A most Illuminating Show

2012-02-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

With the crazy winter weather we have had this year I decided to share with you a short story I wrote for fun a year or two ago, I hope you enjoy it :)

The alarm sounded loud and clear, clanging and vibrating as it danced its way across the nightstand. A groan came from beneath the heavy blankets as a hand reached out groping blindly for the complaining clock until finally silence fell once again over the dimly lit room.

Mother pulled herself to a seated position rubbing her eyes and blinking at the weak sunshine creeping through the crack in the curtains. “That time already” she thought,”my how time flies.” Carefully, she planted her feet firmly on the carpeted floor, stepped in to her fluffy slippers and shuffled slowly in to the bathroom.

With cool water splashed across her face she gradually began to feel more awake. Catching sight of herself in the mirror as she leaned over the sink, she studied carefully her sallow skin and drooping eyelids. With a frown she wondered just how was it that sleep, that was supposed to be restful, often left you looking like a shar pei dog that just got in from a rough night on the town! Perhaps she had just slept too long. The pink curlers placed before she went to bed were still in place and would later curl her hair beautifully; at least it would not be a bad hair day.

The kitchen was warm and cozy as Mother stepped to the sink. As water flowed in to the coffee pot the back door flew open and in bounced Jack grinning from ear to ear. “Good grief!” Mother exclaimed “are you just getting home now?” Jack winked mischievously at Mother as he took off his coat and hung it on the hook. “Well, I decided to have one more night out, catch a few people of guard.” Mother shook her head “well I’m glad you find it funny.”

“Old man went to bed a while ago” continued Jack, “and I got bored with no one to hang out with.” “You’d best get going” said Mother with a roll of her eyes, “I have work to do and I don’t need you under my feet.” Jack moved past her with a peck on her cheek and headed to the stairs, “yeah, I guess I am tired now, see you later.”

With the kitchen to herself once again, Mother poured herself a cup of coffee and began to contemplate the tasks ahead of her. Looking through the early reports on her desk, Mother noted that the projects planned last fall were beginning to show their colors. The daffodils were heralding in the blue skies with yellow trumpets sounding the charge accompanied by tiny snow drops that hung delicately with their bells swinging gently in the light breeze.

Switching on her lap top computer, Mother checked her online calendar noting the reminders for the day. It was time to turn up the heat a little and opening the toolbar she moved the slide bar up a couple of notches. Slowly the temperature rose and the sepia landscape began to develop with patches of color dusting the hillsides. Delicately the tiny leaves uncurled and blossoms started to open like popcorn in slow motion.

Hitting the volume button the returning birds began to sing a little louder and the thawing brooks began to babble once again as Mother sat back in her chair and viewed her work with an approving eye. “I think this might just be my best work yet” she thought with satisfaction.

Leaning forward she reached out for her writing tablet to make a few notes on her days work and crash, her cup of coffee spilled forward over her desk and she looked with horror as the brown puddle crept slowly around her keyboard. With a mad dash to the kitchen Mother grabbed a roll of paper towels and hurried back to her desk…too late, the coffee had surrounded the base and with a sizzle and a pop the screen flickered twice and then went blank.

Outside the world grew dark, high winds began to blow across the countryside bending the flowers to the ground as the rains came pouring down. Flash! Lightening struck the budding trees and the thunder rolled around the hillside deafening the world.

Jack came running down the stairs. Mother, what are you doing, that is so cool! With her curlers now hanging in disarray around her head Mother yelled, “oh no, what a disaster!”

“Think, think, think” Mother told herself, “there has to be a solution…bloody computers!” Hurrying to the closet she pulled out her old planning book and opened to the day one of spring. Grabbing her ball point pen she began to write. With each stroke of her pen the world outside began to calm. Looking out her window Mother could see the damage left behind from the storm.

After several hours of writing, drawing and coloring the world slowly returned to spring. By evening Mother fell exhausted in to her armchair with a glass of wine in her hand. “That’s what I get for trying to hurry it all along” she thought to herself, “I must make that a lesson learned, sometimes the old ways were there for a reason”. With a click of the remote the high definition television mounted on the wall sprung to life, “ah,” she thought, “I think I will just check out the shopping channel, I believe they have a new gadget out that may save me a little time tomorrow”

Christmas Memories Revisited

2011-12-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

With the new website I needed to set up a new blog site too so those I wrote in the past are no longer on this page. With the holiday season I wanted to repost a blog I wrote about my memories as a child in England.

This will be my 20th Christmas here in the States and although I have adapted to some of the American customs and made a few family traditions of our own I still fondly remember the celebrations as a child in England.

Money was tight in our house but we still had a great time. We made decorations out of old Christmas cards and the tree was a muddle of different ornaments…the designer tree of today was not even a thought. Shiny garlands were hung across the ceiling with balloons at the corners and cards received balanced over a string that strung from one end of the living room to the other. The encylopedia set was removed and a small bar made in it’s place with bottles and glasses ready for the Christmas toast.

My brothers and I would lay out our pillow cases and hop off to bed in excitement with strict instructions to not get my parents up before 8 a.m. As this was rarely the case my brothers and I would wake and peek in the living room to see if Father Christmas had been and then sit back in my room bouncing on my bed until we were able to go shake Mum and Dad. Of course Mum always had to put the kettle on first so we still had to wait until that kettle boiled…eternity!

Once all the presents were opened we would play with our new bounty while Mum headed to the kitchen for the rest of the morning. We would bring the kitchen table in to the living room and set it up so beautifully complete with crackers ready to be pulled.

The queens speech, playing games and watching movies finished off the afternoon and evening and we all went to bed tired but happy children, I am sure as my parents collapsed in relief after providing us with such a great day.

Have you missed me?

2011-11-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

TBPA friends and visitors to this blog. With the change to our website I also needed to start a new blog. I have missed writing to you on the crazy wanderings of my mind which I hope you will once again enjoy. Things just got a little too crazy for me to keep up with everything but I am back and ready to go :)
The plan will be to write at least once a month, hopefully more and as before I welcome any guest bloggers who would like to share a story or memory.
Thanks for your patience and I hope you all find us new and improved.
TTFN
Nicole