Friday 26 March 2021

 


CBWC: Triangles, Diamonds or Squares

This week our topic is Triangles, Diamonds or Squares.

Be creative if you feel like it, and fun with this challenge this week. Remember your photos needs to be black and white, desaturated, sepia (brown tones) or selective colour


Here is my selection:


Dalek square

Tardis square

Square and diamond pane windows, Ellen Terry museum

Musical biscuit tin with square windows


A bit of everything at this church

Cufflinks

Side view of ring













Wednesday 24 March 2021


 

CFFC: Birds of All Kinds

This week’s CFFC topic is Birds of all Kinds.

Here is my entry:

Chickens in narrow lane

Bird in bush


Seagull over a misty Folkestone beach
Young girl feeding geese
Garden ornament - robins on a boot










Monday 22 March 2021

Flowers for Fiona

 

The lovely Debbie Stanton hosts a writing challenge every week with a prompt.

This week we had a picture and a few random words to incorporate in to our story. 


Here is my story:


*bid* *ensure* *promise* *time* *walk*

Flowers for Fiona

Fiona answered the doorbell.  Standing on the porch was a florist with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, passing them over to Laura he wished her a lovely day. 

Fiona took the card from the bouquet and placed the medley of white flowers in the sink to give them a good drink of water.

‘I promise to love you all my life.’

That was weird.  Who on earth would send her flowers with such a message? She was newly divorced and enjoying her freedom from the restrictions her marriage had placed upon her.  She knew it wouldn’t be her ex – he was off to pastures new, newer than the one he left her for.  She didn’t think Ken would ever grow up and face up to the responsibilities of holding down a job and a relationship.  That’s what comes of being a spoilt brat with money left to him from his family.

She returned to her computer to complete the particular piece of work just in time to sit down for some lunch.  Enjoying her sandwich, her peace was interrupted by the chimes of the doorbell.  Standing at the door was the same delivery driver, beaming from ear to ear. 

‘Somebody thinks highly of you,’ he grinned at her.

Fiona was slightly taken aback but she accepted the flowers gratefully.  This time the card read:

‘I will ensure you have a life of pleasure.’

 What was she going to do?  This was getting creepy.

She found some vases and arranged the flowers; the smell was so fragrant and hit her olfactory nerves just right.  She shrugged off the feeling of somebody watching her, checking through the patio windows she couldn’t see anybody in the garden, there was nobody loitering on the street, she even looked through the spare bedroom window into next door’s garden to see if there was anybody there.   Nobody. 

Fiona shrugged it off but it played on her mind all afternoon.  She finished her work for the day, ordered a Chinese take-a-way meal to be delivered and poured herself a glass of red wine while she waited for her food to come.

A restless night ensued where she tossed and turned thinking about those messages on the bouquets and who on earth would be sending her such things. 

Waking up rather bleary eyed, she jumped in the shower ready to start her day.  No sooner had she sat at the computer than the doorbell rang.  Her heart pounding, Fiona opened the door to find a female delivery driver holding a huge bunch of flowers.  They were thrust in to her hands as the woman then hightailed it back to her van.  Fiona strained to see if the van had a logo of any description on it but no such luck.

Another bunch of beautiful white roses, this time the card read:

‘If you were a lot in an auction I would out-bid everybody for your hand.’

The doorbell chimed again, another bouquet, a different driver, male this time. 

‘I will love you until the end of time.’

A bit later another bouquet arrived, this time the message said:

‘I will walk with you for ever.’

Fiona had had enough.  She contacted the police who took her seriously.  After a few weeks the culprit was detained.  It turns out it was a young lad working in the supermarket where Fiona shopped.  He didn’t realise what he had done was frightening and scary to Fiona.  He only wanted the chance to meet her and go out with her.  He didn’t realise he was classed as a stalker. 

Fiona slept well for the first time in weeks but she now can’t stand the smell of fresh flowers. 


Friday 19 March 2021

CBWC: Anything that Flight

 

This week our topic is Anything that Flight. Your photo can show anything in flight or is capable of flyings through the air.

Be creative if you feel like it, and fun with this challenge this week. Remember your photos needs to be black and white, desaturated, sepia (brown tones) or selective color.

Here are my photos for this challenge:


Birds of prey

 

flying saucers

Seagull on a misty day

Hot air balloon outside my house last summer








Thursday 18 March 2021

CFFC: Pail or Pale

 



CFFC: Pail or Pale

This week’s CFFC topic is Pail or Pale. For pail, you may include, pails, buckets, or any container with a handle. Pale can include any pastel colouring or desaturated colouring.

Here is my choice for this week's play on words:

Milk churn with wishing well and bucket



Bathing belles in a bucket



Prospector's camp with bucket under grill


Prospector's camp - another view of the bucket


Sweet girl holding a pail

White silk flowers


Mixture of pale lemon flowers 







mm













Monday 15 March 2021

THE OFFICE

 



Debb Stanton, Author offers a weekly writing challenge with prompts. 

Please join in if you feel creative  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/581037879387720

The prompt this week was to construct a story using these five random words:

*careful*  *obnoxious*  *gutteral*  *voracious*  *dispensable*  *vivacious*

 Here is my story: 


THE OFFICE

She walked in on a conversation in the office that she probably shouldn’t have been a party to.  It wasn't her fault that they were shouting at each other, the office at the end of the corridor probably heard the slanging match going on.

Gareth was becoming quite obnoxious in his utterly guttural voicing of all the wrongs the young apprentice was not doing.  He reduced her to tears which only led to another barrage of insults.  If she couldn’t take the heat she shouldn’t be in this business, it’s cut-throat, dynamic and to be a journalist of any sort of repute she would have to be voracious in seeking out the stories that would sell their online newspaper.  No long the printed matter for them. According to Gareth it didn’t matter how adept Milly was at IT and getting the items published, what he needed was prompt copy, fact checking and editing in a fast turnaround time. 

Finally, Gareth ran out of steam.  He stormed out the office wishing it wasn't open plan so he could have the satisfaction of slamming a door, he just made do with stomping down the corridor.  Boy, did he need a coffee.  He really didn’t enjoy dressing down a young, new member of staff, let alone one who was as attractive and vivacious as Milly was.

Susy rushed in and took Milly in to her arms, cuddling her fast to her matronly ample bosom, the mother hen in Susy coming in to play.  She shushed and told her it be alright with comforting strokes on Milly’s back.  She passed Milly a tissue to wipe her eyes and nose while they had a whispered heart-to-heart conversation. 

‘You have to be very careful around Gareth. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, even though he is at least 10 years older than you.  Just take care and if he acts in any way out of line we will go to HR and lodge a sexual complaint.’

‘It won’t come to that,’ Milly replied.  ‘I know I am dispensable in this team, there are hundreds of graduates like me just waiting to jump into my shoes.  Somehow I have to make my mark and prove I am worthy of this job and valued as a bona fide journalist.’

Susy nodded her head, knowing Milly would pick herself up, she left her alone and went back to her own work station.  As she walked away she noticed Annette, Gareth’s wife, walking into his office.  He was the only one with a ‘proper’ office, a door and windows out in to the office.  The door was shut, the blinds came down, so privacy was wanted.  Susy knew Annette was the power behind the throne and she would calm Gareth down, probably enough to elicit an apology from him to Milly at some point during the day.

Milly noticed as well.  Right girl, time to sit up, straighten that backbone of yours and think of an article that would blow his socks off.

Got it!  Last week was International Women’s Day.  Everybody jumped on the band wagon but now was the time to keep it going.  She would open up a competition of sorts, asking for essays on the women who influenced other women’s life, poetry perhaps.  She knew a lot of people were put off by poetry thinking it was dull and staid and old fashioned.  She’d pitch it as; you listen to poetry everyday and don’t realise it.  What are song lyrics if not a form of poetry?  Oh, she was on a roll now.  She could have a section called ‘prosetry’ a mixture of flash fiction and a poem.  She could open a blog, a chat room, a forum, a safe space for women and maybe men who were influenced by great women in their lives.  There was so much stuff she could do, this could run and run.  She punched her fist in the air as she figuratively put pen to paper while her fingers pounded across her keyboard hardly able to keep up with her thoughts.

She’d write a poem herself, mark it anonymous to be able to pitch it as an example to Gareth.  Leading with the title of women over the last 70 years – 1950’s – 2020’s.

A few minutes later she was ready to print her poem:

The housewife of old was meek and mild

She looked after the house and her child

She tended to all her man’s needs

Then found time to pull up some weeds

She cleaned and washed and cooked all day long

Listening to the radio enjoying the pop songs

Matching handbags and shoes

Twinsets and pearls

Hair neatly coiffed and lacquered

All meals were home cooked and catered

No machines to save time and energy

Any ambitions to work were thought to be haughty

She was there to toe the line

To comfort, nurture and be his sunshine

Nothing was too much trouble, never angry

Abused physically and mentally by all and sundry

As time went on it wasn’t enough

Soon women found the strength to rebuff

The social norms of their lives and times

Sometimes having to commit crimes

Suffragettes and pioneers who wouldn’t be beaten

We need to thank our brave women who were certain

Who led from the front for their sisters and daughters

To find the right answers our female warriors

Taking voice and fighting hard to unite

Making sure it’s everyone’s birth right

Regarded and respected as any other human being

Genuinely admired and loved with feeling

So now we are in the 21st century

Some women are still living in penury

Working hard to change women’s lives

No longer willing to be captives

Standing against discrimination and prejudice

Knocking down the walls of the fortress

Dismissing the world of unfair bigotry

Trying to get everyone to agree.

Standing up for women’s rights and others

As did our grandmothers and great grandmothers

Not only for sex discrimination or prejudice

Righting the wrongs in the world with fairness

Thinking of the whole world with compassion

Helping out others with consideration

Lots of empathy and sympathy along the way

Hoping to make it a brighter day.

 

 

 


Friday 12 March 2021

CBWC: Things Found in the Kitchen

 

https://ceenphotography.com/2021/03/11/cbwc-things-found-in-the-kitchen/


This week's Black and White Challenge from Cee is 'Things Found In The Kitchen.'


Here is my selection: 


Used every day


Kitchen calendar where we keep track of all our appointments and birthdays etc. 


Got to have music in the kitchen while we work


A lovely and meaningful gift from my grandchildren


Ha, ha!

Instead of a messy drawer I have a messy tray on top of the microwave.



Wednesday 10 March 2021

CFFC: Hole or Whole

 


This week the topic is HOLE or WHOLE:

here is my selection; 


A whole fish 


Five hole stocks
Two holes in the sand

A whole chocolate cake - not for long though!


Monday 8 March 2021

WEEKEND DAD

 The lovely Debb Stanton issues a writing challenge every week with a prompt to be incorporated in to our stories. 

This week the prompt was a picture and some random words. 

If you want to join in or follow the stories please check her out on Facebook which is where she posts the prompts and stories by looking at Debbie Stanton, Author. 

This was the prompt:


*fail*  *giraffe*  *helicopter*  *igloo*


WEEKEND DAD

You only have to look at my boy to see that I do not fail as a dad.  I might fail as a husband but not a dad. 

My boy laughs at the drop of a hat.

My boy laughs at a book he can’t read.

I tuck him up in bed when it’s my weekend with him, making sure he has his toy giraffe to cuddle up to.

We made a camp in the living room although it turned out to be more of an igloo shape than a tepee.  Oh well, I tried. 

I hate saying goodbye to him but I plaster on my best smile and wave as he is driven away.

I turn down overtime on his scheduled weekends.  It probably means I have to tighten my belt for the rest of the month but he really is worth it. 

I try and try and try.

I wrap his birthday present up, a Dinky toy helicopter, ready to send to him because it’s not my weekend to have him.  I only hope the parcel will arrive on time.

Melissa is still very off with me; I won’t let that stand in the way of loving my boy.  I don’t say anything bad about her.  How can I when I wish I hadn’t messed up our marriage big time. 

I’m trying to make amends.  I’m trying to show her I still love her.  I’m trying to say, please let me come home.  Please let us be a family again.

I can only keep trying but I’ve heard rumours that she may be seeing another chap.  I try not to stalk her on Facebook but it’s difficult not to.  He seems a calm influence, they seem to be in love.

I’ll wait in the wings until it’s my turn again, if only I could be so lucky.

 

Only time will tell

There is no magic spell

To mend his broken heart

He doesn't want to be apart

From these people in his life

Whom he loves with all his might

His world has turned upside down

Suddenly he is a broken man

He’s tried to make amends

But he just offends

As things spiral from bad to worse

He realises he is under a curse

No matter how he rehearses

The words he wants to say

They come out wrong on the day.

She turns away

While his guilt weighs

Heavy on his heart

He needs a new start


Friday 5 March 2021

CBWC: Pairs

 

https://ceenphotography.com/2021/03/04/cbwc-pairs/


This week Cee's challenge is 

PAIRS

Here is my selection:

A pair of black swans


a pair of silver commemorative coins

A pair of bridal shoes 

A pair of bathing belles in my garden

A pair of candlesticks


Two tuna steaks

Pairs of shoes on window ledge