brown and white swallowtail butterfly under white green and brown cocoon in shallow focus lens

Invisible Ink

There are moments that time slows down and the universe asks you to think very very carefully about what you say next. When I was younger I just tossed off clever ripostes – I never thought about the landing only the launching

cute fluffy puppy in home

That Empty Space

Yeah, I really- I really miss her. There’s nobody. Nobody like her.”

pink clouds

On a Friend, Unmade

Dear Sophia: I have a private client, a lovely woman who travels a lot for business. It’s always fun when I pick her up and we chitchat. “Oh” she said last year “you are living at the marina? You must meet my friend David.” I have a friend that I met through a social initiative. …

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The Introvert Seat

Dear Sophia: It used to be that no matter who they were or where you picked them up, riders would always walk around the car to be in the seat diagonally opposite from the driver. This means you can make eye contact in the rear view mirror. Before the lockdowns I would occasionally get someone …

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The Snacks are Great

So, I fired up the Spotify, got the Wiggles on and played the Hokey Pokey really loud. Everyone in the intersection, including me, stopped what we were doing and did the hokey pokey. With masks and smiling eyes. I got in my car and drove on to pick up other riders.

woman wearing black and white stripe blouse

Fiction Writer

“Leave it to me” I said flooring it “I’m basically a traffic superhero”. I was bragging – it was a dark, rainy Monday and no one was around anyway.

sliced pepperoni pizza in close up view

Some guys are just charming as hell

This one fellow gets into the car early Sunday morning. Very flirty, very cute. Chatting me up, I imagine just for the sport of it. Just because he can. Practice even. Let’s call him Sonny.

woman in black coat holding white ceramic mug

2 Degrees

Of the process I went through analysing all the different countries I could possibly move to. About my spreadsheet and the quality of life analysis that I spent quite a lot of time researching like a big weirdo nerd.

yellow swing

Nothing happens in Oamaru

He said “Ask me about my wildest night out”

I did and then “In Oamaru?” My voice rising slightly at the end.

an alice in the wonderland theme birthday cake

Getting clarity – Part 1 – Go Ask Alice

“Still going” she said “I need to do a quick change and head out again – and like a movie star starts zhuzzing herself in the back seat. She had long, blonde hair and she was wearing a headband. Her name was Alice.