June Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Power of One” — Help with housework? Look no further. You know how it is when you’re in a rush — nothing goes smoothly. The most minor of tasks mushroom into gargantuan roadblocks. I was on that particular rollercoaster when I dropped an egg. I was only carrying three. I wasn’t doing anything foolish like trying to balance a tower…

When I read the headline on Jan Sebastian 🖐👩‍🦰’s article on coffee cups, I felt my eyes narrow. “Crazy” cups?? Nooo! Coffee’s a serious business. Mess with it at your peril! I have a favourite coffee cup. I’m not saying which — please take a guess. I also have a…

June Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Power of One” — Scram! I’m number one around here. We have often had moorhens nesting in our garden. They are a delight to watch but hard to spot, being wary and nervous, scuttling to hide at the least little noise. When I met this chap in a local park, I assumed it to be a close cousin of our…

What does this picture say to you? If it says dozens of flowers, you’re way out; there are thousands. Each daisy petal is an individual flower, and the central disk too is a cluster of individual flowers — called ray florets and disk florets, respectively. The common daisy (Bellis perennis)…

It Heals, It calms, It Sustains, And Just Once It Disappoints — It’s the time of year for purple flowers. I just love that rich velvety texture that some of them have. It’s enough to smooth out a bad day or make a good one feel better. Never underestimate the power of purple. It is a known healer both of us and…

Six Word Photo Story Challenge: Freestyle — Telegraph pole and ivy. That’s all. I’ve written about this “tree” before. It’s not a tree at all. This is the time of year it really comes into its own. In the middle of that lush foliage is an old telegraph pole, much like the bare pole just to the left. The cone-shaped “branches” are made…

May Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Water” — Smooth, calm, and inviting. But deadly. The River Wharfe in Yorkshire, England, is a picture-postcard idyllic waterway in some places. It has inviting pebbled beaches leading down into 30-metre (about 100 feet) wide stretches of water, tranquil enough for safe swimming — a magnet for families and picnickers every summer. At 65 miles long, the Wharfe…

May Six Word Photo Story Challenge: “Water” — We’re gourmets swanning about upside down. On a recent visit to a local park, we spent time by the lake watching a huge flotilla of swans, that mostly kept at a distance. It turns out that although there are many official collective nouns for swans, flotilla isn’t one of them. Gaggle can be used for swans…

Yikes! — What is life really like here on Medium according to those who fill the platform with their writing? I was tempted into this one by Maria Rattray who accepted a challenge from Roz Warren, Writing Coach who advises those diving in to … Be honest! Be brutal! Be brave! If You’ve Nothing Better To Do Today… Why Not Grab A Few Moments To Answer Writing Coach Roz Warren, Writing Coach’s Probes? Be honest! Be brutal! Be brave!mariarattray.medium.com