Wordle #414

Sand castles

Shifting through sand she selects the best material to make her castle. The sun is hot and can burn skin so her mom makes her shift her things under a beach umbrella, which blocks the majority of heat. Painstakingly she makes her castle, a shy smile on her innocent lips. The weather gets pleasant as a cloud covers the sun, and it’s light weakens. She finds a branch and makes a tree out of it, rooted deeply in the beach. Her fertile imagination sees her castle alive and teeming with little people. But of course this beautiful creation will be swept away by the waves soon. Still it’s a great way to pass time on the beach.

In response to;

Wordle #414

#keepitalive

#wordle

Sunday 5 September – Dover to Sangatte:

Stu took off early to drop the car off and walk back. He left his phone behind to charge. Of course he did. It was Father’s Day in Australia and our kids were calling. And, he was gone for ages, which was a bit weird. It’s was to be just a key drop but the depot that was supposed to be closed was open and the guy in front of Stu had a dispute about damage. Lucky my paranoia had meant I’d left plenty of time to catch the ferry. It turned out that if we’d been 10 minutes earlier, they’d have bumped us to the previous ferry.

Dover seems like it could be, or perhaps once was, a nice place, but our impression of it is that it’s quite grotty and unloved. We’ll be back though, because we do want to see…

This trip wasn’t quite “spur of the moment”, but we’d actually intended to go to New Zealand. So how do you start by planning a 2-week trip to NZ and end up in England and France for 4 weeks instead? You contact a dodgy travel agent who, fortunately, gives you the wrong bank account number so your NZ deposit bounces back into your account then, a few days later, you see a really cheap deal on flights to Europe, manage to get an extra 2 weeks leave and book your seats with a reliable travel agent.

Monday 24 August: Arriving in London:

No doubt about it! All long haul flights are much the same. Singapore Airlines did a pretty good job, but there’s nothing fun about spending over 24 hours in planes and airports. And how frustrating to be sitting on the ground at Heathrow for half an hour and having to stay on the plane because we couldn’t get a gate!

We wanted to take the National Express coach from Heathrow to Victoria Station so Stu could see a bit of the city as we travelled. I should have apologised to the girl at the enquiry counter for interrupting her social life. She barely looked up at me when she told me we’d have to wait 45 minutes. I felt dismissed.

The man at the Tube counter, on the other hand, couldn’t have been more helpful. My 2 year old Oyster card still worked, we…

There is a heatwave in Europe

In the Black Forest are 35 degrees Celsius.

Separated by the Channel, us here in England have it very pleasant with 21 degrees.

Only Saturday will be hot with 29 degrees, then back to 21.

Thinking of you, all my friends who are in this heat,

Do stay safe and keep cool!

Some tips to help in this heat.

• Shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside. You can open the windows for ventilation when it is cooler.
• Avoid the heat: stay out of the sun and don’t go out between 11am and 3pm (the hottest part of the day) if you’re vulnerable to the effects of heat.
• Keep rooms cool by using shades or reflective material outside the windows. If this isn’t possible, use light-coloured curtains and keep them closed (metallic blinds and dark curtains can make the room hotter).

Mom turned in my story for her writing class.  Her teacher gave her some ideas.

“A good idea, but I wonder if there is not too much dialogue here. The theme is strong, and the characters solve their own problems. It’s good to see Justin gradually unfold and become a little more confident. I imagine this story may be more successful if the emotions were more intense — a greater contrast between the fear and the joy. It’s an idea worth polishing, and it may have potential.”

This is our third draft.  You will have to imagine that the park is full of kids.

The sun warmed the spring air.  Justin and Manny hadn’t played at the park for six months.  They ran ten blocks to the park without stopping. Sounds of children laughing and squeaky swings filled their ears.

On one side of the park parents watched little ones…