Over the years I've written quite a lot of 'stuff' – mostly poems, but also a few short stories. Lately it's been happening more often: that sudden compulsion to write down a stray thought or phrase or mental picture, and then finding that it grows, from a few scribbled words into something that has a bit of a rhythm, the hint of a meaning that's just out of reach...

Several years ago there was a quite a long period of time when this would happen every day. I produced quite a few finished pieces of writing, and got together with a group of like-minded women. We shared our efforts, encouraged each other, and some of us took part in public readings. Then a change in circumstances meant all my energy had to be focused on everyday pressures of work and family, and the creative juices drained away.

Now  ideas are beginning to bubble to the surface again. And I'm happy to welcome them into my life, taking time to focus on the phrases and cadences just below the surface, see if I can coax them into the air, watch them breathe and expand into something coherent.

In the meantime, I've decided to use some of the poetry and stories from that earlier time as a starting point for a website, to help my thoughts to gain a bit of momentum.