Late May. We drove on a whim. Took a gamble. Walked for hours along the sea. As the air chilled, the sun dimmed, the beach emptied out. An abandoned bucket, a pile of rocks, the scent of suncream lingered. As we walked, hand in hand, through a memory. #vss365

The light fades, the air cools but still clings. The evening sticky, close, one of those you don't forget. Memories rush through my head. Warm wine, butterflies drifting, long grass against my skin. A signal missed, a moment lost, another life. I could have lived. #vss365

Busy. Always busy. My mind floats, my thoughts run away. Lost in a forest, an ocean, a maze. I tether myself with things I know well. A song, a poem, a face I once knew. Smiling, crying, lost in time. The days pass and I still reach for you. #vss365

It should be a sunday. There's that feeling of things left undone. I wrap my arms tight, pull your jumper a little closer. Breathe in memories of you, of us, of an easier time. Watch as the fire burns. The sun dims, and evenfall brings with it dreams of yesterday. #vss365

I clean the surface, dust the floor, wipe away the marks of our life. Lean in the doorway and look around the house, haunted by what could have been. The mistakes we made, the choices we regret, the opportunities that never came. That we never took. #vss365

A lazy slow afternoon. One of those that stretches forever. I listen to the music from the old record player. Lay on my back, eyes closed, beat flowing, memories crashing in my mind. I'm young, free, unfettered once more. And you, my dear friend, are there beside me. #vss365

In the house we grew up. A gallery of lions, stuffed toys, postcards of statues, ornaments of soapstone. We made a collection. From moments. Every time a mane tousled, a roar emitted, a paw touched the glass. A cub played, in the long grass. We thought of you. #vss365

Flowers bloom, tears fall, we laugh through gritted teeth. Sit together, yet apart, the dichotomy of a broken family. The curtains close, the people stand. We move on, away, your years all done. #vss365

This room. Every bit of it. Breathes you. Shelves of books, ornaments, occasions. I pick up a small jade statue, remember when you had that phase. Bidding on eBay, excited by the parcel in the post. Lining it up with the others. Just so. Always, just so. #vss365

Garden times, cats, spring, sunshine.

Blossom buds on the apple tree, fresh cut grass in the air. A bumble bee zig zags through the garden, a ladybird lands on my skin. I lay here, in the April sun, eyes closed, face warm. Cast a spell, a trickery, let the scent of better days drift in. Pretend, I'm ok. #vss365

I pull my coat tighter as I walk into the fog over the pier, seafoam whispers to the rocks. The salty fret touches my lips, and a secret is shared. My heart pounds, stomach turns, fingers reach out. To something, someone from long ago. #vss365

Across the way, there's a walk, a familiar loop. The trail one I've seen in a symphony of seasons. As the first snow drops sprout, spring blossom bouquets, a rabbit bounds, birds sing. I pick myself up, step out of the house. Onto the path, that feels like home. #vss365

Morning sun peeks through the blind. The hope of a bright day. The chance to move on, connect, reset. To begin again. I lay for a while, bask in the warmth of possibility. #vss365

There's a scar on my hand that reminds me of you. That day, that time, that feeling of hope. Sitting in the library we'd laugh, dare, imagine a life. That never came. #vss365

I let the telephone ring. No machine picks up. No voice on the other end. I hang up. Try again. And again. No one answers. Anymore. #vss365

Rain pounds. On the roof. Drumming a beat. A symphony. I sit tight. Wait. Watch. Hold it in. The feeling. The moments. The tiny explosions that frustrate. That burn. Flaming bright, inside me. #vss365

Not sure anyone fed me today. The old lady cat is at the forgetful stage.

Each day. Each season. There's always that divide. The before and the after. The clear line between. That's how life is. Will always be. No decision. No vote. Just how it is. Every day. Without you. #vss365

Yellow daffodils on the window sill. A sprig of colour bright against overcast skies. A timid spring, birds sing in the garden, a hazy mist rolls. The day moves slowly. Winter holding on. #vss365

Finally, I stand in the warmth of the March sun. Stop what I'm doing. Just absorb the heat, the hope, the joy. And for a moment. For a breath, a blink, a pulse. It's all better than ok. #vss365

Meet at the corner. Red brick, cracked pavement, names faded on the wall. Time moves slowly here. Wrappers gather, memories whisper, that flower still blooms. A spark of colour, a stain of oil, a reminder. Year after year. #vss365

Good doors...

Fire dances, flames deftly move. The night presses it's cold hand on the back of my neck. I move closer, watch spellbound as memories burn. #vss365

Beneath blue skies the trees are still bare, as daffodils bloom in the garden. A cat sits on the trampoline, basking in the sun. I long for a day of lethargy. To sit for hours, do what I please, no timetable, no commitments. Just the breeze and the scent of possibility. #vss365

The doctors drip-feed light back into you. How slowly the darkness fades. I look at your ashen face and see the dusk clearing from your eyes.

At the limits of the dog’s bark; at the blurred edge of the rainfall; at the point where the lark vanishes in the sky: I’ll meet you there.

I like photos. I like things. A few cool photos of things from a recent trip up to Alnwick.

Soft focus, sunrises slowly. Cateract like fog begins to lift. The sky floating. Falling in bursts of colour. Birds swoop and soars. Upwards. Onwards. Through. Another day. #vss365

Sipping tea, watching the sun fade. A shadow skips, timid in the evening light. Flits through the room. A swallow soaring, a cloud drifting, a laugh that crackles. A memory suddenly free. #vss365

The month is coming to an end. The last days of February thawing out. I walk the orbital route around the reservoir. Pass the snowdrops, the crocus, the first signs of Spring. Watch reflections shimmer, a smile just below the surface. #vss365

First cup of tea: the sun rises, stylishly.

Old lady cat. Think she's 17 now. Maybe even 18.

February morning. An enchanted light falls through the window. Playful, bright, full of hope. For a better day. #vss365

Good door...

In each room. I look for you. Not you, but pieces of who you once were. Watch for the shadows, the reflections, the miniscule moments. The ripples of a life. Left behind. #vss365

First cup of tea: this, I really have to say, is the life.

February sun bright today, a faint kiss of frost on the window. Snowdrops blossom in the garden, a robin hops along the broken fence. I hold onto my tea, soak in the light. Breathe in warmer days. #vss365

I pick up cups, move laundry, run my hand over the kitchen surfaces. Touch the echoes of where you once were. Think of all the little things we won't do again. #vss365

Rain falls. Mud slips. The scent of moss fills the woods. I reach for the next branch, the wood moans, aches. Bends under my weight. My heart skips. I keep climbing. Up and up. Through the canopy. Break through. As birds fly. Soaring into the light. #vss365

The rain has finally stopped. A scent in the air. A memory in each puddle. A pale light through the clouds. Pushing back the grey. I breathe in the morning. Fill my lungs with the day. #vss365

The absence of you, a wound that won't heal. A cut that still stings. #vss365

Excited to have booked some events for this year's festival. @yorklitfest.bsky.social

Very pleased with my new Lego friends...

We know. It's coming. It's nearly done. We're on the cusp of the end. We talk slower, hold each other lighter, forget to make it matter. Anymore. #vss365

As light pours in, I see the room change. Sun casts, shadows move, mesmerised I watch as patterns form, pictures dance, you slip into my mind. Like a familiar hand. Entwined. #vss365

In kitchen cupboards they lie. Books I haven't opened in years. In-between the pages, a hand written recipe for your Lemon drizzle cake. I lick my lips, swallow, and taste the sweetness of yesterday. #vss365

Colour missing from the garden. Pencil lines, like a charcoal sketch of what used to be. Bare branches bend and stretch to the sky. Reaching out to touch something, anything. Grasping for hope. This day. #vss365

I think back to when we were young. Running through empty houses, dancing in dapples of light, making claim to rooms that weren't yet ours. I think of you, as the rain pours, the windows stream, as the grey fills my day. #vss365

You tell me the news. And I can't breathe, can't take it in. Stare at the wall, straighten the wonky picture, the colours once bright now faded. #vss365