I have a little picture in my mind as I write. It’s evening, close to bedtime, and Junior Reader is out in the garden, attired in pyjamas and crocs. (It’s actually been warm. Lovely.) Dan continues to put the new picnic bench together, and in a little bit of role reversal, Junior Reader reads to …
Continue reading “Friday phrase: this will never come off I don’t think”
The end of another week. We may be feeling great, or more than a little grizzly. We may even wonder if we’ve blown it  – and be looking for some reassurance. Enter Debi Gliori’s No Matter What. A wonderful story for helping us realise that we will be loved, no matter what we do, it’s …
Sometimes I ponder over them; sift them through my fingers. Are there enough to make a post out of? Other times, they come thickly, like jam and extra helpings of jam, and jam dripping off those same fingers. Mainly, it’s the chance to pause. I need that right now. — A week with two days …
I wrote a little while back about the impact of good endings on us as readers. A good ending can sum up a character’s journey within a story – as well as point us to where they are going next. Certain endings stand out in my memory. They may offer encouragement, or solace, or simply …
Continue reading “Friday phrases: there’s just so much to do right here”
Every now and then, I feel the need for some bracing cynicism – or at least, the reminder that there are gloomier ways to view the world, whatever I am making of my own situation at the time. I’m not advocating gloominess – far from it – though it can strike us easily enough at …
Continue reading “Friday phrases: we haven’t had an earthquake lately”