Sara Partington

#writecbc
There'll be a rose, they'd said
Red. Easy job for his 1st go
He watched the ebb and flow of early crowds through a shaft of sunlight, slicing the room
Kids, tourists. Giggling, pointing
Then...
Grey suit, blue tie, red rose
He gulped; felt the heavy solid blade in his coat
£50k. Right then

#WriteCBC Her diamonds catch his eye first
A-glitter, a-sparkle; she glints and gleams
He adopts his most engaging smile. To bowl her over. Lure and ensnare
Bingo! Coyly she extends a bejewelled wrist and he bobs to brush a kiss, clocking the ruby
"Jim" A whisper so she must bend closer to catch it

#writecbc Distant cows moo as Mo wipes sweat with his overall
Straw slithers under his wellies. Hay sweetness floats from the parlour
His guts churn
Vi! How'd she do it? Why sabotage his farm?
He spins the barndoor clip, distraction from the task ahead
Then calmly, he selects a pitchford
Today, then

#writecbc Invisible howls rose from high branches. Dampness oozed on wild-barked trees. The heavy air weighed on Jo who cursed, tripping over yet another root
"Face it, we're lost. Every path's the same. Rocks, vines, moss"
His face shone with 40° sweat as a menacing growl rolled through the jungle

He regrets the deep nerve-steeling breath as the aroma of stale spagbol hits him. Looking about the tiny kitchen, he realises he's just missed her but his nose wrinkles at liberal splattering on the unwiped lino. He's paid a month's rent upfront but he'll not be staying long in this dump #writecbc

Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas special was a joyful reminder that TV can still be a shared experience | Frances Ryan As people fall out of love with streaming, they’re rediscovering the collective pleasure of ‘event television’, says Guardian columnist Frances Ryan

I wrote about Gavin and Stacey’s Christmas special and why - in the age of streaming - “event television” is a small pleasure to hold onto. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Great piece

Winter appeal | Trussell Donate today to help provide urgent support this winter. Together, we can end hunger for good.

www.trussell.org.uk/winter-ppc?/...

a cat is laying in a box that says 4gifs.com on it ALT: a cat is laying in a box that says 4gifs.com on it

Today we celebrate Boxing Day in the UK, so named because cats spend the day exploring empty boxes discarded from Christmas Day*

*This may not be true

4 shelves of books: Shelf 1: A Curtain Twitcher's Book of Murder; Sandwich; The Other Valley; Orbital; Sometimes People Die; The List of Suspicious Things Shelf 2: Ink Ribbon Red; Falling Animals; All the Colours of the Dark; Freakslaw; Leading Man; William Shelf 3: Anyone's Ghost; Bored Gay Werewolf; The Betrayal of Thomas True; Guilty By Definition; The Pairing; The Actor Shelf 4: The Last Murder at the End of the World; The Examiner; The Husbands; Helle & Death; Death on the Lusitania; The Fellowship of the Puzzlemakers

Festive Giveaway! RT and follow by 5pm on Friday 27th December.

I’ll pick one lucky person from all entrants on Twitter and Bluesky.

One lucky person can pick either shelf 1, 2, 3 or 4 from my Bertvent books of the year as a New Year treat!

UK only.

For a very merry Christmas - have a good one

And any constructive cric?

A funny french idiom for tonight: ‘avoir le melon’.
It literally translates to “to have the melon,” but figuratively, it means to be conceited, full of oneself, or to have a big ego.
Perfect fit for a certain Melon Husk.

Tweet from nigel farage saying we now live in a country where you can attack an mp and not go to prison. Above GBNews article about milkshake attacker getting suspended sentence.

Dear Nigel:
a) you weren't an MP when this happened
b) sentencing reflects factors like the severity of injuries caused - ie none
c) it was a MILKSHAKE you big cry-baby

Got to have some light relief, sometimes?

He's making a list,
he's checking it twice,
he's searching his pockets,
and finding his keys,
he's checking the list again,
and making sure he turned the gas off,
hold on now where's the list?
Ok found it, better check it again,
wait, did he lock up?
Santa Claus,
is getting too old for this shit.

Frosty paces faded as her flame guttered
Mum threw open the window
'The snow's stopping!'
Carols rose from crowds, massing as a last flake melted
'is it over?'
Ella heard Mum's sigh
'Your warmth accepted an apology'
Ella saw it
'Softened a frozen heart? Let's expect a welcome guest
#5ActFestiveStory

'Chill out!' An icy tone sliced the air. 'You're 20. Time to take over'
'Meet your aunt' Mum's frosty tone hissed to the intruder 'Ella wants the Power no more than I did'
An idea in Ella's mind. 'Control the temperature?'
'The world' Aunt nodded 'Cool, eh?'
Save it for Christmas! 'Ok, I'll try'

Into the icy dark they fled, Ella's hot footsteps thawing the path
'The Snowduke seeks to freeze Christmas' The wind snatched Ma away. 'Forever'
As Ma's words echoed, Ella was suddenly alone
No, not alone, she had her power. The Warmth
She'd melt the Duke. Easy
Just had to find him
#5ActFestiveStory

Ma's face fell "Ah"
With a key Ella had never seen, she unlocked a box, extracting a dusty scroll
"I prayed this day would never come" Ma's eyes were flint. "Your banished uncle has declared war on Christmas"
She took Ella's face in frosty hands "My father, Santa Claus, summons us" #5ActFestiveStory

Most of all, well done for having the willpower to get up and record it. We all know the danger of the 'It's so obvious - of *course* I'll remember that' 🙄

Love it

But it was Pa's writing?
Di flipped the card. BigBen stared back
Her blood froze. Pa always said it was too risky to return
Calm down! He'd explain at 12
But he didn't come. 1, 2:45...
Di slipped unseen into icy darkness, snowflakes on her lashes
She knew. BigBen was message enough
#5ActFestiveStory

Super exciting. Maybe even Hollywood beckons? Great Christmas present