God Bless the Red Cross

I wasn’t expecting his reaction and it hit me like a blow to the head. During the Arab-Israeli war, we were hastened unceremoniously from Egypt, (where I’d been teaching at a mission school), onto a German freighter, one of the last vessels to leave the country with fleeing, or expelled foreigners. The ship had pulled… Continue reading God Bless the Red Cross

A Community of Displaced People

Alexandria, Egypt.  Summer, 1966, during the Six Day War. 4.am. We arose silently, dressed, gathered our meagre belongings and went outside. The police, also silent, led us into their waiting cars, the engines idling softly, ready to move.. Then quietly, quietly, they drove off. They suggested that we duck down if we saw anyone on… Continue reading A Community of Displaced People

Hot Cross Buns — and an Unexpected Visitor

Getting ready Well, it certainly wasn’t what I thought would happen. I had offered to help my daughter Joy with her annual Hot Cross Bun Bash on the Good Friday before Easter. This involved a 6.30 a.m. start making the dough so that it would rise at staged times, enabling preparing, shaping, baking and glazing… Continue reading Hot Cross Buns — and an Unexpected Visitor

March

     March Storm.  On a recent morning walk, a passenger jet prepared to land on my head. It didn’t. And it wasn’t. It was only the wild wild wind thrashing the trees– spraying the raindrops into showers of rainbows in the surprising, intermittent sunshine. The fierce roar was intense. Sometimes I was hustled along,… Continue reading March

Keeping A Journal

Me: [Ending a telephone conversation]: It will be so good to see you.  I thought I’d make fish pie.” Prospective visitor: “Yes.  You made that the last time we came.” Me: I did? PV: Uh-huh. It was good. (vaguely) It was good. A storage of memories Keeping a journal will prevent YOU from having such… Continue reading Keeping A Journal

Hooray for the Glorious Peanut!

In celebration of Peanut Butter Day, January 24th.   Even my mother’s feet showed distress as she pitti-pitti-patted down the stairs, “Poor Georgina! I’ve put her into a terrible mess and don’t know how to get her out!” she threw over her shoulder as she headed for the kitchen, and retrieved – of course — her… Continue reading Hooray for the Glorious Peanut!

Meeting the new community

“Hello, how are you? I’ve seen you out walking.  Are you new? Yes. My name is Judy.  We have just moved here to be near our daughter. I try walk each day.” This is the conversation I practised on my early walks in the countryside around our new home. I didn’t use it often because… Continue reading Meeting the new community

American Thanksgiving in a Non American Country

Well, we had roast turkey, sausages, gravy, apple-celery-bacon cornbread stuffing with cashews and cranberries, Amish sweet potatoes with apple and mace, mashed potatoes, squash with crystallised ginger, green beans almondine, broccoli, cranberry-orange relish, the obligatory creamed onions (which, I understand, is an Upstate New York addition), and mince-peach pie, apple-cherry pie, and of course, pumpkin… Continue reading American Thanksgiving in a Non American Country