I'm delighted to announce that my short story "Dandelion Clocks" has won the 2021 NZSA Graeme Lay Short Story competition. In his announcement on Facebook today, Graeme said: Themes of childhood loss and the possibility of renewal make this beautifully observed and sensitively written story difficult to forget. Thank you, Graeme, and congratulations to the…
Be The One Who Stops
My precious cat Lucy was hit and killed by a car yesterday. I had just let her out of the garage, where she sleeps at night. Uncharacteristically, she ran down our long driveway towards the busy road. People drive far too fast along this road, despite the fact that there are three primary schools in…
Through the claws of the stars
You may have read my earlier post relating the survival story of our little tabby cat Lucy. In case you haven't, it's here. In it, I wrote about our other cat Samantha, who was 17 and in such surprisingly good health that she seemed virtually indestructible. I called her my cockroach cat because I was sure she…
One Down, Eight To Go
Nobody, not even the rain, has such small paws. Sorry E.E. Cummings, I have ever so slightly edited a line of your masterpiece (the wonderful poem "somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond") in honour of my cat. I have two cats - Sam (who is always presumed to be a boy, but is in fact Samantha)…
Jasper the despot cat
I love cats. I own two - Samantha and Lucy - and our neighbourhood is full of them. There is only one, however, of note: Jasper, the cat next door. He's huge. He's intimidating. He scares the living bejesus out of my two poor little girls. You always know when he's coming because, incongruously, this huge boy wears…
Patricia Bell, Author 