphere of knowledge or experience? Are we afraid of ridicule? Is it that we've" been there, done that" in our education and really can't face going back to the beginning again? Or is it just that we have become so set in our ways that we resist change at whatever cost? Whatever the reason, we are genuinely afraid, no doubt about that! Yet, you know, if we put our minds to it, we can do anything, even conquer the unforgiving world of technology that has sprung up, seemingly overnight, while we were sleeping! The secret is keeping an open mind, totally and utterly letting go of everything we knew before and not letting it influence our reactions to all this new and improved data we are processing [ how's that for technical jargon??? see, even I can do it, there's hope for us all!] However we feel about it does not change the fact that it is here to stay and we have to learn to live with it or get left behind in the desert.
Actually, it's not all bad, so many aspects of it even make our lives easier, and isn't it just great to be able to track down your errant teenage son on his cellphone, and tell him to get himself home, RIGHT NOW!!!!! And it's so much easier to surf the web,[ there I go again!!] to help out with homework projects and research areas of knowledge that have only been touched on in school. Let us not forget either the joys and ease of shopping on line! Maybe too much ease! Suddenly our world really has become a small one and lies literally at our finger tips. So like it or not we have no choice but to get on the bandwagon, hold on tight and try our best to enjoy the ride!!!!!!. Carole HUGHES. 2008
Those of us who grew up in non technical times, who had to rely on books to glean our information and were solely at the mercy of our brain power to figure out mathematical problems, we now are the obsolete, illiterate generation. We are the ones who stumble and fall by the wayside in the face of technology. It's like starting over, but this time without the necessary tools to get the job done! Technology has taken over every aspect of our lives, there is a machine to take care of our every need, from our morning wake up call, coffee with two slices of toast, communicating with the rest of the world while we drive to work on cruise control, through the whole spectrum of our day's activities, up to the moment when we lay our bodies down on our custom crafted, fully adjustable at the flick of a switch, bed! What hope is there for those of us who learned by using our powers of reasoning? We are like the poor illiterates, who never quite got the knack of this reading and writing business and so spend the greater part of their energies trying to hide the very fact from the unforgiving world at large!! The very mention of texting, megabytes, search engines, urls, even digital, can send us running for the hills and safety! I speak with the voice of experience, I who have conscientiously, staved off the advance of technology in my life, even down to insisting on manual windows and standard shift in my new car!!
What is this fear that grips us when we are confronted with anything that does not come within our sphere of knowledge or experience? Are we afraid of ridicule? Is it that we've" been there, done that" in our education and really can't face going back to the beginning again? Or is it just that we have become so set in our ways that we resist change at whatever cost? Whatever the reason, we are genuinely afraid, no doubt about that! Yet, you know, if we put our minds to it, we can do anything, even conquer the unforgiving world of technology that has sprung up, seemingly overnight, while we were sleeping! The secret is keeping an open mind, totally and utterly letting go of everything we knew before and not letting it influence our reactions to all this new and improved data we are processing [ how's that for technical jargon??? see, even I can do it, there's hope for us all!] However we feel about it does not change the fact that it is here to stay and we have to learn to live with it or get left behind in the desert.
Actually, it's not all bad, so many aspects of it even make our lives easier, and isn't it just great to be able to track down your errant teenage son on his cellphone, and tell him to get himself home, RIGHT NOW!!!!! And it's so much easier to surf the web,[ there I go again!!] to help out with homework projects and research areas of knowledge that have only been touched on in school. Let us not forget either the joys and ease of shopping on line! Maybe too much ease! Suddenly our world really has become a small one and lies literally at our finger tips. So like it or not we have no choice but to get on the bandwagon, hold on tight and try our best to enjoy the ride!!!!!!. Carole HUGHES. 2008
Article One
We Are What We Eat---- And So Are Our Children!!!
Soon it will be time for our little ones [and not so little ones ] to go back to school and we will be faced with the age old headache of what to give them in their lunch bags!!! All summer long they have been in and out of the fridge, helping themselves to whatever, whenever they like. Now they are back to the reality of set times to eat and no snacking in between! So it looks like its up to us to provide a satisfying, tasty, nutritious and healthy lunch on a daily basis. Quite a tall order really when you take into consideration that it is our children we are trying to please here!! We have to keep in mind that they need a well balanced selection of foods, it's better to give them a little bit of a variety of things rather than a whole lot of the same! Pre-packed lunches like "Lunchables" and other ready to eat snacks, can be very expensive and are loaded with sodium [salt] and preservatives! So it is much healthier,and cheaper, to prepare your own! All you need is a little imagination and a few extra minutes of your time and you can come up with wholesome ,tasty items that your kids will love!
For starters let's think about snack ideas: raw nuts, dried fruits, yogurt covered raisins, homemade trail mix, dry cereal, veggie sticks [celery,carrot,]or pieces of cauliflower, broccoli or baby carrots with salad dressing, peanut butter or cream cheese on the side, cheese chunks, fruit wedges [apple, banana, orange, melon, strawberry, peach, mango etc.], seedless grapes, wholewheat crackers, I'm sure that you're beginning to get some ideas of your own now, based on your child's preferences and what you happen to have on hand. You can buy little snap and seal snack bags at the food store that are 6in. by 3in. and cost around $2 for fifty, and are the perfect size for holding just enough of one kind of snack to keep your child interested. You can chop up a load of fruits and veggies at the weekend and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge ready to fill up the little bags during the week. Next we need to think about the "main course", We need things that are more filling, yet are tasty and appetizing too! Sandwiches are a good staple, but we have to be careful not to overdo it or they will start coming home untouched! Try using more "interesting" bread for a change, e.g: crusty french style bread with ham and grated cheese, a big wholewheat roll stuffed with tuna salad, a toasted bagel with flavoured cream cheese [they even have a stawberry one now!], raisin bread with peanut butter and jelly, cinnamon roll with sliced bananas etc. etc. It's not too good an idea to just put it into a snack bag and put it in their bag, because it usually ends up all wet and squishy and totally unappealling!! It is much better to put it in a sealable container where it can be kept dry and protected. "Ziploc" do a wide variety of containers in every shape and size and they are light weight, but strong and can be thrown away when they become well worn! The price is reasonable too. Finger foods make a tasty and easy to handle lunch. Chicken drumsticks, nuggets, sticks and wings go down well, as do fish fingers and patties. Frankfurters [hot dogs!] can be cut into bite sized pieces, slices of cooked ham or turkey can be rolled around cottage cheese, creamcheese or peanut butter. Tuna, egg, chicken or even lobster salad [if you are very lucky!!] make an appetizing lunch along with wholewheat crackers. Home-made hamburger patties served on a sesame seed bun, can bring a smile at lunch time, you could even make mini ones and put them on those little, light and fluffy dinner rolls. The emphasis is on variety and nutrition, you have nothing to lose!
Of course no lunch is complete without a nice dessert to round it off! They have already eaten their fruit at snack time and so now we have to come up with some different ideas for something "sweet" [but without too much sugar!!] Fruity yogurt is always a favourite, most companies make them in 4 oz pots, which is just about the right size for little stomachs, apple sauce also comes in 4oz. containers and "Motts" do different fruit and apple sauce combinations to add a little variety. Dried apricots, dates and apple slices are sweet and apppealling too.
Drinks are the final concern. Always put in a bottle of water, particularly in the hotter months, it's no fun spending the whole of your lunch break standing in line at the water fountain!! A small carton or can of juice is good, but not thirst quenching, better to use a sugar free drink mix , like "Crystal Light" [comes in numerous fruity flavours], or "Country Time"[ they have tasty sugar free lemonade] made up with water in a recyclable bottle or thermos. A carton of milk- plain or chocolate can be an added treat.
So there we have it, a happy, healthy lunch bag and no complaints from the kids either!!!!!
AFTERNOON TEA.
The gentle rhythmic click clack, click clack as the rockers hit the floor, lulled her into a soporific doze. The gauze curtain fluttered noiselessly in the warm breeze and the shards of sunlight that pierced the half closed blinds fell across her wizened face in strange stripes. Faraway on the road she could vaguely hear the strident honking of a horn, a dog barked close by and she thought she heard the distant tinkling of a bicycle bell. Her gnarled fingers gripped the arms of the rocking chair. It must be late afternoon and soon Tom would be awake and wanting some tea. She heaved her aching body out of the chair and creaked and groaned into a standing position. She felt drained of energy, that one movement had sapped all of her strength. Her shaking hands smoothed the stringy white strands of hair back from her deeply furrowed brow. She stood still for a moment catching her breath and summoning her strength. She looked down at her feet, the same feet that had once carried her through until dawn, dancing endlessly, now could barely carry her out into the kitchen to make Tom's tea. She shuffled forward, her slippers making a scratching sound on the wooden floor. She pulled her old cardigan around her gaunt frame, feeling a bone deep chill. Even when the sun beat down on her these days she still felt this incredible coldness at the very core of her being.
She rubbed her arms as she hugged herself, trying to get the circulation going again, trying to ease the throbbing in her arthritic shoulders and elbows. Everything was such an effort now, so painful, so tiring. Sometimes she just wished that she could fall asleep in her chair by the window and never wake up, but she always did. She would wake with a start, heart thumping in her chest, mind struggling through the haze to focus on where she was, who she was and slowly come back to the reality of her life and the knowledge that Tom needed her. Tom had always been there for her ever since she was born, Tom had been there through thick and thin, protecting her and loving her, her best friend, her big brother. There had been just the two of them when their mother died leaving them to fend for themselves in a world of strangers. Tom had been fifteen and Ellen only ten, but they had managed to survive and stay together against all odds. Later, when Tom's wife had died giving birth to their first child, in the far bedroom, Ellen had nursed him through his grief. They were inseparable, and now that Tom was so sick, Ellen was once again playing nurse. This thought nudged her back to the present; she must pull herself together and get Tom's tea. He must be awake by now and needing some sustenance.
She filled the kettle from the tap and placed it on the gas ring, the blue flames licked around the old kettle, slowly heating the water for Tom's tea. Ellen warmed the teapot and spooned in the tealeaves. Tom enjoyed a good strong brew, put hairs on his chest, he claimed. She smiled lovingly at this thought and her faded eyes twinkled with amusement. She gazed at the kettle; a watched pot never boils, she thought as she leaned heavily against the sink for support. Soon the kettle screamed out its shrill cry, letting her know the water was ready. She poured the bubbling liquid over the tealeaves, filling the pot to the brim because Tom always liked a second cup. While the tea was brewing, she busied herself putting the fine bone china cups and saucers on a tray. She held her back as she reached up, taking the delicate crockery in her shaking hand and placing it carefully on the tray. She spooned in the sugar, two for Tom and none for her. She always joked with him that she was sweet enough she didn't need any sugar. She chuckled at her own well-worn joke. The tea was ready now, just right. She poured the steaming liquid into the fragile cups, added a splash of milk, a quick stir and it was set to go. She picked up the tray, balancing it between her two hands and shuffled one step at a time towards the far bedroom. As she neared the half open door, she began to croon," oh Tom, Tom, it's tea time my love, let's have a nice cup of tea. I'm sure you are ready for one". She carefully leaned her right shoulder against the bedroom door, nudging it open. As the door swung inwards a shrill cry escaped her, sticking in her throat and piercing the total stillness of the room beyond. The tea tray fell from her helpless hands, crashing to the floor, smashing the china and splattering the rose covered wallpaper with steaming, brown droplets of tea. She swooned lifelessly to the floor.
She was dreaming that they were young again, she and Tom, running hand in hand through the sunlit woods. A warm breeze was playing with their hair, the sweet, sweet smell of honeysuckle bruised their nostrils and laughter filled their ears. Her heart was as light as a bird and her spirit soared with happiness, until a shadow fell across the sun and the sky darkened, as if in preparation for rain. A cold, icy wind chilled her heart and when she turned to Tom for comfort, he was gone. She was totally alone in an alien landscape. Strong winds whipped and howled around her causing her to stumble and fall. She tried frantically to grasp onto the branches and roots of the dark trees that stood sentinel around her, but her hands just clutched at empty air. Then she was falling into emptiness, her stomach flipping and twisting, her voice echoing wildly as she screamed his name into the void.
She awoke with a start, her heart hammering painfully, she was soaked with sweat and her throat was parched and aching, salty tears were running down her face and into her ears. She moved her head carefully, her neck felt cramped and stiff and she had the beginnings of a migraine headache pulsing in her left temple. A wave of nausea swept over her as she tried to work out where she was. She couldn't remember how she had ended up on the floor, but she had obviously fallen at some point and trapped her right arm underneath her. It was throbbing with a dull ache, and would be of little use in getting herself into a sitting position. From where she lay she could see into the far bedroom, there were pieces of broken china everywhere and brown stains were seeping into the carpet and running in rivulets down the wallpaper. She must have fallen and dropped the tea tray. Tumbleweeds of dust lay under Tom's bed, it was so hard for her to keep the place clean nowadays, even a year ago it would have withstood a military inspection, but over the last year she seemed to have lost both the ability and the motivation to keep up with the household chores. If it hadn't been for Tom, she would probably have given up a long time ago. As she thought of Tom, a strange sensation came over her, a kind of fearful dejavu creeping around in her consciousness, like a spider spinning a silken web across her mind. A strong feeling of unease began to pervade her thoughts, there was something eating away at her, trying to find it's way through the cobwebs to the forefront of her mind, but every time it threatened to materialize, her mind would skitter away from it once more.
She had no idea how long she had been lying there, drifting in and out of consciousness, but at one point she realized that night had fallen and only the splintered moonbeams illuminated the otherwise pitch-black house. She heard the old clock in the hall chiming out the hours, but try as she may, she couldn't keep track of the time. Ellen made up her mind, if she didn't get moving soon, she would lie like this for days and she had Tom to take care of, so with a mighty heave, that took up every ounce of strength she could muster, she rolled over onto her back with a loud whoosh of exhaled air. She lay looking up at the ceiling for several minutes, building up her strength for one more supreme effort. She reckoned that if she could get into a sitting position against the wall, then at least she would be able to take stock of her situation and think more clearly what to do. She maneuvered herself with shuffles and grunts until her feet were firmly wedged against the doorframe, then she pulled up her knees as far as they would go to get the maximum leverage and then pushed as hard as she could against the frame. At first nothing happened, her body remained motionless. She took a deep breath and tried again, this time pushing with short, sharp bursts of effort. Slowly, slowly she began to move, soon she had her shoulders firmly lodged against the wooden frame behind her. With excruciating slowness she inched her back up the doorjamb, she could feel each one of her vertebra as it scraped painfully along the hard wood. Finally, with a grunt of satisfaction, she was in a sitting position, back rigid against the doorframe. Ellen laid her head against the wood and closed her eyes, her worst fears had come to fruition and she was powerless in the face of them. She wearily crawled into the kitchen, where she forced herself to her feet by pulling down with her left arm on the drawer handles that formed a ladder to the counter top above. Her right arm hung numbly at her side and her legs trembled and shook with the effort and almost gave out on her, but with sheer force of will Ellen stood up.
She straightened up and pulled her cardigan around her." I'd better get that cup of tea,” she said aloud as she filled the old kettle from the tap. She winced with pain as she reached up and took two more cups and saucers from the cupboard and placed them on the draining board. Soon the kettle sang out it's familiar song and Ellen made the tea, one with sugar, one without. Her eyes sifted through the labels on the numerous bottles of medication that stood like soldiers awaiting inspection on the countertop, she found what she was searching for and with a smile that lit up her tired face, she tipped the contents into the two cups of tea. Ellen rose shakily to her feet and carrying Tom’s cup, shuffled back to the far bedroom, where she carefully placed it on the night table next to his bed. She stood still, swaying just a little and catching her breath before moving off to get her tea from the kitchen. With a heartfelt sigh, she carried it into the living room where her favorite rocking chair stood waiting by the window. She gingerly lowered herself into it and closing her eyes she drained the cup. She began to croon in time to the gentle rhythmic click clack, click clack as the rockers hit the floor," Oh Tom, Tom I'm coming my love, wait for me".
They found her several days later, her gnarled hands folded gently in her lap, her white hair tucked neatly behind her ears and a peaceful smile on her lips. “It was only a matter of time”, they said, “She’s not been herself since her brother passed away last year”.
The gentle rhythmic click clack, click clack as the rockers hit the floor, lulled her into a soporific doze. The gauze curtain fluttered noiselessly in the warm breeze and the shards of sunlight that pierced the half closed blinds fell across her wizened face in strange stripes. Faraway on the road she could vaguely hear the strident honking of a horn, a dog barked close by and she thought she heard the distant tinkling of a bicycle bell. Her gnarled fingers gripped the arms of the rocking chair. It must be late afternoon and soon Tom would be awake and wanting some tea. She heaved her aching body out of the chair and creaked and groaned into a standing position. She felt drained of energy, that one movement had sapped all of her strength. Her shaking hands smoothed the stringy white strands of hair back from her deeply furrowed brow. She stood still for a moment catching her breath and summoning her strength. She looked down at her feet, the same feet that had once carried her through until dawn, dancing endlessly, now could barely carry her out into the kitchen to make Tom's tea. She shuffled forward, her slippers making a scratching sound on the wooden floor. She pulled her old cardigan around her gaunt frame, feeling a bone deep chill. Even when the sun beat down on her these days she still felt this incredible coldness at the very core of her being.
She rubbed her arms as she hugged herself, trying to get the circulation going again, trying to ease the throbbing in her arthritic shoulders and elbows. Everything was such an effort now, so painful, so tiring. Sometimes she just wished that she could fall asleep in her chair by the window and never wake up, but she always did. She would wake with a start, heart thumping in her chest, mind struggling through the haze to focus on where she was, who she was and slowly come back to the reality of her life and the knowledge that Tom needed her. Tom had always been there for her ever since she was born, Tom had been there through thick and thin, protecting her and loving her, her best friend, her big brother. There had been just the two of them when their mother died leaving them to fend for themselves in a world of strangers. Tom had been fifteen and Ellen only ten, but they had managed to survive and stay together against all odds. Later, when Tom's wife had died giving birth to their first child, in the far bedroom, Ellen had nursed him through his grief. They were inseparable, and now that Tom was so sick, Ellen was once again playing nurse. This thought nudged her back to the present; she must pull herself together and get Tom's tea. He must be awake by now and needing some sustenance.
She filled the kettle from the tap and placed it on the gas ring, the blue flames licked around the old kettle, slowly heating the water for Tom's tea. Ellen warmed the teapot and spooned in the tealeaves. Tom enjoyed a good strong brew, put hairs on his chest, he claimed. She smiled lovingly at this thought and her faded eyes twinkled with amusement. She gazed at the kettle; a watched pot never boils, she thought as she leaned heavily against the sink for support. Soon the kettle screamed out its shrill cry, letting her know the water was ready. She poured the bubbling liquid over the tealeaves, filling the pot to the brim because Tom always liked a second cup. While the tea was brewing, she busied herself putting the fine bone china cups and saucers on a tray. She held her back as she reached up, taking the delicate crockery in her shaking hand and placing it carefully on the tray. She spooned in the sugar, two for Tom and none for her. She always joked with him that she was sweet enough she didn't need any sugar. She chuckled at her own well-worn joke. The tea was ready now, just right. She poured the steaming liquid into the fragile cups, added a splash of milk, a quick stir and it was set to go. She picked up the tray, balancing it between her two hands and shuffled one step at a time towards the far bedroom. As she neared the half open door, she began to croon," oh Tom, Tom, it's tea time my love, let's have a nice cup of tea. I'm sure you are ready for one". She carefully leaned her right shoulder against the bedroom door, nudging it open. As the door swung inwards a shrill cry escaped her, sticking in her throat and piercing the total stillness of the room beyond. The tea tray fell from her helpless hands, crashing to the floor, smashing the china and splattering the rose covered wallpaper with steaming, brown droplets of tea. She swooned lifelessly to the floor.
She was dreaming that they were young again, she and Tom, running hand in hand through the sunlit woods. A warm breeze was playing with their hair, the sweet, sweet smell of honeysuckle bruised their nostrils and laughter filled their ears. Her heart was as light as a bird and her spirit soared with happiness, until a shadow fell across the sun and the sky darkened, as if in preparation for rain. A cold, icy wind chilled her heart and when she turned to Tom for comfort, he was gone. She was totally alone in an alien landscape. Strong winds whipped and howled around her causing her to stumble and fall. She tried frantically to grasp onto the branches and roots of the dark trees that stood sentinel around her, but her hands just clutched at empty air. Then she was falling into emptiness, her stomach flipping and twisting, her voice echoing wildly as she screamed his name into the void.
She awoke with a start, her heart hammering painfully, she was soaked with sweat and her throat was parched and aching, salty tears were running down her face and into her ears. She moved her head carefully, her neck felt cramped and stiff and she had the beginnings of a migraine headache pulsing in her left temple. A wave of nausea swept over her as she tried to work out where she was. She couldn't remember how she had ended up on the floor, but she had obviously fallen at some point and trapped her right arm underneath her. It was throbbing with a dull ache, and would be of little use in getting herself into a sitting position. From where she lay she could see into the far bedroom, there were pieces of broken china everywhere and brown stains were seeping into the carpet and running in rivulets down the wallpaper. She must have fallen and dropped the tea tray. Tumbleweeds of dust lay under Tom's bed, it was so hard for her to keep the place clean nowadays, even a year ago it would have withstood a military inspection, but over the last year she seemed to have lost both the ability and the motivation to keep up with the household chores. If it hadn't been for Tom, she would probably have given up a long time ago. As she thought of Tom, a strange sensation came over her, a kind of fearful dejavu creeping around in her consciousness, like a spider spinning a silken web across her mind. A strong feeling of unease began to pervade her thoughts, there was something eating away at her, trying to find it's way through the cobwebs to the forefront of her mind, but every time it threatened to materialize, her mind would skitter away from it once more.
She had no idea how long she had been lying there, drifting in and out of consciousness, but at one point she realized that night had fallen and only the splintered moonbeams illuminated the otherwise pitch-black house. She heard the old clock in the hall chiming out the hours, but try as she may, she couldn't keep track of the time. Ellen made up her mind, if she didn't get moving soon, she would lie like this for days and she had Tom to take care of, so with a mighty heave, that took up every ounce of strength she could muster, she rolled over onto her back with a loud whoosh of exhaled air. She lay looking up at the ceiling for several minutes, building up her strength for one more supreme effort. She reckoned that if she could get into a sitting position against the wall, then at least she would be able to take stock of her situation and think more clearly what to do. She maneuvered herself with shuffles and grunts until her feet were firmly wedged against the doorframe, then she pulled up her knees as far as they would go to get the maximum leverage and then pushed as hard as she could against the frame. At first nothing happened, her body remained motionless. She took a deep breath and tried again, this time pushing with short, sharp bursts of effort. Slowly, slowly she began to move, soon she had her shoulders firmly lodged against the wooden frame behind her. With excruciating slowness she inched her back up the doorjamb, she could feel each one of her vertebra as it scraped painfully along the hard wood. Finally, with a grunt of satisfaction, she was in a sitting position, back rigid against the doorframe. Ellen laid her head against the wood and closed her eyes, her worst fears had come to fruition and she was powerless in the face of them. She wearily crawled into the kitchen, where she forced herself to her feet by pulling down with her left arm on the drawer handles that formed a ladder to the counter top above. Her right arm hung numbly at her side and her legs trembled and shook with the effort and almost gave out on her, but with sheer force of will Ellen stood up.
She straightened up and pulled her cardigan around her." I'd better get that cup of tea,” she said aloud as she filled the old kettle from the tap. She winced with pain as she reached up and took two more cups and saucers from the cupboard and placed them on the draining board. Soon the kettle sang out it's familiar song and Ellen made the tea, one with sugar, one without. Her eyes sifted through the labels on the numerous bottles of medication that stood like soldiers awaiting inspection on the countertop, she found what she was searching for and with a smile that lit up her tired face, she tipped the contents into the two cups of tea. Ellen rose shakily to her feet and carrying Tom’s cup, shuffled back to the far bedroom, where she carefully placed it on the night table next to his bed. She stood still, swaying just a little and catching her breath before moving off to get her tea from the kitchen. With a heartfelt sigh, she carried it into the living room where her favorite rocking chair stood waiting by the window. She gingerly lowered herself into it and closing her eyes she drained the cup. She began to croon in time to the gentle rhythmic click clack, click clack as the rockers hit the floor," Oh Tom, Tom I'm coming my love, wait for me".
They found her several days later, her gnarled hands folded gently in her lap, her white hair tucked neatly behind her ears and a peaceful smile on her lips. “It was only a matter of time”, they said, “She’s not been herself since her brother passed away last year”.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
