Those same kids who, when they leave one day, send photos called things like vasilitsa_billy_and_me and take your breath away, are quite capable of leaving you a note if you go a visiting one night and doze off – “VIKI GOING OUT MIGHT BE LATE”. And so sweetly – if you will – take the wind out of your sails, too.  
     
     
 

 
     
 
 
     
     
 

 
     
 

There’s a riddle in this tale of ours that has yet to be solved: who’s the fish and who’s the fowl?

 

A tall wizard walked past the two of us one day as we were sitting on the branch, and whispered in our ear that to solve the riddle was to end the story there and then: the fish would drown and the bird would lose its wits.

Which is why – seeing as no one wanted a twist like that in our tale – we three agreed: come rain or shine the Wizard would walk round that tree with a revolver by his knee. And if anyone ever got anywhere near the solution, he’d shoot them on the spot.

  
     
 
 
     
 

NON–NEGOTIABLE – WINTER – GRENADINE RED  – PETER O’TOOLE  –  THE HEARTH – WALTER MATTHAU – ITHACA – THE TRAIN –  JODY FOSTER – THE CHILI PEPPERS – POMEGRANATES – THE RAIN – HORSES –CHOCOLATE – COFFEE – AMSTERDAM – TARROUDANT – THE PALMS OF OUR HANDS – SHOES – HISTORY – MARIE–THÉRESE – ROSA–MARIA – OLIVE OIL –  MEMORY – OVERCAST SKIES – NON–NEGOTIABLE