Kate was always a terrible packer and today was no different. Into the suitcase went the pencil that was supposed to have come from Venice topped by a small St Marks’ lion, five poetry books, winter pyjamas and her old sandals. It would be hot and damp, but she never ... READ MORE
At the beach, the air itself seems blue and the sea is the colour of blue whales. Out there, white dashes are cresting waves because after the heatwave, the wind is high and fresh. During the recent searing heat, we dashed down to Melbourne to meet our new granddaughter, and ... READ MORE
‘I’ve been looking so long at these pictures of you, that I almost believe that they’re real I’ve been living so long with my pictures of you That I almost believe that the pictures are all I can feel.’ The Cure Cricket drones on the radio and brings a ... READ MORE
As someone long prepared for the occasion In full command of every plan you erect Do not choose a coward’s explanation that hides behind the cause and the effect. – ‘Alexandra Leaving’ by Leonard Cohen The first cold night here in this unsteady summer, the new house was surrounded ... READ MORE
It was winter and the sea lay like a line of rope against the edge of the light sky, fat with fog and spitting icy mist. The six of us went towards the water, in dark coats with hoods up. We looked like monks. One brother cradled the urn that ... READ MORE
As always, the idea seemed okay. Alan had two weeks off, one to write and one to relax. I’m working on another book, part of which concerns an Italian. Alan joined the dots and said, ‘Why don’t we go to Italy for a week? ‘ I find travelling less fun ... READ MORE
In the first hospital, the waiting room is heaving with the tide of the unwell. An enormous man sits at the triage desk. He’s a giant egg in a red jumper and when he draws himself up to his full height, his shins are crimson sores. He walks as if ... READ MORE
‘He remained annoyed with himself until he realised that not knowing what he wanted was quite natural.’ – Milan Kundera ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’. When I was a teenager there was a young man who lived with his father in a house behind a tiny blue milk bar. There ... READ MORE
It was very early on a Saturday morning when we last went to a farmer’s market in Melbourne. The cold sat heavily on us and the wind moved across the long flat grass like a glacier. Sleet threatened. I noticed a good car park near the gate and said to ... READ MORE
Alfie, my eldest grandson, was to have his swimming lesson. On this day, the grey sky was edged in yellow like a cut peach. Clouds were coming apart. Leaves were still falling but in ones and twos and the wind flipped by now and then and knocked your coat a ... READ MORE