Under 1000 days.

Jottings from my notebook. Writer, living in France. Check out my novels on Amazon.

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The abbey stands broken against the gray sky. Stone arches rise, empty and cold, like ribs of a dead beast. The grass grows high in the cloister walk where monks once prayed. Wind moves through the hollows, carrying the sound of crows. The walls lean but do not fall. They remember the weight of bells, the smell of incense, the hush of voices at dawn. Now only silence lives here, except the rain and the birdcall. A place built for God, left to ruin by men. Still it endures, hard stone against time, stripped bare, but unyielding.

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The house rises, stone upon stone, each block holding in its grey solidity a murmur of centuries. The air about it trembles faintly, as if the trees leaned in to listen to some secret spoken only once, long ago. Those windows, narrow and darkened by iron lattice, gaze not outward but inward, to a chamber of shadows, where footsteps must echo on worn floors and silence grows thick in the corners. The roof slants sharply, a triangle against the pale sky, its ridges like the folds of some vast, old cloak. Time presses against these walls, not with violence but with persistence, like rain, like breath, like the quiet wearing-down of all things. And yet, there is a steadfastness here, a defiance too: red stone warming where sunlight touches it, the archway holding fast against the encroaching years. One imagines voices—low, thoughtful voices—rising in these rooms, lives passing across the mullioned glass in fleeting patterns, gone as quickly as cloud-shadow on the lawn. The house, in its stillness, gathers these remnants, keeps them, turns them into silence. And so it endures: not merely a dwelling of stone, but a vessel of memory, layered, waiting, watching, refusing to be forgotten.

[swishyyhair]

Thanks to all of you who liked the picture of my grandmother’s backyard. Here’s her front porch, she keeps it in amazing shape with dozens of flowers and plants. She seemed touched when I told her how much I loved her home, which made it even better.

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Journaling - Electronic or notebook

So here is the issue. I have agonised about the best method of note-taking, continuously weighing the pros and cons of handwriting versus electronic methods

Advantages of Handwriting

- Feels more personal and reminiscent of historical diarists like Samuel Pepys

- Allows for spontaneous and organic note-taking

Disadvantages of Handwriting

- Less organized and potentially messy

- Requires manual conversion to digital format for searching

- Potential legibility issues

Electronic Note-Taking Considerations

- Easier to edit and spell-check

- Can be converted to e-pub documents

- Provides tidier documentation

So my conclusion ……. Still not decided!!

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Crow Castle

Perched dramatically atop a steep hill overlooking the picturesque town of Llangollen in Denbighshire, Wales, Castell Dinas Brân is a striking remnant of medieval history. Built in the 1260s by the Princes of Powys Fadog, this once-mighty fortress commands breathtaking views and an air of mystery. Its weathered stone walls, now ruins, whisper stories of power struggles and resilience, standing as a proud symbol of Welsh heritage.

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Winter is here

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A quick trip to see the Merry Wives of Windsor at Stratford. Apparently, even the legendary William Shakespeare had his own version of a "cheat sheet" — a commonplace book! Turns out, the Bard of Avon was the original remix artist, sprinkling his plays with borrowed bits and bobs like a literary DJ.

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An English Summer. The walls are crumbling at the edges.

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Lake Garda. Memories of Summer

The lake lies dim and milky…..the mountains are dark blue… the sky glistens… the light burns gold.

D.H. Lawrence

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Medieval Graffiti

It is said that graffiti is one of the biggest blights of our time. But when does graffiti become historically important? Some of the scratches on this fresco in the San Zeno Chiesa in Verona are dated back to 1390.

The interior of the church is spectacular and well worth a visit. The story is that its crypt was the place of the marriage of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Hmm. Started by someone who doesn’t read fiction?

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When the Romans rolled into Verona back in the first century BC, one of their top priorities was building a bridge over the Adige River. This bridge has seen quite a few facelifts over the years, with some major repairs in the Middle Ages and then again after World War II, thanks to some unwelcome attention from German troops. But despite all that, it’s incredible to think that parts of this amazing structure are over 2,000 years old. Just imagine the stories it could share—if only bridges could talk!

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Belief

Spring is rapidly evolving into summer but is it too late to empty those packets of seed into the ground in the belief that they will not sprout just to become food for the slugs and snails. This is reality gardening.

‘We have been planting tiny grains of seed in the front bed, in the pious or religious belief that they will resurrect next spring as Clarkia, Calceolaria, Campanula, Larkspur and Scabious.” Virginia Woolf

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Health Advice from the 15th Century

"Do not eat when not hungry, and always dine light in the evening, chew well, and only use simple, well-cooked ingredients. Wine should be moderated, small portions but often, not outside of a meal or on an empty stomach. Do not delay or prolong your visits to the lavatory." Leonardo (Codex Atlanticus 213v).