Delighted to have a story accepted for the @flashficfestuk.bsky.social 2025 anthology. Many thanks to @judehwriter2.bsky.social & all involved at Flash Fiction Festival this year. #flashfiction

I hope you're a #pixie in the next life, my lovely friend whose angel wings took her out of this world on Monday. I hope you sparkle like you did on Earth. I hope you find someone to do your hair just the way you want, & I hope you're smiling, dancing with waiting family. #vss365

A kiss under the tall #elm, & back then she didn't even know the name of the tree, just that it was the one she had her back pressed against when she received her first kiss, & now and ever since whenever she sees a tall elm she smiles & remembers the innocence of it all. #vss365

Purple's quite a scary colour isn't it. I don't know why but it's always been that way for me. Yet, as I get older & older I quite like the idea of a #violet outfit, something outrageously head-turning. Clearly, this thought is related to age. I make no apology for that. #vss365

I wouldn't like to be learning English as a foreign language when we have a car that can #tear down a road at full speed, a tear that falls down a face, a tear in a shirt, a friend that can tear into you for a perceived betrayal. I mean...where to start differentiating! #vss365

I #promise myself I will get back to writing my daily #vss365 contributions! These last few days I haven't managed to do it. Travel, attendance at the amazing @flashficfestuk.bsky.social & a head bursting with words afterwards somehow took over my ability to write a simple tweet each day.

I am here! And I received the most wonderful welcome from @judehwriter2.bsky.social and @sarahillswrites.bsky.social yesterday. You are both sooooooo organised. It's so great to be back. Can't wait for everything to start later today. ✍️✍️✍️

I was 17. My dress was pink. It had a #taffeta lining. I felt like a princess. I wore a flower in my hair. It was my debs dance. My date was a perfect gentleman all evening & we had a fantastic time. 47 years have passed & I still remember every detail of that evening. #vss365

So many #skirmishes we had as kids. They were very important at the time, with hurt egos, claims of favouritism, even injuries sometimes! But with nine people living in the house, it was family life as it was meant to be. We look back with fondness as we remember. #vss365

Don't click on it. It's a #rook. But it's genuine. It's come from someone I know. Believe me, it's not. It's a scam. Delete it. But, but... Listen. Don't come to me when your money is gone. It's ok. All good. That evening... HELP! I've been scammed. Hello! Hello! #vss365

Looking back on old photos & I see a picture of my Dad at a wedding, in formal black with tails & a #cummerbund & I think how handsome & happy he looked next to my lovely Mum, & how sad it was that he didn't get to wear that outfit more, that he didn't live long enough. #vss365

It's a #prism of sorts, this thing that separates light from its different shades to darkness. Each has its purpose, its value. There is no one prettier than another. They are all interdependent, relying on each other for their display. Then they are all one. Yet not. #vss365

Within the mad rush of everything, make a #space for yourself; for your brain to slow down, for your heart to beat slower, for your legs to take a break, for your emotions to breathe. That space may be small, but it's mighty in the bigger picture. It's called Me Space. #vss365

Some minds & lives are a #starscape. Full of shiny things, yet surrounded by darkness & black holes. We look into the night sky & we see the beauty of the stars. We don't see the darkness. We need to appreciate that some people only see the darkness. Reach out. Help. #vss365

I don't think there's much wrong with being an #enigma. Everybody doesn't have to know everything about you, how you tick, how you feel, how you react to things. There's nothing wrong with a touch of mystery now & then, an air of question. Answers are not everything. #vss365

There's a #guru for everything these days. Experts everywhere; spilling out of cracks, screens, daily life. Catch yourself on! You're the expert on your own life. You know deep down what makes you happy, calm, peaceful. Find those things, those people. Be your own expert. #vss365

You know, when you find yourself in that #liminal space, the place in between everything, don't be in a hurry to leave it behind. Staying in transition for a bit is not such a bad thing. You don't always need to be in a particular place. Enjoy the limbo feeling. Rest up. #vss365

I'm walking in the woods & I see a path #parallel to mine & I wonder if I crossed the copse would that path take me to a place I haven't explored before. Or would both paths converge & end in the same place? I stay on my path & glance across now & then. A bit like life. #vss365

When you feel like you're stuck in a #vortex & there's no way out, there's always a way out. It just may not be in the direction you think. That swirling mass of thoughts, debris can be cleared, to pave a way to a calmer place, a place of peace. The path may be small. #vss365

In this gigantic #realm of all things known & unknown, it all comes down to caring for others & ourselves. To making the best life we can within the limited time we have. Not knowing when our time will end is the greatest incentive to make the most of every living day. #vss365

The #susurrus of the tide, the trees, slowly seeps into my consciousness, forcing me to listen, slow down, to breathe, to expel the noise of daily life. A calm descends, surrounds me, & I want this moment to last longer than it does. The noise returns but I am able now. #vss365

More than anything else my #primordial need is that of peace. Peace of mind, of soul. That inner feeling of calm that no matter what happens I will at least be reacting from a level position & hopefully I will make better decisions, better choices, for myself & others. #vss365

Perhaps the most important thing I've learned about myself as life goes on is to have a sense of #self. Not about being selfish or selfless, but having a sense of one's self through the passage of days, weeks, months. Understanding one's self is vital for peace of mind. #vss365

My mother found a tiny hole in the corner of a window in the garden #shed. She didn't do anything about it. Then one day she went in to collect her gardening gear & spotted the smallest bird she'd ever seen come through the hole & into an old hat. A nest! Priceless! #vss365

No-one knows the #shape of things to come. It may be straight as a rod, crooked as a country road, flat as a pancake, undulating as a mountain path. Whatever shape your future takes, I hope it is filled with more happiness than sadness, & that you feel loved, always. #vss365

I've said this one before but I hope you still feel #small when you stand beside the ocean. I hope you still feel dwarfed by the trees in the woods, by the power of nature when you listen to its silence. It's important that we feel a sense of place wherever we are. #vss365

Does everyone have a song that when it comes on it immediately transports them to a past time, place? Every #single time, no matter the circumstances, one set of lyrics & music can trigger time travel - a soaring back to a happier/sadder time associated with a song. #vss365

There's no sound. Check your #speakers. There's still no sound. Check your input/output. Nada. Check your microphone. Silence. Check all your connections, your source. Source? Yes, your source of sound? Oh, I need a source. Ok I'm on it. La di da di da di da. Bingo! 🤐 #vss365

#Someone, somewhere is feeling good because you cared, you listened, you gave them time, made them feel better. You may not remember, but they remember you. Kindness is remembered, appreciated. May all your small kindnesses come back to reward you in your time of need. #vss365

There's an old Stylistics song...#stop, look, listen to your heart & what it's saying... How often do we do this? How often do we give our heart its chance to shine, to determine decisions, paths. I say we should do it more! Be more Stylistics! Listen to our hearts. #vss365

Isn't there something so hopeful about #spring? All that awakening from winter. All that new growth. All those tiny spring flowers decorating the hedgerows. All that wildness that refuses to be tamed. All that possibility. May we all be lucky to see lots more springs. #vss365

It's a #strait. You know, like the Strait of Gibraltar. Or the Strait of Hormuz. Or the Bering Strait. Yes, I know my geography too, but I'm telling you your line is not straight. Straits are generally straight. They're not crooked which is what makes them straits. #vss365

Sometimes, all it takes is a #splinter of hope to lift someone from despair. Sometimes, all it takes is for someone else to care, to reach out a hand, to lift up a spirit. These small gestures can transform lives from darkness to light. Always help. Always try to help. #vss365

May today's #sunbeam light up your life. And if there's no sunbeam, may someone else's kindness provide a smile, an appreciation. And if you can be a sunbeam for someone else today, do it! You might not get another chance. Brighten up another person's day today. Shine! #vss365

Those #final decisions, that final say, that final journey home. There's something definitively terminal about the word final. And yet life goes on, with others making their own paths, decisions. And children grow to be adults & they learn that nothing stays the same. #vss365

It's a powerful thing to have a #vision early in life of what you want to do, to be. But you know what, if you don't that's fine too. Success comes in many forms, at varying times, levels. My happiness with my level of success may be vastly different from yours, anyone's. #vss365

It's cooked in #brine, Granny said proudly. Eat up. It's good for you. I loved my Granny & she was a great cook, but that salty taste was just too much. For the next few weeks I watched her potted plant thrive next to the dining table, & I wondered was it the brine. #vss365

It may be just a #glitch, they say. How many times have we heard this? A reason given for something not working properly. We power down, restart, & sure enough it's working again. Maybe we should all rely on random glitches to power down, relax, restart, & resume working. #vss365

Would you like to see my prize #marrow? he asked. She didn't know where to put herself. Of course, she said, as he led her up the garden path. As they reached the small wooden gate leading to his allotment, she smiled as she saw a row of marrows. He pointed to his winner. #vss365

Was it a #selkie or a mermaid? That invisible gentle force that levitated the little boy, saving him from a certain drowning. No-one knows, but every day his mother goes to the edge of the sea & gives thanks to the unknown miracle that gave her back her precious son. #vss365

There are days when we have plenty to say about lots of things. There are days when we want to sing, shout, celebrate. There are days when we want to cry, mourn, regret. Then there are days when we just want to retreat & #whimper to ourselves. Each of these deserves time. #vss365

When I hear people say 'you know her problem is she's too nice' I jump to her #defence, insisting that being too nice is NOT a problem. We need more niceness, more people who think nicely about others & issues. It's not a rose-coloured glasses thing. It's a life thing. #vss365

I've never seen an #anglerfish. I don't think I ever want to see one. Certainly not up close. I'm sure it has its place in the undersea world & I appreciate that. But that mouth, that fleshy lobe it uses to lure prey. Aaaaargh!Clearly, underwater is not my place. #vss365

I struggled with writing about #wraith today. It has such a morbid inference. Until I realised it also means a wisp or trace of something, which can be ethereal or just beautiful in itself. A slight strand of a breeze, a shred of kindness. Yes, wraith can also be good. #vss365

Sometimes, we need to step outside of ourselves, step away from the complicated #matrix that makes us tick. Sometimes, we need to take a break from ticking, stop moving forward, just be. Recognise that moving forward is not the only option. Sometimes, standing is fine. #vss365

There are times when #clarity is essential. When we are explaining something, when we are writing, when we are making decisions. But sometimes, we need a little fog - a little numbing of the senses, a lack of clarity, when obscurity is actually welcome, restful. Breathe. #vss365

Connected by a deep-seated Celtic culture, the Irish & the Welsh share that profound love of home, the ever-present #hiraeth for the homeland; the roots, the history that made us who we are. We carry this throughout our lives, however far we may travel, & we appreciate. #vss365

You know, with all the potions & pills now available as sleep aids, I don't think there's anything quite as #soporific as the glass of hot milk we were given as children going up to bed. It was the final treat to close out the day, & it worked - always! Childhood times. #vss365

You know the sort of people who #dissolve sadness with a smile, a helping hand, a suggestion. These people are to be celebrated every day. Every day they are helping those who are suffering a little or a lot. Each day they go out there with only that in mind. Special. #vss365

How often are we guilty of #eclipsing other people with our own stories? Mostly, it's unintentional, but we need to listen more, to give people time & space to tell their tale, not interrupt with our own. Our story will have its time when we will appreciate a listener. #vss365