Gypsy souls, magic dust and life beyond the big 50.

Creative writing - Prompt: suspense/horror This story happened back in the '80s. It was the days before the internet and mobile phones. It all happened in the summer I turned 13. Summer holidays were about to start and I couldn't wait to have 3 full months of doing nothing but reading books and comics, going to the beach with my neighbourhood friends, eating ice creams, and watching weekly episodes of my favourite series. Which is why I wasn't particularly happy when my parents announced they would both be away for the whole month of July. They both had work opportunities they couldn't refuse that would take them abroad for a whole month and the only person available to take care of me was my father's sister, Aunt Vera.  My mum called Aunt Vera 'the gloomy one'. She lived in a big house in Sintra all by herself and according to my mum's words, she simply didn't like people. She was a writer which meant she could mainly work from home, but nobody in t...

Creative writing - Prompt - sci fi (I went with dystopian instead) First chapter: Maria parked the car and took a deep breath. She looked at Telma. Telma was looking ahead, tense. Maria could see the huge effort she was making to stop fidgeting and look composed. Controlled. Neutral.  'Are you ready?' Telma sighed 'Yeah, I think so.' 'It will be ok Telma. We just need to give all the right answers, remember?' 'I know, mum.' They walked side by side across the hospital car park until they reached the main building. Inside, Maria scanned Telma's chip. The machine's answer was nearly immediate: 'Welcome to Cardiff's Central Health Reset Unit. Please take an interactive map to find your health restorer consultant. Once you reach your destination press the button twice to be allowed into the room.' Maria looked around. People were moving around in an orderly manner, some scanning the chip in their writs to access their health files, others...

Creative writing - Prompt - Nature writing In recent years, I have often seen mentioned that the constant need to photograph everything with a view of either keeping every single memory or sharing it with our closer or broader circles through social media, is reducing our ability to be in the moment. As a photographer, I always feel a bit divided by this statement. I mean.....it's true. We see it every day, don't we? People detached from their own lives, living them through mobile phones or tablets. And yet, it feels different when I use my camera. I feel like my camera connects me to the moments and places I'm experiencing. My camera is the vehicle of my art, so for me, seeing the world through my viewfinder feels like a way of processing my reality rather than avoiding it.  I never gave the subject a second thought until recently I was introduced to the concept of Mindful Photography.  Mindfulness is a word we see everywhere these days. From retreats to meditation classes...