Ode To A Bath

Back in September we had a bath fitted in our bathroom. After almost three years with only a shower cubicle we were all very excited to have a real bath again.
It was like all my birthdays and Christmasses come at once.
I was that happy about it, that I wrote our new bath a poem.....

Ode To A Bath
Oh Bath, How I have missed you
I am going to love you like never before
Never again will I complain
About washing my hair in you being such a chore
I promise to use you and abuse you
And fill you to your brim with bubbles
And clearing out your plughole
Will absolutely be no trouble
I will buy you gifts of fizzers
Radox, Dettol, Soap & Glory
And I will never ever subject you
To the theme tune from Ballamory
Oh bath how I have missed you
I hope we never part again
And now I'll slip inside you
And wallow to my heart's content

Chow For Now
JenStar x

Flash Fiction 500 - #FictionButtons!

This week's piece was really interesting as the prompt was only one word. I initially had quite a few ideas but one seemed to really stick in my mind. 
As I started writing the story it changed naturally and went in a different direction that originally intended but I like it and was really pleased with the feedback I had from the community this week :)

"Buttons!, Buttooooooons!!!....
That blasted cat has got out again Jeffrey"
"Stop fussing Hilda, he's a cat, they're supposed to go outside…  What's for tea?"
"What's for tea?! The cat has gone missing and all you can think about is your stomach?!"
"I was only asking, it's not like you usually care much where the cat is..."
"Right, well I'll tell you what's for tea Jeffrey, whatever you blinking well want to cook is what's for tea! Don't wait up!!"

Upstairs Josh heard the door slam and the house go quiet. He'd been sat at the top of the stairs listening to his parents argue about the cat. They were always rowing and it was always Dad's fault. Well, that's what Mom said. Josh wasn't so sure.
He crept downstairs and into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich, careful not to disturb Dad who was already engrossed in the TV. There was no chance of Dad cooking.

He took his sandwich back upstairs to his room and climbed into his fort. This was his safe place. Hidden behind the wall of blankets, his own little secret world.
He settled himself down on a cushion and started eating when he felt a weight crawl onto his lap.
"Hi mate, you hungry too? Here" Josh pulled off a piece of his sandwich and handed it to his best friend.
"You didn't want to go back downstairs either? I'm not surprised. Who wants to get in the middle of them pair when they're arguing. Remember what happened last time? Your tail has only just healed. You can hide in here with me for as long as you want. Mom will be gone all night now anyway and Dads already forgotten we exist" Josh huddled down and put his arm around his pal and stroked the soft fur on his back.
"It's just you and me now mate, I'll look after you and you look after me"
Buttons purred and nuzzled into Josh's side.
Josh grabbed his torch and a books off a huge pile in the corner of their fort. He flipped onto his front and Buttons climbed onto his back and curled himself round Josh's neck.
"You'll like this one Buttons. It's all about a great adventure. We could go on an adventure one day couldn't we? That would be fun. We could take a picnic too"
Buttons purred as Josh started to read. This was their favourite thing to do and Buttons loved listening to his owner’s voice. The big owners were loud and scary but not Josh. He was kind and gentle and warm and friendly. Buttons loved Josh and loved hiding in their fort with him and their adventure stories. One day they would go on their own adventure, yes, that would be nice. Buttons hoped Josh would bring a sandwich, he liked sandwiches. He purred again and curled tighter into Josh's neck and fell asleep.
Josh soon followed, drifting off to the comforting little sounds of Buttons snores.

Chow For Now
JenStar x

A Game Of Friends

You're never here when I need you
So what's the point in going on
We can continue with this daydream
Hiding everything that's wrong
But everytime I hear your words
They sound more empty than my heart
The space I saved there just for you
Has been consumed by growing dark

We can pretend that we are happy
With the closeness we have lost
Joke away the million worries
Ignore the bonds that've turned to rust
But when we're once again together
Playing a game no one else can see
I feel the pain within dig deeper
Taking hold, growing roots inside me

But I can see right through your mask
The one you wear day in, day out
I see your core beneath the layers
The real person trying to claw out
The one I thought loved me for who I am
Who didn't punish without a cause
The same one who pushed me far away
Without a thought, without a pause

And yes you're back, just like the last time
Treading eggshells, emotions raw
Dancing round the conversation
Pretending we're good, Just like before
Trying hard to put 'it' behind us
But your words still cut, sharp as a saw
This time I won't let myself be used
I don't want to play this game anymore...

Chow For Now
JenStar x

Silent Battle

I started writing this poem while My Nanna was in hospital and finished it just after she passed away....

The damage slowly spreads,  unseen
Of a poison yet unknown
On the surface,  no signs to glean
But a hidden battle roams
Laying there In peaceful sleep
No emotion shows
Your mind is buried deep beneath
As the darkness grows
We try and try to pull you back
Yet still, you will not wake
An explanation still we lack
For the sleep we cannot break
Tests and scans reveal no cause
They tell us there's no hope
but still we wait,  our lives on pause
Struggling to cope
For more than once you've shown a sign
You're still there inside
A groan,  a flinch,  a heavy sigh
An eye blinks open wide
But now we fear the damage done
Is far beyond repair
and hopes are fading gradually
as we relise that you're not there
slowly slowly you slip away
we blink and then suddenly you're gone
and now we have to face the dreaded day
and say goodbye to our loved one

Chow For Now
JenStar x

Flash Fiction 500 - #FictionLeftItLikeThat

My second contribution to the Fiction500 community and something completely different to my first attempt...


I wouldn't have left it like that usually but I was late today and didn't have time to be tidy. Anyway, by the time they got home the maid will have been and tidied away the evidence.
I quickly started shoving things in my bag and crept out the back door just in time to hear the front door open. I knew I'd been pushing it but that was far too close.
I didn't want anyone to find me so I needed to be much more careful.
I quietly shuffled down the garden and climbed the big old oak tree. The tree house had been here already when they moved in, and they never came near it as she couldn’t have children. I'd been living in this tree for two months now and no one had noticed.
I dropped my bag in the corner of the small room and lay down on the bunk beds.
I'd managed to grab a towel today, the nearest thing to a blanket I could find and was looking forward to a warm night.

After today's close call I decided I'd lay low for a couple of days. I'd got sufficient food to keep me going and I’d grabbed enough loose change to buy a coffee or two, maybe even a can of coke too.

I sat up and reached for my pack. I pulled out the towel and buried my face in it. It had that comforting and oh so familiar smell and was thick and warm.
I laid the towel down on the bunk and reached back into my bag and pulled out a packet of Doritos and a bread roll. I was starving but had to make this haul last so resisted the urge to eat the muffin and apple too. I ate the roll and half the Doritos and then settled myself down on the end of the bunk beds huddled under the towel and stared out of the tiny Perspex window.
I had a great view from here. I could see most of the main house and would spend my evenings watching them move through the rooms.
I'd sit for hours staring while they cooked together in the kitchen. Then eat together at the breakfast bar smiling and laughing with each other. Then they would move into the living room and curl up in each other’s arms on the sofa and watch TV. Finally they would disappear up the stairs and I would see their shadows moving around behind the curtains in the bedroom and the lights go out. I longed to be the lady of that house, with not a care in the world and a devoted man by my side.

I’d had it before and it would be mine again one day, I’d make sure of it.

I lay down on the bed and drifted off into a fitful sleep full of dreams of luxury and love and the fateful day that ripped it all away from me…  

My Beautiful Nanna

My Nanna passed away on 28th December 2013 after spending 3 months in hospital fighting an unknown condition/illness. She went to sleep in week 2 of hospital and never woke back up. She underwent hundreds of tests and scans to try and find out what was wrong but nothing worked. 
During the three weeks between her passing and her funeral, on 17th Jan 2014 i felt in complete limbo. It was a very strange feeling and a very emotional time for me. 

Id like to share two things with you, first the ulogy that i read out during the church service at her funeral. It took me two attempts to get through this and was hands down the hardest thing i'd ever had to do in my life but i knew its something she would have wanted and been proud of me for. 

For Nanna
I have so many wonderful memories of growing up around my Nanna. Tea tasting in the caravan, making play dough, teaching me to knit and sew, learning all about her love for gem stones and the stories she used to tell us about her life.
She was a fun, loving, caring, creative person who always had time for you and would always go that extra mile to do things for us, even if it meant staying up half the night making something. 
Family was always really important to her and she was always happiest with her family around her. I had a pretty tough time at school and spent a lot of the school holidays at Nanna and Grandads. I have always felt safe there. and my Nanna always had one of her special hugs ready for me that made everything fine, (and for when she wasn't around we had the special pillows she made for us that she would fill with love to keep us going until our next visit) she gave me support and urged me on and encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do.  
All the time I spent in her company whilst growing up has helped to shape who I am today, and I'm thankful for that and count myself lucky to have had a Nanna as wonderful as mine.



The second piece has a little story around it, We wanted My Nanna's friends and family to be able to take something away with them, a momento of sorts and so my Aunt came up with the idea of a funeral favour. I know it sounds strange but keep reading,
My Nanna had a passion for gems, stones and pebbles and spent a lot of her years collecting them, polishing them up and turning them into things. The house was littered with little dishes full of pretty polished pebbles and we decided to share them. So me, my Mom and my Aunt spent the day before the funeral collecting up the stones around the house and putting them into little organza bags along with a printed picture of My Nanna and we displayed them on a table at the wake covered in purple velvet and little butterfly sprinkles. I wrote a little poem to tell people about them and we printed it and put it in a frame and placed it on the table:

Beads and gems and pretty pebbles
Butterflies, Angels and fairy wings
Margaret had so many passions
And truly loved all of these things
And so we'd like to share these with you
A small momento for you to keep close by
Something special that you can treasure
And keep the memory of her passions alive
So please help yourself to a little keepsake
And take it with you wherever you are
And every time you see it remember
Margaret forever lives on in our heart

The guests at the wake loved the idea of being able to keep something that My Nanna had poured so much love and passion into and we knew that its the kind of thing she would have appreciated. 
I miss My Nanna, a lot, and i don't think i will ever get over losing her but i will make sure her memory stays alive!


Chow For Now

JenStar x

FlashFiction500 Project - #FictionCupboard

Just a bit about this project to start with - each week we get given an opening sentence. From that sentence we write a short story of no more than 500 words and submit it to the moderators of the group. The moderators then post them anonymously in the Flash Fiction community on G+ for all members to read unbiased. Its great fun. This was my first entry and the first story i'd written since my school days over 10 years ago! 


It sounded like something was moving in the cupboard and I was petrified.  I had no where else to go, I was trapped.
I hastily searched the room for another option and darted under the bed. My toes just cleared the valance sheet when I heard the door open, followed by that eerie silence they seem to carry with them.
I held my breath and hoped that it wouldn't start searching the room. An icy chill started to creep up my spine as time went on, nervous sweat beading on my brow.
I'm not sure exactly how long I lay under that bed but it felt like hours, days even. It was possibly less than five minutes, but arguably the scariest five minutes I've ever had the pleasure of enduring.
I heard the main bedroom door open and close and the room seemed to warm slightly. I listened carefully for, well for anything; any sound at all to tell me it had gone.
I waited a while longer until I could be sure that I could hear the owl outside hooting away and that it wasn't just my imagination. 
I felt exhausted and had to pull every ounce of effort left in my body to crawl out from under the bed. As I started to move, adrenaline began a delayed rushing through my body sending my heart thumping and ramping up the fear once again. I stayed lay on the floor next to the bed for  little while longer while I pulled myself together.When I finally stood up I scanned the room, it was empty. it looked completely untouched, like a freshly cleaned hotel room. The cupboard door was closed and the only sounds were the owl and the breeze outside the window.
I couldn't even entertain the thought of leaving the room so I pulled back the covers of the bed and lay down. I pulled myself into a tight ball and closed my eyes and then I woke up...

My First Blog

So.... i decided to start a blog... 
and right now i'm not 100% sure what i'm going to do with it. What i do know is that i will post my poems, maybe song lyrics and my short stories from the FlashFiction500 project on Google+ and anything else that takes my fancy. I may even broach deeper subjects that affect my life. 

I've set up a seperate blog for baking related posts as i'd like to start doing something like that and it doesnt fit together with all ^^that^^ :) 

If you came over to read that, great, thanks.... and i promise my next post will be more interesting! .... i think :) 

Chow For Now

JenStar x