Author Archives: lesleyjonesberry

I (don’t) know where I’m going

Posted on February 8, 2020 by lesleyjonesberry

In the magical film ‘I know where I’m going’   the young heroine (played by Wendy Hiller), bright and determined, is clear-sighted and purposeful about what she wants to achieve.  Until the fog halts her journey and a Scottish island – … Continue reading →

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Meeting myself

Posted on September 6, 2019 by lesleyjonesberry

We spent our holiday in North Yorkshire.  This is a region I had driven past or travelled through on journeys further north, but never before stopped in or explored.  We discovered an utterly beautiful combination of dramatic coastline and glorious … Continue reading →

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The substance of things hoped for

Posted on June 7, 2019 by lesleyjonesberry

The ticket drawer (now a ticket folder due to our downsizing) is considerably lighter these days.  Not because we go to fewer events, but because physical tickets are rapidly becoming anachronistic.  We all book online, and this process means the … Continue reading →

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Kneeling where prayer has been valid

Posted on May 17, 2019 by lesleyjonesberry

On Good Friday we went to St Paul’s Cathedral for Matins.  It’s a formal choral service, dominated by sung psalms, anthems and responses,  creating a context for the congregation to dwell in the music, the mood, the building.  For me, … Continue reading →

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Sloe gin

Posted on May 17, 2019 by lesleyjonesberry

My brother makes sloe gin and, at Christmas, he presented us with a bottle, along with home-made jam and preserves.    We’d made an enthusiastic start on it, but for some reason the last few measures lingered in the bottle, until … Continue reading →

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Much Posessed by Death

Posted on February 3, 2019 by lesleyjonesberry

I had a half-written blog and was resisting its completion because I felt that I’d written enough about mourning and mortality.  Then, this week, I learned that my first boyfriend had died, just days short of his 56th birthday, and … Continue reading →

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A farewell to Borka

Posted on January 13, 2019 by lesleyjonesberry

A few days ago it was announced that John Burningham has died.  He wrote and illustrated children’s books and was the illustrator of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, the book by Ian Fleming which became even more famous in a musical film version.  As … Continue reading →

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Time before and time after

Posted on February 16, 2018 by lesleyjonesberry

Last week I met up with my English teacher.  We have seen each other occasionally over the years, perhaps once a decade since she taught me at ‘A’ level many years ago.   And it occurred to me that there are … Continue reading →

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En passant

Posted on February 9, 2018 by lesleyjonesberry

The other day I received last-minute tickets for a BBC recording at the Radio Theatre at Broadcasting House. I had no other plans so decided to go, despite the short notice. I also realised that what appealed to me was … Continue reading →

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Safe as houses

Posted on February 9, 2018 by lesleyjonesberry

Like many of their generation, my parents grew up in rented homes and were first-time property owners.  My grandfather viewed my father’s ambition to buy his own house with suspicion.  They were savers, not spenders, and debt, in the form … Continue reading →

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