Creative jottings by Eileen Padmore

 You haven't heard from me for a while due to circumstances. Let me explain.

My elderly Mum, for whom I was main carer, died in a care home early in the pandemic. No visits during those last precious weeks was tough – then funeral by remote. After, we decided to relocate from Leeds to Ludlow, which served up three stress packed years.

Meantime I lost my apparently fit neighbour and best friend to a heart attack, aged sixty-three! A month later I found myself in critical care with the same – but I survived!

A main casualty was motivation for writing and it's taking time to rebuild confidence.

So I'm throwing you a morsel that re-surfaced during the move: an instruction sheet tossed off for our brave puppy sitter moments before she arrived. It's an example of snapshot creativity that demonstrates humour in the ordinary.

Here it is:

'Hallo, I'm Grace and I'm nearly grown up – well, not quite 6 months and still chewing a lot. I don't mind what I chew but they take most things off me. Antlers seem to be safe and I like them.

I drink a lot and need to go out to pee – which they call 'quick-quick', I ask you! They call the other 'hurry-up' but it just has to come when it needs to, sometimes after food, often longer. There isn't much warning.

Most of my teeth are now grown up ones, but I won't bite you. I love to be fussed and to lick. Mum doesn't like that but Dad's OK with it. They're both very different so I'm having to learn about that.

I love shoes and socks. It's a brilliant game of 'catch me if you can' but often they can't. I also love cuddles if they don't last too long.

Toys are important, especially ball on a rope. The stairs are my helter skelter now that awful gate has gone.

Now food! Take good notice because they never get it right. They say I'm an English Springer Spaniel but eating enough for a Great Dane – whatever that is. Not that it matters. I need more and sooner.

Probably best to let me into the garden after I've eaten. They do that before I'm allowed upstairs to the snug. I have a special bed up there which is so old they let me play with it (Great Aunt Rosie bit holes in it – not me) and there are special toys up there. I like Countryfile on TV and some vet programmes, but not the knife.

They make a great fuss when I play with feet on the stairs but haven't stopped me yet. Mum shouldn't wear toys with bright bobbles on her feet.

But if they say NO with that voice – I stop.

Thank you for looking after me. I'll try to be good,

Amazing Grace (or DisGrace)'

Do you have any creative jottings to share?

Eileen Padmore retired some time ago from health care and academia with a vow to

indulge in writing more creatively and less academically. Her background in Africa, Eire,

Northern Ireland (in the troubles) as well as inner city Birmingham and Leeds provides

plenty of copy. She has had articles published by Woman Alive, Christian Writer and

contributed to the popular ACW Lent book.