The first time I saw dynamic graphic representations of neural pathways in our brains on a television documentary, I understood immediately why physical pathways - and where they might lead - fascinate. This afternoon while a friend was waiting to see the doctor in Loulé, I went in search of a shop with the intention... Continue Reading →
Pencil in hand
There is something quintessentially civilised about sitting in a café. I love saying that because I love sitting in a café, and I love drinking coffee.I also love saying that, because anyone who might be tempted to think of something else quintessentially civilised is in danger of being thought uncivilised for doing so. Perhaps it was... Continue Reading →
Tablets and birthday cards
After we had had coffee at the café nearby, a friend came to my apartment for the first time yesterday in what has been a series of serendipitous encounters. I had worked rapidly all morning to meet her at lunchtime. Just before I left I was frantically trying to find some itsy-bitsy little thing which falls... Continue Reading →
Having fun
I am the main reason that in our household there is no such thing as leftover chocolate, spare biscuits, or unwanted cake. It is therefore remarkable that I have managed to save my Savage Chickens moment for a whole week longer than necessary so that it coincided with my birthday. My version of spoiling myself. Over... Continue Reading →
A messy business
We like nonsense rhymes precisely because they make no sense. They allow the rhymer lee-way to exercise (in this case) his wit. They allow listeners to hold their breath in anticipation of the next amusing thing. The first few lines of Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussy Cat are a case in point: The Owl... Continue Reading →
Ten minute interlude
You probably think I am being lazy, or have lost interest. Perhaps you think I have simply run out of steam? Conversely, you may think that I am overworked. You might think I have gone on holiday to a wild, remote place. What a lovely sense of humour you have! No, none of the above.... Continue Reading →
Assuming a few more things
Daily Prompt: Burning Down the House Your home is on fire. Grab five items (assume all people and animals are safe). What did you grab? On television recently we have watched a few documentary programmes on "preppers". These are people who live in fear in my view. That is no way to live at all.... Continue Reading →
Everything she knows
I taught her everything she knows. That's what the mother said on the sixteenth birthday of the eldest daughter. Not everything, said the daughter. But nobody heard her until years later when she found her true voice. © Allison Wright, 2013.
The meaning of invincible
It is a feature of human nature that we more readily accept into our personal realm those with whom we share something in common than those with whom we do not. By reading a book, we accept whatever that book holds into our own space, the space we hold most dear. The fact that Muriel... Continue Reading →
Kindling and the same ol’
"It's the same old story— yeah" Simon & Garfunkel, "Keep the customer satisfied"- For the chronologically-challenged, here's the brushed up CD version. I do hope there are still those out there who recognised the quotation immediately. The same old story is a reference to the fact that despite the convergence of opportunity, technology, and even a... Continue Reading →
That elusive pair of jeans 