Theresa Awkward
By David Joliffe

Once, there were 2 trees in a huge forest, ELMo and OAKley. During the summer, both trees were lush, green and big. Over the years while they were growing up they saw all the other trees losing their leaves and re-growing them, losing their leaves and re-growing them every single year.

One year when they were old enough, Oakley said to Elmo “I’m not going to lose my leaves when it’s cold… I’m going to wear my leaves proudly like a winter coat just like the Fir family over there”. Elmo laughed thinking that Oakley was just fantasising again like he always does.

When Autumn came, Elmo’s leaves turned yellow, then slightly orange, then a reddy brown, turned dry and crisp and then fell at the foot of the tree just like all the other trees. The forest floor looked like a painter’s workshop of colour… all except in one patch of the forest. At the foot of Oakley! His leaves were still bright green and all his branches were lush and full. He had done what he said he was going to and kept all of his leaves! Oakley laughed. “I told you I was going to keep all the leaves… look how skinny and bare the rest of you are, HA HA HA!”

Everything was going well for Oakley at the beginning of winter. The grass stopped growing in preparation, the temperature started slowly dropping and the dark night started creeping over the horizon earlier and earlier. Oakley was still laughing. He was stood there proud and tall and still green. When it started to get to mid winter the temperature got to its lowest point. The rain, wind and snow set in thick and heavy yet Oakley still refused to let go of his leaves.

The cold freezing rain battered the trees in the forest. Oakley braved the rain and kept hold of all of his leaves. He had little icicles hanging from his branches where the rain had frozen and they looked like tiny fairy lights in the moonlight. As pretty as they looked, the icicles were heavy. They made the branches bow a little towards the end but Oakley still stood strong. The rest of the trees just stood there and allowed the rain to roll off their bare empty branches. They didn’t have a care in the world! Elmo tried to convince Oakley to see some sense and let go of his leaves. “Let the leaves go and the rain will wash off in no time… you’re just keeping hold of the freezing rain with all those leaves Oakley”. But Oakley didn’t listen. Oakley refused to let go of his leaves.

After the rain, the winds came. The wind was fast, freezing and forceful, travelling as if it was late for a dentist appointment. The wind howled and whistled through all the trees… until it got to Oakley… When the wind got to Oakley it was as if the wind was made of Velcro trying to pull every leaf from Oakley’s branches. Oakley resisted though. He made sure he kept every single leaf on those branches. Elmo said “Come on Oakley, just let the leaves go! The wind would pass on by like you wasn’t even there if it wasn’t for those leaves!” Oakley snapped “Mind your own business Elmo… I’ll keep all these leaves even if it kills me!!” So Elmo let him get on with it.

After the wind, the snow came… This was a bad year for the snow. It came in thick and heavy in one relentless white curtain covering all the trees. The rest of the trees had snow covering their feet and covering the bits of branches that they had. Oakley stood still, slightly drooped over with the weight of the snow over his canopy of leaves. He looked like one massive white cloud hovering on a tiny brown stick in the forest. Elmo said “Oakley! You have to lose the leaves and then you’ll be able to stand up straight again!”. Oakley didn’t respond… The weight was too much for him to be able to try to stand AND talk. He concentrated on keeping all of his leaves just like the Fir family… No matter what…

After months of the constant battles with the winter, the temperature finally got warmer, the green grass started to grow again and wake up in the morning covered in dew, the days became longer and the trees began to grow their leaves again. As Elmo began to turn green again from his tiny leaf sprouts Oakley wheezed “See… I told you I could keep my leaves” and slowly the leaves began to fall, floating and twisting to the ground around Oakley’s feet. As the other trees got greener, Oakley got browner. In trying to keep his leaves, Oakley had exhausted himself.

The following winter, when the temperature dropped, and the wind, rain and snow set in… Oakley lost his leaves along with the rest of the forest…

Be the Sun of Your Sky.
By Linda Methven

You know what you like and you like what you know.

Snuggled in a blanket of traditions, you are safe and assured in your world. You do an honest day’s work and live in harmony with those around you because you are indeed a “good egg”. And what are the gifts that this brings to you?

Maybe it’s the simple joy of friends dropping by, starting a new book, a holiday in the sun or a glass of fine red wine that puts a smile on your face? On the other hand; bagging a Wainwright, going that extra mile to care for somebody or finally, triumphantly completing the Times crossword, may better reflect your own personal goals. Whatever it is that floats your boat, you’ve done pretty well thus far and can rightly hold your head up high.

So what’s on the road ahead for you? More of the same, less of the same, change everything, change nothing. Maybe you have a special hobby that you’ve never had enough time for. Perhaps you sometimes think, “I could do that”. You have so many skills that you are aware of and probably some others that you’ve yet to find, so it begs the question, what if one of those skills could now open new doors for you?

Maybe now is the time to recall those happy, carefree salad days. Those endless days full of adventure when the sun always shone and there were so many things to do. You could climb trees, collect frog spawn from the pond, play skipping and hopscotch out on the street and even ride your bike down the road with ‘no hands’. A time of wonder, a time of adventure and a time of the great unknown when everything is possible and the possibilities are endless! Just thinking back gives you ‘goose bumps’ and you just have to smile!

Was it then that you decided to knuckle down and do a good job? Was it then that you decided to be who you are? You made the best choices available at that time and those decisions have served you well. Now consider, if you knew then, what you know now, what choices could you have made? What could have been that has not?

Now is the time to kick off your shoes, run down the beach and splash in the sea. Feel how the fresh salty air energises your being. Hear how the sound of the seagulls, lifts your spirits. See how you stand tall and proud with your arms held high, as if in celebration.

In your mind’s eye, you start to paint a picture and ahead of you is a fresh clean page, in an open book. As you pick up your pen you start to wonder what gifts will this new chapter bring?

Congruency
By Beverley Little

One crisp winter morning, as the early rising sun reflected its magnificent, warm, rich colours on the waters of the lake, a beautiful swan elegantly glided by, close to the shore line. Breaking through crystals of ice like diamonds and so creating the sound of slowly cracking glass.

On the verge of the lake a multitude of birds scurried along the shore looking for a share of sparse crumbs for their winter breakfast. Among these birds was a little pigeon, wings folded, head down, who randomly pecked with the others (although not nearly as hungry as she already had feasted on a breakfast of croissant crumbs in town)

A duck bobbed happily close to the shore admiring the beautiful swan and watching the industriousness of the other birds, in particular the intelligent little pigeon who visited the lake very briefly each morning.

As the swan glided close to the shore the other birds stopped what they were doing, anticipating that the majestic swan was about to speak. With her head held high, shoulders back and a slow velvet richness of tone to her voice, she commented on the beauty of the sunrise, and how lucky they all were to live on and around such a stunning lake. She suggested that the promise of a fine day may bring a bounty of visitors to the lake with bread to feast on. The birds hung on her every word, waiting for any wisdom she might wish to share.

The little pigeon with shoulders hunched, head and eyes down, feeling happy and excited about his news, spoke quickly and hesitantly. He was telling of the opening of a new duck pond in the centre of the park in town, with a new children’s playground, ice cream van, cafe (serving best pastries ever) and every day loads of visitors bringing their tasty sandwiches to share.

But the swan sailed by and the other birds carried on with their pecking not listening to the lunch recommendations he was sharing. Only the little duck who worked hard on really listening and reflecting on the words of all the birds heard his words.

Pigeon said to the duck “no one listens to me in the same way as they do the Swan and I could share so much”, and duck replied “dear pigeon it is not what you say, for your words are wise and generous, why do you think this is the case?”