Free

"Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you're not really losing it. You're just passing it on to someone else." - Mitch Albom

Frightened Rabbit - Set You Free

The days grow shorter from here on out.

Sailing Home

Home has this magically familiar and endlessly comforting smell that I really can't describe or ascribe to anything in particular. It's the earth in my garden, the trees across the road, our washing powder, the distinctive scent behind my cat's ears, rain on the pavement, the dusty warmth in back bedrooms on sunny days...of the north wind and the fleeting flowers and the food we eat together, the cast-off skin of those I love and my whole life in this house.


She & Him - Home

I'm starting to remember what beauty looks and feels like, and learning again what it's like to be at home with a someone as well as a somewhere.

Happy Father's Day.
Today I'm grateful for all the different kinds of fathers who've helped to shape so many people around me into such remarkable and valuable people. Mine is one of the best; he's always provided for me, taught me so much and loved me so well. I hope he's as proud of me as I am of him.

Buddy

I have some fantastic friends, I'm so excited to go home and see them soon. I also can't wait to meet the new addition to our family...

Awake

Have you ever been given a glimpse of something, of how something could be, only to have it snatched out of reach? I am all hope and excitement, fear and dismay.

Poppy

Van Gogh and Monet. Tex-Mex and cherry vodka. Avi Buffalo and People Under The Stairs. Crown jewels and dog cemeteries. Secrets whispered in castle enclaves and dancing hard in underground clubs. Book shops and the Writers' Museum.
A pair of days, and everything went in two by two. Including us.






You never fail to make me glad to be alive.
This is my current favourite song, courtesy of you my friend.
Who's to say it can't be taken platonically?


King Charles - Love Lust

If I Was, Wish I Were...

a month, i would be: cosy October, with warm wool, apple bobbing and ghosts
a day of the week, i would be: Sunday, with lazy mornings, country walks and roast dinners
a time of day, i would be: just before sunset, when the light is the loveliest and the stars start coming out...or perhaps teatime
a planet, i would be: Planet Earth
a sea animal, i would be: a blue whale that knows all the secret places in the sea
a direction, i would be: North
a piece of furniture, i would be: a rocking chair by a window
a sin, i would be: pride
a liquid, i would be: raspberry-mint lemonade
a tree, i would be: a knarled old mulberry tree that’s good for climbing
a bird, i would be: singing
a flower/plant, i would be: anything you find in hedgerows or meadows
a kind of weather, i would be: fresh breezes and sunny skies
a mythical creature, i would be: a unicorn, loyal to the last
a musical instrument, i would be: a harpsichord
an animal, i would be: a tabby cat
a colour, i would be: red because it’s all I am on the inside
an element, i would be: earth, the kind that’s good for growing things
a car, i would be: a beaten-up Landrover Defender with blankets in the back
a song, i would be: a homespun symphony, sung until hoarse, with xylophones and violins, clapping and stamping for percussion
a movie, i would be directed by: Wes Anderson
a book, i would be written by: Susan Fletcher
a place, i would be: somewhere undiscovered
a taste, i would be: honey
a scent, i would be: lilacs and woodsmoke
a religion, i would be: personal
a word, i would be: cariad
a body part, i would be: hands
a facial expression, i would be: smiling
a subject in school, i would be: History
a shape, i would be: ever-changing
a number, i would be: 2

Thank you for the reminder darling, and for thinking me spectacular.

Scramble

An evening wander up Arthur's Seat to see sunset turned into a bit of an adventure when we took a bad path coming back down. It turned into a steep rock face and loose earth as the dark set in, and we had to be rescued by the police...I was fine, but my wee walking companion was a little too shaken after a near-catastrophic slip to make it down single-handed. We eventually got home, three and a half hours after we began the ascent. We fought scratches, bumps and bruises with vodka, ice cream and Heath Ledger. All's well that ends well!

Simplified

'It is far more difficult to be simple than to be complicated.' - John Ruskin

Soleil Me Down

Explosions In The Sky - Your Hand In Mine

There are dreamy days, full of sun and the scent of salt and soil and flowers. Picnics. Lying down and feeling the grass grow, watching the day pass, and not having a care in the world. Circling birds and flying kites and cloudless skies. The smell of the sea on the air. Sunspots. Buttercups and daisy chains. Holding hands, laughing the day long and lapping up ice cream as it drips down your wrist. Freckles. Suncream. Sandy sheets and dirty feet. Warm pavements, bare legs, skipping for no reason. Balmy evenings and shooting stars. Mowed lawns. Dock leaves and dandelion seeds. Apple cores, french fries, iced tea. Well-thumbed books. Noise and naughtiness. Flyaway hair. Open windows. The peace, the calm, the quiet. Joy, elation, love.