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.

Category: Blogging 101

  • Modesty

    A friend and I were shaking our heads over the antics of “president” Trump the other day and he made an unusual request. He said, “write about modesty”. Right away I knew he didn’t mean anything to do with bikinis… or burkinis. The idea simmered in my mind for quite a while. After all, even…

  • At Last

    Today in my garden. HARD SPRING Spring in Montreal is a breech birth. We can feel it coming. We can feel the earth groaning, absorbing the ice and snow of months of frigid darkness. The sun, it’s warmth no longer faint, fickle, theoretical, coaxes, wheedles the first snowdrops, crocuses. These are never picked. Now come…

  • Homesick for my garden

         How strange to be homesick for a grey sky. I was under an unfailing blue sky for months this winter – never shovelled a flake of snow, didn’t have to battle ice like my dear friends and relatives here in Montreal. Yet, in April I got restless. I longed to hear the sound…

  • Mysteries – Do you know?

    OK this is my week for asking my readers questions. I am posting a few pictures that have me scratching my head. One is of a tile depicting a saint – well, he has a halo! He seems to have a falcon on his hand as he rides his horse. Any idea who he is?…

  • Mystery plant

    Those of my readers who love plants will know the frustration one experiences on finding a plant and having no idea what it is. Perhaps someone out there knows? It is shown here at the end of March in a mountain environment in Spain. So, it is able to thrive in cold snowy mountains and…

  • Spring morning in the Sierra Nevada

    Legions of hills and beyond, mountains stretch along the horizon. Large cumulous clouds lie above – mighty emperors reclining on rocky couches. Near our little cabin sits  a terraced farmers plot. Almond blossoms of white  and of a shocking neon pink bless a chicken coop. A yellow and white cat treads along a narrow plank…

  • Jewels of the Volcano

      Yesterday we went jewel hunting – and we found some! On Wednesday we met some very kind Germans who were parked in their camper out in a wilderness just down the ravine from a volcano caldera. Now, there’s a something you don’t read every day! These two people were shuffling around in the dust…

  • Talk to me, Baby

    Find that dime, that quarter, that dollar, that card Find the time, find the words. Find the sea song that sends the sigh over the waves on the white wings of gulls. Let me hear your breath, soft with a faint rasp like the ripple of a wave that drags down pebbles. Press the receiver…

  • Do I Have To?

      Spanish hunters buy these birds to use as live lures for wild partridge. We saw lots of them in clean, well-watered cages today. It seemed a kind of mean way to fool the birds. I know, we use duck decoys and moose calls to fool game into getting shot but this seems particularly gruesome to…

  • Carnival in Cartagena

       We spent a few days visiting this ancient city recently. Yes, it’s named after Carthage in North Africa and it has a marvellous ruin of a Roman theatre  Last weekend was carnival weekend and I was astonished to see the energy and sheer number of people engaged in the carnival parade. There were a…