Marty

I decided to get out of the house and commune with nature again today. A short drive brought me to this gem. So glad I had my camera along for the ride. And I can feel the mountains calling my name...

I may be gay but Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage, has such a sexy voice. And she's at her best in #1 Crush... [youtube] [/youtube]

I reckon no list could be complete without Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg's Je T'aime from 1969... [youtube] This song was banned in many countries at the time. In the UK the BBC banned it completely, and even in France it was not allowed to be played before 11:00 p.m.

"Clear!" I stand back from the body of the middle-aged man lying on the table in ER. Several gunshot wounds are in evidence. A nurse places paddles on his chest. The body jerks violently upwards and then settles back onto the table. "Still flat lining," says a voice to my right. "Increase the power," I insist, restarting CPR. The next jolt is also unsuccessful. I almost give up. "Time of death 20:48 hours," says a voice behind me. "No!" I cry. "Pass me the chest cutter!"

First the kettle. Then the laptop. Let's just hope that the old adage "Trouble always comes in threes" doesn't hold true in your case, northie... Glad to hear you had your important stuff already backed up, anyway.

Is that the custard you can pour, or is it the really thick type? One of my favourite dessert recipes is home-made custard tarts, liberally sprinkled with freshly grated nutmeg whilst still hot just after taking them from the oven. Delicious eaten still warm, but absolutely heavenly eaten cold. (I'm salivating just thinking about them!)

This afternoon I decided to take a stroll in the woods. It's always good for the soul to get out of the house and just commune with nature for a few hours. Here's one of the many photographs I took with my trusty Nikon D80 camera.

I'm hoping to submit something, but at the moment I cannot come up with anything suitable...

Whoa.... I'm left wondering whether it's just a normal childish tantrum, or something much darker is taking place. The references to yesterday and tomorrow make the piece more mysterious, as does the word unwanted... It certainly speaks to me, anyway.

Thanks for this story, Thorn. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. Things are slowly improving, but that fact can almost makes situations like this feel even worse at times. (And this story has actually given me an idea for a short story of my own)

ZZZzzzz.....

Hello and goodnight. (it's close to 1am here)

Some lovey imagery there. In a way it made me think of the poem Desiderata...

Yup... that captured the feeling(s) beautifully.

Which can sometimes be a mirror of offline communication? Begs the question as to whether either one is more real than the other...

Love them.

Been there. Too many times have I been there. I feel your pain.

Take your time, Drew. Take your time.

Great story, Drew! (I even enjoyed all the bits about those pesky seagulls. 😉) I also shall be interested to read more of Shaun and Drew, so am delighted to hear that you intend to continue some time in the future.

If he’s confined to a wheelchair they always talk down at him. If she’s the victim of rape they claim she was weak. If we say what we feel they tend to ignore us. If you love your own sex they condemn you to hell. It happens again and again to everybody at times. But will the sticks and the stones help them grow stronger? If you’re wearing strange clothes don’t play in our park. If your language is foreign don’t live on our street. If your skin’s the wrong colour don’t r

Thanks, Parker! It felt unfinished to me when I wrote it (see my previous comment), but it's not very likely that I shall write any more about these two characters, unless one day I decide to incorporate this piece into a much longer novel that has been in the back of my mind for a while now. I wouldn't hold my breath, though...

Thanks for the comments, Tim and Geron. I did actually think long and hard before posting this story, and even attempted several times to write additional paragraphs at the end, if only to provide some sort of insight into Mick's life. I was not happy with the additional paragraphs, not matter how hard I tried with them. In the end I decided to finish it as I did, and perhaps leave the reader wondering. I understand your points, however, especially about being unsatisfied and the feeling that you wanted more. I'm not promising that I'll never leave readers feeling that way again (at least not in my flash or short stories), but I do promise to try not to in the next few entries. This was only ever meant to be a short story. If it were part of a much longer story, then I would certainly have filled in much more detail. However, as far as I am concerned this short is now finished, and I am not intending writing any more about Brian and Mick.

I really can't comment on droughtquake's original question as I haven't yet watched the clip (will do later - just getting ready to go out for the night). But one thing I like about being a member of GA is the education it provides me. I'd never come across the term straight-washing before, but a quick Google has now left me much better informed.

The two young men sat down on the concrete bench which looked out onto the Mediterranean. The sea was the same intense blue as the sky itself, making it almost impossible to distinguish the horizon. They seemed oblivious to the crowds of other holidaymakers who were strolling along the man-made footpath that led around this part of the Côte Bleue. After maybe two whole minutes one of them turned to the other and simply asked: “Well?” “It’s the ideal spot.” “You sure now? I don’t