Thursday, May 15, 2008

Collector, small comforts and night journey.

1. Katie comes in from town and reports a selection of beautiful things including a man painting the local garage with an unlit pipe between his teeth.

2. The stewards on our flight to Turkey are the best ever. They have a way of getting passengers to do things that makes us feel as if we are being given a choice, rather than ordered by a bullying airline. They also show hundreds of small kindnesses, looking out for discomforts, sharing tips, and bending rules a little to make sure our flight is as good as possible.

3. We make our transfer by night. Peering through the windows of the minibus, I catch a glimpse of silvered sea between the deep black hills.

In my absence: Elspeth Thompson is converting railway carriages into a whimsical eco home by the sea.

Magnolia, no coat and weeding.

1. The drifts of pink and white petals drying in the gutters and flattened on to the pavement suggest that the magnolia on the corner of Bel...