Philip Sidney's blog

We made it through January! Goodness knows what the future holds - seems like a good time to look back. Scent is a great memory jerker so here is a whiff of the sea and the forest to stir up the past: Story of the week left me in pieces and reminded me how every house has a story - an inspiration point in itself - a beautifully drawn piece from Fatboy74 https://www.abctales.com/story/fatboy74/there-was-house-and-there-was-sea-2 Poem of the week...

Happy New Year everyone! We're already off to a great start on the writing front - let's make a mutual resolution to write, post and read more. I have to give a big shout out to Lavadis and his use of extraordinary imagery to conjure up the rawest of emotions: https://www.abctales.com/story/lavadis/emergency-bassoonist Poem of the week goes to Onemorething's delicate and profound: https://www.abctales.com/story/onemorething/you-can%E2%80%99t-...

Thank you ABCTales for bringing us cool respite from the stinging world. Yet again there's been a host of wonderful writing. My first choice is something of a conundrum - is it a story - is it a poem? Whichever, it's disarming and exhilarating - the writer has categorised it as a story - so I'm going with that! Story of the week is Minor Prophet by Lithiviaoblivia: https://www.abctales.com/story/lithiviaoblivia/minor-prophet Poem of the week is...

I do hope you're not paddling in flood water but if you're dry inside - stay there and curl up with ABCtales to take your mind of the unncertain weather. There's so much to enjoy this week. A feast of poetry which made it very difficult to choose one to be poem of the week - but I've gone with Agnosticnun's stunning take on the IP: The Language of Dead Flowers https://www.abctales.com/story/agnosticnun/language-dead-flowers Prose is just as...

The weather and news may be bleak but ABCtales is full of life and energy! Another week of fabulous writing - thank you to all who have posted. Our picks this week both draw on the hidden depths of the domestic world. Story of the week goes to Noo with her two captivating portraits of loneliness and quiet lives behind closed doors. https://www.abctales.com/story/noo/involuntary Poem of the week goes to a wonderful autumnal concoction from Ed...

There's a whiff on autumn in the air - a time to reflect and drink the golden dregs of summer. I'm back to school - and as much as I enjoy it can relate to Jane Hyphen's chilly take on September - our misty poem of the week! https://www.abctales.com/story/jane-hyphen/september-chills Don't you wish you had airyfairy as a neighbour? I do, with her yellow blinds, cat and friendly assistance - not to mention her up-coming tattoo. My grandaughter...

What a week for ranting - i'm in a particularly ranty mood myself so took great pleasure in the green calm of Di Hard's delectable and thought-provoking poem https://www.abctales.com/story/dihard/grassjuly - it's our poem of the week. I really enjoyed the discussion of the possible reading of this poem too - it would be wonderful to hear our writers reading their work. I would love to hear Hudson Moon reading his story aloud too: https://www...

So many wonderful pieces this week - how to narrow it down to two picks? It's been tough but I had to go for Canonette's moving journal, 'Looking for Andrew', for story of the week - it's a must read: https://www.abctales.com/story/canonette/looking-andrew-journal-1 Poem of the week was equally difficult - but Socialeaf's, 'Monet's Sea', is the chosen piece: https://www.abctales.com/story/socialeaf/monets-sea Here's the inspiration point: https...

Summer's been a bit of a wash-out but everything in the ABCtales' garden is rosy. I've gone for a clutch of pieces that didn't get the golden cherries in the week but are no less deserving for that. First-up, a lovely piece of nature writing from Di-Hard is our poem of the week: https://www.abctales.com/story/dihard/18th-june-woods-and-back Story of the week is one that spoke to me for lots of reasons from the prolific and talented Rosalie...

Shakespeare is such and inspiration so thank you to Airyfairy for coming up with the brilliant idea - so many good pieces arose that I had to pick two. Story of the week goes to Jane Hyphen's tragic history, Anthony and Cleopatra - I defy you to read and not weep: https://www.abctales.com/story/jane-hyphen/anthony-and-cleopatra Poem of the week goes to Forest Forever's comic/tragic/history - true love never did run smooth, (to mix my plays), but...