Status Updates From A Simple Act of Kindness (K...

Chivvying! Another new word for me. "How the mother bird had protected her young, chivvying the brood into the bushes at the first sign of Carole’s arrival."

"It was almost prurient and she knew it...'

"nattering"

"She had no desire to involve him in her troubles but there was no reason why he shouldn’t just assume that she was happier in the crepuscular light, a little nervous on her own in a more glaring ambience."

"Shambolic"

"She glanced about. Would she ever be able to tame this plot, bring it back to something manageable? If so, in the autumn she might teach herself to make apple chutney, apple juice, cider. She could dedicate her energies to the regeneration of the land, to interact with it, learn its tempos and moods. It would be another step towards regeneration of self."

"...that small pot of cash had offered Carole the opportunity she had so desperately prayed for. A means to get out, to set her life in order."