henrydecock

Remembering

On the last evening of our Netherlands adventure, it was time to recount the events of the two week trip. Glass of wine in hands, Olga, Bohdan, Danya, and myself, were asked to identify our highlight. The response was swift although difficult to reduce to only one. The Keukenhoff with its magnificent display of springContinue reading “Remembering”

Keep your files thin

Alight at Freshfield and turn right onto Victoria Road.DO NOT cross the railway line.It is a 200m walk to Herbert House on the left. These are the last words of instruction on this now four and a half hour convoluted 354 km train ride from Heathrow airport involving six transfers and three different rail lines,Continue reading “Keep your files thin”

Human

A human is human through others. The words are expressed in the aftermath of the trial where Zarko Dragic was found guilty by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for crimes against humanity in the systematic rape of women in the Bosnian War. The protagonist in Kim Echlin’s fifth novel, Speak, Silence, isContinue reading “Human”

Cold as Ice

The minus 18 temperature is not going to deter me. I have spent the last week coddling the ice, keeping the snow from accumulating, shoveling everyday, defining the contour with scrap wood, flooding the rink at dusk to take advantage of overnight cold. Grab the skates, stick and puck, pull down the toque a littleContinue reading “Cold as Ice”

O’ Tannenbaum

It was my Dad’s job to purchase the tree every Christmas. Accompanying him on the quest to acquire the best possible tree for the lowest conceivable price was a lesson in frugality and gamesmanship. Too early in the season would result in paying the posted price. Not enough snow would reduce demand, providing an opportunityContinue reading “O’ Tannenbaum”

Rapture

Ten bucks for most packages, five if it is small, twenty for the big ones. Shopping advice? Free. Olena, Olga and I were back again gift wrapping for the food bank. Last year was so nice, we decided to do it twice – Saturday and Monday evening, 4:00 to 9:00 pm. Still a week fromContinue reading “Rapture”

A Wink and a Smile

I always sit or stand in the back. From this position I have a bird’s eye view, a vantage point to scope out all of the people who have gathered. Olga, on the other hand, moves directly to the front, close to the action, to whatever the affair entails. Olga occupied the first table atContinue reading “A Wink and a Smile”

Black, White and Blood Red

“Daddy, why are they screaming?” Olga and I were dumbfounded, one of those questions from the mouths of children which leave you grasping for an answer. We were driving through the city, the four of us in the Nissan King Cab pickup truck, Olena and Nicholas snug in the back, Olga in the front passengerContinue reading “Black, White and Blood Red”

Tom Sawyer

“Like it? Well, I don’t see why I oughtn’t to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a fence every day?” The forecast is predicting a week of heat and sunshine, the first true taste of summer. Olga is at the cottage focusing on her yoga work. Books are calling to beContinue reading “Tom Sawyer”

The Morning After

The news arrived quietly, through the email, a brief note, a link for more details. I was stunned, immediately reading the announcement out loud. “Generous in spirit; gave of himself tirelessly; believed that art had the power to change lives.” The obituary was dated two months earlier, not even an opportunity to attend a virtualContinue reading “The Morning After”