Cat calls from rooftops and perving from cars, wandering hands, in clubs and in bars. Pawed at on pavements, on holidays walking, harassed in the pub where I sit with friends talking. He gets aggressive when I ask him to go, but I never asked for his company you know. Groped at on stairs that …
A fine drizzle drifts lazily through grey mist, coating the businessmen who hurry by in somber suits. Grim faces pass, dead eyes fixed doggedly ahead. I duck and weave among them, skilfully avoiding a mass assault with the sharp edges of my umbrella. It’s autumn, but I’m in denial and refuse to dig out my …
She lost herself in tumbling streets, beside canals lit with fireflies flickering like stars. She walked among couples, hand in hand, whispering the secrets of the chosen into ears, and necks, and lips. She lost herself in alleyway bars, with milk-crate stools, and tumblers of warm amber that burnt away the memories of another’s touch. …
JoJo & Cam I met Cam in India ten years ago, on a graduate training program with the company we had both joined; he was from Sydney, and I was from London. Our holiday fling turned into something more serious, and we decided to give long distance a go. After six months apart, I …
“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less.” ~Socrates It started young. I was a sentimental soul, clinging to the objects that represented memories of people or places. I cherished them, tenderly placing them in their own special ‘homes’ around my room. A …
He picks her flowers on his way to work. Pink confetti rains down on his head, a secret smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ‘Who is she?’ I wonder as I pass him. Our eyes meet and a million stories swim in his topaz depths. I imagine her joy as he presents …
It’s dark when we wake, and hard to leave our snug nest of blankets to step into the early morning chill pervading our cottage. Peering outside we can see the mist has rolled in overnight, an eerie ghost, disguising the mountain peaks in smoke-like cloud. We dress quickly, with nervous anticipation. We have no …
Read more “From Mist to Memories: Tracking Gorillas in Uganda”
Dearest future mother-in-law, In just five months, I will walk down the aisle with one of the most amazing humans that I have ever known: your beautiful son. I don’t need to tell you how special he is, because you already know, probably more so than anyone else. What I will share with you, …
I’ll admit that when my husband suggested Bosnia as part of our three month honeymoon adventure, I hesitated. My initial thoughts flew to abandoned buildings, water dripping on to rusting corrugated iron, and walls riddled with bullet holes. I googled ‘landmines in Bosnia’ and immediately wished that I hadn’t. I mentioned our plans to my …
Read more “Letting Go of Our Preconceptions: A Lesson From Bosnia.”
She looks at her. She sees her in all of her radiant glory. Her strength. Her passion. Her unique beauty. And the biggest tragedy in life, she thinks, is that she will never believe it. She tells her anyway. “You are beautiful,” she whispers softly, “In the way that the forest is beautiful in the first …