Spring! Independent Bookstore Day, Horse Videos, and 'Shells'!

One of spring's joys for me is planting pansies. They have cheery faces and can withstand our fluctuating temperatures. When a frost hits, they turn the opposite of pale - they wilt and their leaves change to a dark green. But as soon as they feel the sun's warmth, they wake up and smile. This is just one of the many I've planted in pots around the house (photo taken in evening light). They are transferred to the garden when the canna lilies are ready to venture outside.

Some other joys for me are birdsong, the frogs' amazing chorus, and our horses grazing.

What do you enjoy most about spring?

Blue Heron Books has invited me to participate in their celebration of Independent Bookstore Day. I will join other authors, including Ted Barris, Robert Rotenberg, and Steve Burrows, from 10 am until noon on Saturday, April 26.

Please come and visit Blue Heron Books! You'll have a chance to meet authors and find some great reads.

After the (very) short story, there are some horse videos I hope you enjoy.

I wrote this piece in ten minutes during a Uxbridge Writers' Circle meeting. The prompts for this writing challenge were the words: bacterium; amble; azure.

It's a bit of a soppy story, but that's what came out at the time!!

Shells

Sharon ambles along the shore, the sand sticking between her toes. She doesn't want to be anywhere near this place. She can't believe she's on vacation with her parents - after all, she's seventeen. She hates these resorts, with their all-inclusive deals. Her parents eat, drink, sunbathe, eat, drink, sunbathe and then eat, drink some more. She's sure she can hear their laughter as they lie on the lounge chairs lined up in a row beside the sparkling azure water of one of the sanitized pools. You can smell the chlorine. Not one bacterium can survive in that water.

     She glances down and notices a shell - shiny with brown spots dotted all over. She's almost disappointed when she finds no occupant. It's hard to part with it, to put it down on the hot sand.

     "Beautiful, isn't it?" A young man's voice startles her. She didn't hear him approaching her on the empty beach.

     "Yes, yes it is."

     "Do you collect shells?"

     "Well, not really." She wishes she did.

     "If  you're interested, I can show you where there are some fascinating specimens."

     "You must be a scientist or something."

     "Good guess. I'm studying marine biology. I'm here with my parents for one last vacation before I graduate."

     "I'm hoping this is my last vacation with parents too."

     It wasn't. They all returned the following summer for a wedding.

Vicky Earle Copyright 2025

New Videos of Toby

Toby (racing name Rizzmo) is only two years old, so he has a lot of training ahead of him. He enjoys his daily exercise and is a large horse for his age.

I apologize for the fact that he looks like a silhouette most of the time. He's a dark bay horse!

Despite his young age, he's relaxed when walking to the training track. (The rider has reddish-coloured sleeves):

This is Toby starting out at a trot on the training track:

Here is Toby trotting (in the opposite direction!) on the training track (he's the one nearest to the rail):

Here is Toby (nearest the rail) having a relaxed canter. Can you hear them breathing in rhythm with their stride? I love that sound and I've referenced it a couple of times in my books.

I like this quote by Somerset Maugham (particularly since the world's gone crazy):

To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.

Happy reading!

Please share my post.

Thank you.

Vicky