I got Nick to judge the fudge competition. He really liked Jungleshoes' grandmother-themed entry -- and so did I. Jungleshoes, will you drop me an email with your postal address, please?
Here are the winning beautiful things:
Here are the winning beautiful things:
1. A scorching afternoon and a teenage girl leads her stooped grandmother to the bus stop. While the old lady sits in the shade, her granddaughter paces, plays with her hair and generally looks a bit sulky. They wonder when the bus is coming. The old lady stands up slowly and strains to look for signs of the bus coming up the hill. Maybe the girl is struck suddenly by how frail her grandmother is, because she softens and bends towards her, wrapping her arms around her. The grandmother pats the girl's back gently and makes soothing noises, so sweet that my eyes fill with tears.
2. A ripe mango, eaten over the sink because it is so juicy. Talking of grandmothers, mangos remind me of my own abuela, who was not brought up in the UK. I remember her telling me that as small children, her and her siblings used to eat mangos sitting in the bath because of the juice issue.
3. Sitting on a friend's roof terrace until 2 in the morning, under a full moon so bright it casts blue-ish shadows around us.
1. To watch Daniel trying first this way and then the other to put a magnetic train together.
2. My goddaughter is pretty shy -- she hides under the bed for the first half hour of my visit. She comes out to join us eventually, but won't show her face. We sit on the sofa in silence -- the clock ticks. She toys with a broken necklace and then says: "The person who gave us this must have died."
3. It's time to say goodbye, and Ellie, quite spontaneously, hugs my legs.
2. A ripe mango, eaten over the sink because it is so juicy. Talking of grandmothers, mangos remind me of my own abuela, who was not brought up in the UK. I remember her telling me that as small children, her and her siblings used to eat mangos sitting in the bath because of the juice issue.
3. Sitting on a friend's roof terrace until 2 in the morning, under a full moon so bright it casts blue-ish shadows around us.
And here are my beautiful things:
2. My goddaughter is pretty shy -- she hides under the bed for the first half hour of my visit. She comes out to join us eventually, but won't show her face. We sit on the sofa in silence -- the clock ticks. She toys with a broken necklace and then says: "The person who gave us this must have died."
3. It's time to say goodbye, and Ellie, quite spontaneously, hugs my legs.
