It's Still Life

I. Rain Again

Thankful for two days of rain and water butts filled to the brim again.

The drought restrictions remain, so this is no grand ending to a dry year, but the garden is drinking and the stored water has returned. Sometimes relief arrives one barrel at a time.

II. Good Numbers

Thankful for blood pressure. Well, perhaps not blood pressure itself so much as the pleasure of seeing numbers behave themselves.

III. Crow Company

Thankful for the friendship of a gorgeous, funny, inquisitive, ever-so-smart crow. He watches me as though I am the interesting one.

IV. Storm Watch

Storm Austen is blowing in: 50mph gusts, horizontal rain, no power, a laptop running on battery, and coffee rapidly losing the will to live. I’ll be thankful if the house, garden, and roof all come through without damage.

(image is not mine, and I can’t recall where it’s from)

V. Summer Put Away

Thankful that the summer clothes are washed, ironed, folded, and packed away until spring returns. There is something deeply satisfying about putting one season to bed properly.

VI. Another Instrument

Thankful for writing lyrics and then giving them music with Suno. I may no longer have a piano to play, but creativity is stubborn; take away one instrument and it goes looking for another.

https://suno.com/s/TRQ3WqtPp0HjabfF

VII. Sussex

Thankful to live in such a beautiful part of England. Some landscapes do not ask to be admired; they simply keep reminding you where home is.

VIII. Two Worlds Running

Thankful that Denise hosts Six Sentence Stories, where for a little while I have two series running side by side: The Heist and Dead Men Don’t Drown.

It is a rare pleasure to never quite know which world will call first.

IX. Safely Arrived

Quietly thankful that my new passport arrived within a week. With Royal Mail still struggling in places, I had been a little nervous, so finding that dark blue cover on the doormat felt like a small administrative miracle.

X. Still Standing

Thankful that the solar panels are still up there doing their job while Storm Austen throws wind and rain at them. Apparently, even the roof has developed resilience.