Year: 2012

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MS is a horrid disease. We have all heard of it but I doubt that everyone knows how it affects the lives of sufferers. This post by Lynne about her daughter is both moving and informative, please have a read.

Lynne Ayers's avatarBeyond the Brush

As Lightly Crunchy pointed out, May is MS Awareness Month. I perhaps should have known this but I and my family are still new to this. Our daughter/sister/niece/cousin/fiance was diagnosed a year ago. I wrote an essay, which I might share at some point, titled “A Helper, A Dreamer and a Radiant Beamer”. It is about my three daughters and Jamie is the Radiant Beamer, and Jamie has MS. We don’t know where this road will take us and unknowns make us fearful and we push them aside.

Jamie is facing this bravely though we know of the fear and the anxiety that lies beneath. I am also still trying to find my way – I want to wave my Mother’s Wand and make it all go away … I should be able to, but I can’t. MS has already affected our family relationships – I do think we are…

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Weekly Photo Challenge: Unfocused

Posted on Posted in canon eos 450d, Devon, Exeter, PhotographyTagged , , , , , , 72 Comments

I like this! The excuse to use some photos that don’t make the grade.

First of all the city centre by night

Some ghostly Dartmoor ponies

and I don’t know how I made this mess, I was on a footbridge with windows,  the red is reflected from behind and a bit of my reflection is in there too!

The building I was trying to photograph is the Royal Albert Memorial museum.

100 Word Challenge for Grown Ups # 40

Posted on Posted in flash fiction, short story, WritingTagged , , , 55 Comments

This is my post for Julia’s 100 word challenge, with the prompt of ruby to mark the 40th week. Take a look over here http://jfb57.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/100-word-challenge-for-grown-ups-week-40/ and maybe join in.

Pearl of Ruby?

I stretched myself awake and saw a carved ivory box on my pillow.

‘Oh no,’ said Leila, ‘They will come tonight then, but you are so young.’ I opened the box and my heart stopped.

‘A ruby.’ As big as an eye.

‘You must be valued highly; the old fool usually sends a pearl, as if that makes up for his stench.’

I was shaking as Leila opened the note.

‘But no . . . Prince Mustafa awaits you . . . the young handsome one is yours, a ruby your price’ she said running her pearls between her fingers.

Exeter Cathedral

Posted on Posted in canon eos 450d, Exeter, History, Photography, TravelTagged , , , , , , , , 66 Comments

The word cathedra means seat of a Bishop and the building of Exeter’s began in 1112 on ground that had been used by a religious community since the 7th century. These are the organ pipes, the biggest is 11 metres tall.

The Exeter Astronomical Clock dates from the 15th century and always fascinated me as a child. 

With its complicated workings. 

With angels watching over them, a monument to the 2nd Earl and Countess of Devon, from the 14th century.

A section of tapestry on a bench

and another tomb, this one 19th century, the Macdonalds from the isle of Skye.

An 18th century clergyman

Some little details that I like

This stone screen or pulpitum was built between 1317 and 1325

and the view through is of the Quire.

Above the Quire is the organ in a 17th century case

My favourite part of the cathedral has always been the lady Chapel but today I couldn’t take photos because of a service so this one is courtesy of   © Copyright Neil Kennedy and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

A view of the pulpit with the organ in the background

and the detail of the pulpit

Looking high

Some ceiling bosses

The West Front Window

and I saved the best until last, the vault was created as a vision of heaven in the Tierceron style. St Peters has the longest continuous medieval vault in the world, around 96 metres.

So what do you think of Exeter’s glorious cathedral?

I’m adding this photo for http://beeblu.wordpress.com/category/home/ sorry its not very good but you can read a little more about the clock!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Together

Posted on Posted in canon eos 450d, Photography, Weekly Photo ChallengeTagged , , , , , , , , 63 Comments

I decided to enter several photos to the weekly photo challenge this week and I hope you enjoy!

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I’ve added an extra photo because of the lovely Sandra’s http://sandraconner.wordpress.com/ comment. She’s right it’s the perfect chance to show off my beautiful grandson even if I have no make up on and I hate being on that side of the camera.

My Hobbit is Suffering

Posted on Posted in Humour, Working world, WritingTagged , , , 24 Comments

For the last few days the hobbit has been arriving at the office looking increasingly wonky. Have you ever seen an ancient black and white movie starring Boris Karloff as the mummy? Well that’s how the hobbit was walking. Being a hobbit and inhabiting an entirely wrong world where no-one was free to cast a healing spell, he has been suffering, noisily. And enjoying the sympathetic attention of the pretty audit ladies, who were visiting the department. How has he acquired this painful condition? Well it could be, that not only does he spend his working days in front of a PC, but also because he has a portfolio of shares to manage, he hunches over his home PC until his head crashing onto the key board wakes him up. His eyes are as red as the mummy’s might have been, if the film above had been colour.

I don’t believe this is the real cause though, because on Friday I witnessed something strange. Hobbit cleaned his desk for the first time ever.

I don’t know if you remember that I told you about his car? How it’s interior looks and smells like it’s been dredged up from somewhere very unpleasant? Well, this leads me to believe that it’s the first time he has ever cleaned anything. It may have caused this irreparable damage to his neck and shoulder.

Hobbit has been asking the women to massage his pain away and one kind lady did help, not me of course! I sent him scuttling off to buy some anti inflammatory. Of course he couldn’t reach the site of the pain and asked for help to apply it. In an office with sixteen people, you can imagine the response.

Today he muttered about getting some professional help in the form of a chiropractor, but then talked himself back out of it because of the cost – all his money is tied up in shares. I remembered that our noble employer offers a free physio service and helped him to find the number. He stalled. ‘Go on call them, the sooner you do the sooner you’ll get sorted.’ ‘Not with everyone listening, I’ll do it later.’ I think he’s scared it might hurt. Or that it might be a dragon of a physio. Or that it might be a very attractive physio. He won’t go, he is happy in his suffering.

So why was he cleaning his desk? He has moved and someone new is sitting beside me. Hobbit is  8 feet behind me and I miss him and his Hobbity ways, and his socks.

100 Word Challenge Week 39

Posted on Posted in flash fiction, WritingTagged , , , 52 Comments

This week Julia’s challenge is to use the prompt ….I’m exhausted. Shut the door behind you…. So here is my attempt.

Caring

Right, your groceries are sorted, dishes washed. I’ve changed your bed and made up the spare room for your brother. The fish pie I made is in the fridge and a lemon meringue. I’ve refilled your medi-wallet too, okay?

The recycling bin is outside and the cats are fed. All the laundry is ironed and tomorrow’s shirt is hanging with those jeans I took up. I’ve booked you a test ride with motability and your wheelchair’s being serviced on Tuesday. Okay?

‘Where’s the remote? I can’t reach it.’

‘My sweets and beer?’

‘…. I’m exhausted; shut the door behind you….’

Shortlisted, me?

Posted on Posted in Creative writing, flash fiction, short storyTagged , , , , 45 Comments

Yes me! I submitted to South West Flash Fiction just for fun really and never dreamt that I would be short listed. National Flash Fiction day is on May 16th and Rachel http://rachelcarter.me an inspiring writer herself thought it would be a good idea to have a page to showcase the work of Westcountry writers.

So there I am and on the front page as well.

http://flashfictionsw.co.uk/ Do have a read, my story is Mystery Lady on The Train, written after I spotted an ad in the local newspaper.