Prologue June 18 1990 The rain almost drowned out the sound of retching coming from the cubbyhole in the corner, laughingly described by the manager as an ensuite. Almost but not quite. Carrie shuddered, feeling a sudden chill despite the humid heat in the room. It was quite dark, the thick stone walls pierced byContinue reading “Surfing the Clouds – a novel”
Author Archives: karenbushbystories
Pelourinho
Thirty one years after visiting Pelourinho in the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, we finally got a poster commemorating a concert by the band Olodum framed. I am sharing this story on the anniversary of their concerts – which included a night I will never forget for all the wrong reasons! I could feel himContinue reading “Pelourinho”
The Zoo
“Happy birthday to you, you were born in the Zoo, with the monkeys and the donkeys and the big kangaroo!” sang my brother Michael and his friend Tom, running into the kitchen. I sat on a stair. Mummy said I was born in a hospital. But a Zoo sounded much more exciting. “Hello Katy,” saidContinue reading “The Zoo”
Musings on the menopause
Until recently, menopause was a word whispered quietly when a group of women of a certain age came together, often with a degree of embarrassment because the one raising the subject was the probably the one suffering. And when no one else’s symptoms seemed to match, well, it was time to keep quiet. But menopauseContinue reading “Musings on the menopause”
Remembering Beano
When we first married and moved to Ireland, our family expanded with the addition of a large, lovely, Labrador/Collie cross named Ollie. When Ollie went to doggie heaven, our family had grown to include three children. But we missed the company of a dog, and so we offered a home to a boisterous German Shepherd/RetrieverContinue reading “Remembering Beano”
I can see clearly now…
I am incredibly fortunate to wake up each morning with perfect vision. Yet just a few months ago I couldn’t see anything clearly beyond my nose without the help of glasses or contact lenses. The transformation is, quite literally, life changing. Towards the end of 2020, after years of prevaricating, I finally took the decisionContinue reading “I can see clearly now…”
The Look
You are looking me straight in the eye, but your gaze is unreadable. My stomach lurches and I feel my head getting light. I reach for a chair to keep my balance, but there is none there, so I stumble slightly. You start towards me and now your face is closer, I can see thereContinue reading “The Look”
Time to just be me
Dammit. There was the usual queue for the ladies. All three cubicles were occupied and there were at least four women waiting, holding some sort of a line amidst the gaggle of other females vying for mirror space to apply lipstick, touch up their hair, or just gossip or giggle over their mobile screens. AsContinue reading “Time to just be me”
The boy in the baseball cap
It was just 7am but already there was a touch of warmth in the early summer sunshine. Evelyn strode out purposefully, as she did at this time every morning, her terrier Tess trotting alongside and stopping occasionally for a snuffle in the hedgerow enclosing the park. Now that she was retired, she could walk TessContinue reading “The boy in the baseball cap”
A ferry big adventure
“We have to go on the ferry,” Mum said, as she put sticky tape on the present she was wrapping in horrible pink paper with silly booties all over it. Now this made Sunday’s trip sounded more promising. “A real ferry?” I asked suspiciously. “Of course it’s a real ferry,” Mum laughed, attaching a bigContinue reading “A ferry big adventure”
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