
Recitations
Recitations DM 13th September 2025 It was a regular Friday night ritual, that I loved and loathed. My grandparents would arrive, armed with sweets and
I had one of those “pinkies” moments when my neighbour dropped in recently for a visit; not that I said it out loud. The discussion turned to French lessons at school, and a particular song that his teacher, Miss Collins, taught him: ‘Sur le Pont, d’Avignon’ (On the bridge of Avignon). That’s when I wanted to call out “pinkies” (and interlock little fingers to celebrate a shared experience), because that’s the exact song that my teacher, Miss Ahern, taught me.
There’s a pinkies moment in the Bible, but with a fairly dark twist. In the story of Esther, a high-ranking official named Haman has desires to eradicate the Jews from the empire, simply because one of them, Mordecai, had slighted him by not standing in his presence. Haman even had gallows built to despatch the man. But when he went to the king to secure the death sentence, a surprise awaited him.
Upon entering the palace, and with the request forming on his lips, the King spoke first – and surprise, surprise – on the topic of Mordecai. It was a pinkies moment, but not one to celebrate; nor I suspect, was there any interlocking of little fingers. For the King wished to promote Mordecai for uncovering a plot against him, and instructed Haman to parade Mordecai around the streets to the applause of the city. And when Haman’s scheme was discovered, he was taken for a final dance, not on a bridge, but on the end of a rope.
Recitations DM 13th September 2025 It was a regular Friday night ritual, that I loved and loathed. My grandparents would arrive, armed with sweets and
Finishing Unwell (Encouragement to the dying) DM 6th September 2025 The quay was awash with them. Lithe and impressive-looking people, smiling and warmly gabbling in
Perfect freedom DM 30th August 2025 There’s an interesting verse in the final Book of the Bible on the topic of heaven. In speaking about
Faint praise DM 23rd August 2025 I knew that the smallest bone in the human body was located in the ear. In high-school biology, we
The Wigtown Whistler DM 16th August 2025 In a diary by the proprietor of The Bookshop in Wigtown, Scotland, irritating patrons are named and shamed,
Patience with progress (& vice versa) DM 9th August 2025 A recent article in the Australian Geographic tackled the hot topic of fingernail growth, which
Shelter DM 2nd August 2025 You can find the story on youtube and meet the central characters – Theodore Malgorne the lighthouse-keeper and Jean Guichard
Botany 101 DM 26th July 2025 I walked past the sandstone memorial today to mark the life of Joseph Banks, the first European botanist to
The Father’s Estate DM 12th July 2025 My son is getting married soon, and one of his friends, who owns a winery, has generously offered