isobelmtl

Writing under a Montreal sky

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about

Isobel Cunningham has published short fiction and poetry. Her book, Northern Compass is available on Amazon. She was born in Wales but Montreal is her adopted home. She speaks French, Modern Greek ( it’s a fun story) and a little Spanish…oh, English too, of course. She welcomes comments on her blog and looks forward to chatting with you over cyber-space.

Author: isobel cunningham

  • This is what hope looks like

    I plant these seeds more for the wonderful evocative name than for the actual bloom. They’ve only been in the window box a few days and there they are emerging bravely from the dark earth. Even the stems are red and the long clusters of showy red tassels are loved by birds as a treat.…

  • Taking my own advice

    I went to take care of my mother’s grave yesterday. As she used to scrupulously wash her face before bed, I washed the gravestone. And the box bush needs cutting back. I planted some hollyhocks and we will see if they come up . On the way down the mountain saw some wonderful chestnut trees…

  • Do it Now

    And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why you don’t wait until tomorrow to take the picture. A few days ago this crabapple tree was adorned as a bride but Now she’s over her honeymoon and …. I missed the shot! Spring is turning into early summer here in Montreal. So seize the moment friends or…

  • Coming back home

    This was in the utterly soulless hotel close to the Madrid airport where I stayed on May 2 . May 3 was travel day and the airport shuttle- the raison d’être for such a booking – took me to terminal 1 in plenty of time for my flight. Plenty of time also because the plane…

  • In Avila

    My buddy, Gilberto drove like the wind and brought me to Avila. On the other side of the highway were traffic jams of people going away for the May 1 holiday. It is labor day and May 2 is the province of Madrid holiday as well so people were streaming out of the city. I…

  • OnlyTwo more days

    It seemed an eternity stretching out but all of a sudden it’s time to pack my bags properly and think about the return home. All of us are tired. I think if one is going to do this sort of work there should be one day off per week just to have a chance to…

  • The French Family with a tablecloth!

    They were ten people including 5 kids. In spite of their attention to dining graciously the boys, all under 10, were running wild when I noticed them scaling a wrought iron gate liberally adorned with vicious looking spikes. I did warn them off and drew their mother’s attention to the danger of them being impaled…

  • Ten minutes before my shift

    There are already over 50 pilgrims in the albergue and it is only 4 o’clock. My worst nightmare will be turning someone away. One of my colleagues is an early bird and she goes off to bed quite early. The kitchen as jumping lady night and I admit to being a bit grumpy when people…

  • A Camino Moment

    I have walked on the Camino and I know what it is to worry about getting to an albergue, about getting a decent bed, about arranging for a meal. My three companions and I have formed the habit of going for a coffee in a nearby cafe when our cleaning chores are done. Just as…

  • Mid point

    We four hospitaleras/os are at mid point in our two weeks of service and we haven’t yet run away, burst into tears or strangled each other. Put two Spanish men and two Canadian women all over seventy into a totally unfamiliar situation where they have to deal with fifty strangers who do or don’t speak…