Thursday, 20 August 2026

The Playground

It’s hard to envision what’s going on sometimes. The focus is to play on the next piece of equipment. They’re constantly on the move and don’t like to wait. Sometimes they want to seek out the attention of a parent our sibling to demonstrate what they’ve learnt, especially when they’re trying something new. If there’s a friend or sibling with them, they’ll taker the time to compete or organise a game or create some rules. Sometimes they’ll cry out to their guardian for help if there’s something that upsets them or stops them from what they’re trying to achieve, or if it’s something that they don’t understand. They’ll want to keep an eye out or know where to go to get help. Sometimes they’ll be followed around by a responsible person. They may happily chat back at you. Others are solely focused on the new experience in front of them. Some kids will get bossy and will lay down rules.

Wednesday, 19 August 2026

The Hills of Henley #henley 1

Leaving the car park at the north, we turned right onto a footpath that curved south past a children’s playground. As it joined the road, we followed it south until it reached another road. Crossing it, we turned left and headed east past the school until we came to a gate just past the last house. Entering the field, we headed south and crossed over the stile into a ploughed field, and after passing the farm buildings on our right, the path bore south-east and began to cut through another field. The path followed the river around a meander until it reached another stile, then shortly afterwards we bore east to cross another stile to reach a road. Heading south, the road crossed the river then we turned left to follow the road over to the canal. Turning left onto the towpath, we followed the canal underneath the main road, and passed under another bridge before reaching a third.

Tuesday, 18 August 2026

By George

He’s tall and thin, and has a smile on his face. He knows how to greet people. He has thin wispy hair and a classic handlebar moustache alongside a large nose and stick-out ears. He has a small build with a bit of a bulge on his belly. He always aims to dress smart with the simplest of clothes, even when at home. He’ll always wear some kind of shirt; either a formal one or a polo shirt. He’ll take care in his appearance to  be well-groomed with the shiniest of shoes or the whitest of trainers. He listens very intently to people’s answers, and isn’t afraid to ask questions, although he does do it to insist that he does not mean to offend. He’s actually very intelligent, although he doesn’t like to show it, especially with a deep, loud and slow black country accent. He’s rather surprise people with what he can do.

Monday, 17 August 2026

Screening out for Change

It’s that time of day to log on and chat nonsense. We can talk about our worries or just muck about with what’s in front of us. Not much may have happened but we want to analyse everyone’s movements. It’s also good to hear that everyone is doing OK, and to see about getting people help and advice if they need it. But there’s not much that we can do if we don’t know about it. We also make plans based on the assumption that nothing is going to change in the near future. It’s odd that some of us have decided to use a company’s logo as an avatar when we’re not representing that company. I don’t think that the company would be very impressed. But we didn’t get too many invites to other people’s parties which probably said a lot about ourselves. We should really take the time for some self-improvement.


Sunday, 16 August 2026

Change the Rules

-The Doctor,

Sometimes things just don’t work out. You’ve found a clause that others can take advantage to get their way and you’re not sure how things should work out. Someone is taking advantage and it doesn’t seem fair. If you want to stop that from happening again, something needs to change. If you just go and break them, you could get into trouble, even though the person in front of you may have gotten away with it. Sometimes it’s easier said than done and you’re going to need others to help you. That means making sure that they see things the same way that you do. You’ve also got to make sure that they’re going to be applied to everyone. Leaders pay attention to the most voices. Or, failing that, become one. And once you’ve got the policy set up, you’ve got to watch people who will try to overturn your decision.

Saturday, 15 August 2026

NHS No

What would we do without the humble post-it note? It’s the gateway of computer passwords and there are probably millions of them stuck to screens and monitors. This one is to make a record of who I am which I probably won’t need when I get there. They’re more interested in my address and my date of birth rather than my number; so that they can direct someone to my house as soon as possible. It’s not a place that I visit regularly, and hopefully I won’t be doing the same in the future. It’s a makeshift place at the end of an industrial estate and there’s lots of parking and people on hand to direct me. I have to wait in a long line outside, but it’s only long because we all have to keep our distance. Inside, we all loop round to a person with a clipboard until we’re allocated a cubicle.


Friday, 14 August 2026

Crack on a Crack #devilsdaughter 28

Dust drifted down from the rafters. Realising how fragile the building was, she realised that she had a good chance of knocking the wall down. She didn’t want to touch the window, but if she placed all of her weight on the wall in one go, it had a chance of falling apart. The safest way was putting her crack on the crack that she had already made. She could feel it widen as she leant on it already. She thought about taking a run at it but remembered how the building shook earlier. She could feel cool air blow through the wall. She smiled and began to jiggle. Floorboards creaked underneath her. Debris began to fall and bounce off her giant derriere. She could feel the wind on her red hair. Then she stepped through like passing through a mirror into  the world beyond. She wasn’t sure what was behind her.