Bell

I press the ordinary anonymous bell

there is no 'ding dong' nor a buzzer

nor even a friendly chime

instead a saxophone riff sounds within.

I can't resist a second press

close shave

a man in a chunky cream cardigan steps back in alarm

the bus cuts a little too close as it turns the corner

porrrige

the air in the kitchen is so cold this morning

that the steam swirls thickly as the porrige boils

and I can hardly see if it is done

rain again

from underneath the rain cloud

I watch the tiny patch of blue sky

and sunshine moving tantalisingly closer

Made to measure

I walked up the path thinking it was going to be too small

but the letter box takes the packet so exactly

it could have been made to measure

magpie

a magpie cackles at me from the guttering

complaining about the blustering wind

More contradiction

baked bean panini

contradiction in terms

we went to a noodle bar in Bury St Edmonds

daughters (again)

ahead of me up the street

sisters

black tights, short skirts, sparkly boots

and a confident swagger

damp

I keep thinking the rain is stopping

but it turns out I am mistaken

... again

no ticks

tock, tock, tock

under the trees large drips of water land on the hood of my waterproof

baby says no

I want to read The Sneetches

but the Babe is adamant,

pushing the book away and closing it when I try

a bit breezy

even as a grown up it is fun

to be able to lean in to the wind

crunch

the empty shells of beech nuts carpet the pavement

and crunch under my feet

I wonder where all the nuts went