Category Archives: Liverpool
A phantom ship and a barbed wire fence
Eighteen years old. Standing at the window of my room in college. Staring out towards a low brick wall supporting a fence topped with barbed wire. Beyond it, the healthy green of a sports field. Above the barbed wire, the … Continue reading
Patriotic thoughts, while on a level crossing
The train’s clattering out of the station with a bit of a wheeze. She may run on electricity – but she whines a lot. I’ve just been told, by a new British citizen, that this is the oldest electric railway … Continue reading
Sacrifice
Tonight could be emotional. I grab a handful of tissues, stuff them in my bag. Braving twenty-seven sets of traffic lights, we drive into Liverpool. Stow our car in the warm space beneath the circular cathedral. Choose seats on one … Continue reading
Of blue pens and high hopes
The village high street’s heaving and the wine bar’s been full a good while now. But it’s not yet ten o’clock. In the morning. A pudgy coach rolls its girth down the road, huffs and puffs into a parking place … Continue reading
A bicycle, a gate and a lawnmower. Scratching beneath the surface of suburbia
I’m out on my bike. A gorgeous day – cold and crisp as a shiny new apple, fresh from the fridge. Wearing my helmet, of course, so can’t exactly feel the wind in my hair, but never mind. ‘Urrreugh.’ I … Continue reading
Surfin’ downtown for an organ and some blondes
A bronzed surfer dude grabs a board, races into the water. I’m already there, paddling out, rays on my back, tanning through the oil. Surf’s up – and before you know it I’m riding the crest of a wave. Not … Continue reading
A taste of (Pygmies’) honey – and two of the lonely people
‘You look tired.’ Just what you want to hear when you’ve put on the face you keep in a jar by the door and stepped out to face the day. [There’s a bit of a Beatles vibe to this post … Continue reading
MEMOIRS OF A HUSK 