hetakesthoughtforme

Orange

There are a few trees that I can see outside my window. This is the tallest one. It’s a conifer and its topmost branch is fairly bendy and reaches upward, meaning a large bird would struggle to perch on it. But a small bird can. Can you see it? I love how it is theContinue reading “Orange”

Exploding With Joy On The Beach

For Debbie’s Six Word Saturday Sunset on the beach in summer Where the world shimmers in love Fiery light bounces off puddly footprints Ripply waves whisper generous, abundant peace Joy springs from sandy, bare feet And youth is eternal and free #SixWordSaturday

Come closer and I’ll tell you

This is a photo I took of an elephant on the Chobe River in Botswana only a few weeks ago. I love the wrinkles on the skin and the extra long eyelashes. The herd let us come very close as they stood deep in the river and munched on fresh wet grass. They are enormousContinue reading “Come closer and I’ll tell you”

Rain

Splattering and spluttering, Shoes stammering and stuttering, A delicate drip on the window pane, A deluge for the runner on the muddy lane. Dirt sucks like a monster, Wakened from its slumber, Pulling at each pink stride Plastering its print on purple hide. Both warm and cold, Feeling young and old, Both watered and thirsty,Continue reading “Rain”

A Cyclist’s View In Greater London

Richmond Park on a wintry morning. For Debbie’s Six Word Saturday

What brings me joy in life?

When I was very young one of the few American sitcoms that made it into sanctioned South Africa was Cheers. I would watch it with my dad. Almost all of the dialogue went over my head, but like most people I knew the opening lines of the song by heart, and I still do. SometimesContinue reading “What brings me joy in life?”

These young people…

Yesterday I helped invigilate an exam for around 80 people. They are young up-and-coming accountants, mostly from South Africa with some from Namibia and Zimbabwe. The exam is 8 hours long. It is very hard. It was held in central London. It was icy cold outside and there is a train strike. These are kidsContinue reading “These young people…”

I Met The King

Well he wasn’t the king at the time. He was HRH the Prince of Wales. I am not extremely well-connected. I’m not in any way an übermensch, but I was invited to meet him because I was part of a team that had done work that had impressed him – forecasting the UK’s greenhouse gasContinue reading “I Met The King”

Flip-flops and blisters

A few days ago we got back from our summer holiday. The blisters from my flip-flops are still healing. My young son’s hair still smells of sand. The mild tan that I got despite religiously applying sunscreen, is still there. I didn’t always love the beach. Growing up every vacation was spent in a caravanContinue reading “Flip-flops and blisters”

The God Who Hears

God is on the radio. Classic FM is one of the stations that are pre-programmed into cars and radios in this country. It regularly plays what I think is one of the most beautiful pieces ever written. It is a choral setting called Miserere Mei, Deus, originally composed in the 17th century by Gregorio Allegri.Continue reading “The God Who Hears”