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Happy Snappers Award
Happy Snappers Judges Choice Award I was delighted to take part in this year’s photography exhibition by Happy Snappers Camera Club and really thrilled to receive the Judges Choice award. There was a fabulous array of photographs on display and it was a great honour to have my picture chosen for this award. The image is titled “Balance” and I shot it at a beach in the UK, not Asia as a lot of people seem to think! The Happy Snappers award looks stunning and is a testament to the club’s attention to detail and artistic appreciation. The plaque will certainly have pride of place in my home. It’s always exciting to…
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Donegal Weekend
Donegal Weekend This weekend I took a trip to Ballybofey, Co. Donegal. I was meeting up with my great friend Evelyn and her husband, Brian. Donegal is a beautiful, wild and unspoiled area of Ireland but I wasn’t there for the scenery this time. It was more of a catch-up… Time to reminisce and recharge the batteries. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and got to see a different side to Donegal than I was used to. I was amazed by the great entrepreneurial spirit of the area and the pride they have in their county. I got to see a performance of Grease by St. Columba’s Collge, attend a ball…
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Last Light
“Imagine living for a whole century, Stella. Your grandmother was made of strong stuff. They don’t make them like that anymore.” “ I know, Mam. I’ll never forget the day she attacked Doctor Carey about the driving license. She was so mad at him!” “ That was typical Gran. She figured she had her license and that was it. There was no talking to her.” I’m helping Mam sort through Gran’s things, looking for a photograph to put on the memorial card. It’s been almost a year since she died and it’s about time we got something sorted. It’s cold outside but the dining room already feels warm from the…
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Flanders Remembrance
Flanders Remembrance You and me mate, that was our promise, Whatever happened, we were together. It didn’t matter how awful it was, How the guns blasted our ears, How the gas clogged our lungs, We were together, that’s all that mattered. They came for us, like thieves in the night, Seeking us out, smelling our fear. But we were men, we fell together, Bled out as one on the field of dreams. Falling backwards into a void, You and me mate, always together, Lost generations weep for our passing and Earth blushes in shame at the loss. I wrote this piece in response to the above picture and the poem In…
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Creative Writing Course Pauline Clooney
Creative Writing Course Well, it was certainly worth the wait! A couple of months ago, I listed some writing courses based in Ireland and mentioned that I was hoping to participate in one. I decided to go with the creative writing course run by Pauline Clooney at the Kildare Writing Centre. Some of my friends had already participated in Pauline’s courses and recommended them to me. Last night was the opening session. We were all a little nervous at first, but Pauline quickly put the group at ease. Soon we were chatting like old friends. I think it’s great to have the social element to go along with the learning side as it…
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Dance Mermaid Dance
Dance Mermaid Dance Long years have passed since first I felt your warm, Strong arms wrap my shivering body close to yours. You found me, floundering in low-tide, and pulled me From the gravelly sand that tore through my skin Like the teeth of a barracuda. “Fashioned from my dreams, ” you said And I, knowing no better, took the bait. Was it all an illusion? I felt transformed by love, Like the mermaid whose fishtail disappeared And I learned to dance in harmony with hope. But the curtain has dropped on that performance and I return, lost, to the place of our beginning, Searching for answers amongst the empty shells.…
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Ten November Targets
Ten November Targets I had a look back at my October review and it helped me pick ten November targets. I also threw in a few new things because I’d probably get bored if I didn’t! Maybe I need to widen my horizons a bit and generally have more fun. The things holding me with blogging back are: I’m not very techie. Fear of failure can act as my prison. All of me, good and bad, gets exposed. Someone recently asked me, ” What are the two words of advice that you would give to your childhood self? “. My answer was ” Be brave. ” So, with that in mind,…
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October Review
My October Review Last month, I set myself eleven targets because I wanted to put more structure into my work. My September reflections had helped me highlight specific areas that needed work. I found that having targets really helped me focus and prioritize tasks, even if I didn’t manage to achieve them all. None of us are robots and it’s important to be able to change tack or ignore something if it no longer fits the bill. At least, that’s my excuse! So, here is my October Review: Paper Files Having the target of organizing a password notebook and a quotes file actually helped me in other areas as well.…
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Coal Shed Ghosts
Coal Shed Ghosts Everyone envied the Miller’s. Their secluded Victorian home stood like a tranquil oasis in the cluttered neighbourhood of Westbury. At the bottom of the garden, shrouded by overgrown rhododendrons, stood an old, stone outbuilding. It was once used to keep tackle for horses but now served mainly as Jack’s coal shed. Sometimes, Jack stored other items there, like old paint cans or broken kettles. Things that he didn’t want messing up his meticulously organized garage. Other things could end up locked away in the shed too. Once, it was the turn of Katherine’s dog. ” Stupid animal, peeing on the couch. The only bloody decent wedding present we…
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Prism
Prism A myriad rainbow of candy-striped Colours come streaming and Screaming, uncalled for, unbidden. Choose one colour , One pattern of consciousness. But each is alone, isolated, insistent, Cascading beautifully to conclusion, No interlocking or blurred blending. How to thread the beauty together, How to reunite the oneness of being? A prism splits me, spills me And I cannot find a vessel Big enough, secure enough To gather me together. ©Bernie Delaney Other Poems Sorceress Concrete Footsteps Ice Drop Anchored to the Past The Window Photo Thomas Ensley on Unsplash