‘When you part from your friend, you grieve not; for that which you love most in him will be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.’ Ah, good old Kahlil Gibran, always trying to find the positive, the lesson, in the sometimes-tangled mess of life. I supposeContinue reading “For My Friend”
Category Archives: An Observation
Why Turning Fifty Is Something To Celebrate
Earlier this year, I turned fifty. As I approached the milestone age, I wrote a few pieces about how I felt. About those I’ve known over the years who left too early, never to see fifty, or thirty, or even twenty. About how women ‘of a certain age’ are somehow meant to disappear from theContinue reading “Why Turning Fifty Is Something To Celebrate”
A Tangled Path – Where Do We Go From Here?
As we move through these strange times, I suppose we each have our way of dealing with what’s going on. While we are linked on one level by the shared experience of lockdown, each of us has our own set of circumstances to deal with in how we find our way forward. I found itContinue reading “A Tangled Path – Where Do We Go From Here?”
An Observation – Part 6 – Heart Shaped Garden
Miss Three and I were at the Heide Museum of Modern Art in Melbourne, spending the day there with my mother-in-law, her sister and two other friends. Madam had already charmed everyone at lunch in the cafe, pretending to take our ‘orders’ at the table, charging us all exorbitant prices: ‘Really? A hundred dollars forContinue reading “An Observation – Part 6 – Heart Shaped Garden”
An Observation, Part 5 – A Glimpse of Snow
It was a hot Melbourne day, the kind where the air is heavy and damp before 9am, holding the city hostage until a cool change blows in from the west. I was waiting for a train at one of the red brick rail stations so ubiquitous in the inner city, federation bungalows and Victorian housesContinue reading “An Observation, Part 5 – A Glimpse of Snow”
An Observation – Part 4 – The Fighter
Hot. Sweat and heat and hurt as fists fly, looking for an opening. Water slick under the plastic coated shin guards, fingers curled in her gloves. Her helmet is tight around her ears and forehead, squashing her cheeks around her mouthguard, which feels dry and heavy in her mouth. ‘Point!’ The fight stops, both womenContinue reading “An Observation – Part 4 – The Fighter”
Clearing My Mind
Most days I count my blessings as I sit down at my computer, happy to be writing, to have my family, to be living here. And then there are days when really, all I want to do is sit on the couch and binge watch Avengers movies or Game of Thrones, or the Tudors. OrContinue reading “Clearing My Mind”
An Observation, Part 3
It’s January 2001 and I’m backstage at the Big Day Out music festival, Sydney, Australia. We’ve been backstage most of the day, hanging out, avoiding the heat and crowds and filthy bathrooms, having a couple of beers and pretending like this is all cool, that we do this sort of thing all the time. ByContinue reading “An Observation, Part 3”
An Observation – Part 2
It’s 1983 and I’m sitting in the food court of the Rideau Centre, Ottawa with three of my friends. All around us conversation hums, the clatter of cutlery, the crunch of plastic. We’re all feeling pretty cool, sitting there in our pastel outfits. Just to be extra cool, today I’m sporting my entire collection ofContinue reading “An Observation – Part 2”
Observation
He had been handsome once, but now his hair was greying and unkempt, his face reddened by the elements or drink or some combination of the two. Still there was a twinkle, a lively curiosity in the dark eyes. ‘Hello, little one.’ His voice was roughened, gravelly, but his smile was wide as he watchedContinue reading “Observation”
Helen Glynn Jones 