huge tree, tiny flower
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Huge Tree, Tiny Flower

huge tree, tiny flower

Huge Tree

I visited one of my favourite trees at the weekend, the twisty beech at Aden Country Park. And there, nestled at its great foot, was a tiny flower, a primrose.

Tiny Flower

huge beech tree, tiny flower

The tree looked particularly glorious last autumn, and here it was, in spring, wearing a tiny flower on its toe.

On Past the River Ugie

tree by River Ugie

On I went, past other big trees, and the old cattle creep (built for cows to pass under the road)…

cattle creep at Aden Park

From Trees to Stones

Then, another favourite: Aikey Brae Recumbent Stone Circle.

Aikey Brae Recumbent Stone Circle

I made a bookish TikTok while I was there, turning slowly round in the middle of the circle.

@ailishsinclair

The night before Ariel, a sixteen-year-old girl with a deformed hand, starts at the most prestigious dance school in Scotland, her mother tries to k**l her. Torn from a life where she never fitted in, Ariel quickly becomes the focus of a reality TV show. In the castle school, she forms deep friendships and meets Alexander, the best looking boy she’s ever seen. Together, they unravel the mysteries of the castle’s shadows and confront the demons of Ariel’s past. Can she rise above a lifetime of pain and embrace the possibilities of fame and love that beckon to her? ‘Ariel: Dancing on TV’ is a mesmerising tale of resilience and the pursuit of a brighter future against all odds. #booktok #booktokseries #ballet #contemporaryromance #stonecircle #scotlandtiktok

♬ fairy’s cry – r1naq

Alexander will inherit the castle in a couple of weeks, and then it’s done. The series is complete. It feels strange, like an exhale or a relaxation, or maybe a shock. But I’ll get over it, and write on…

Alexander: Dancing With Fire

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The Performance: sometimes going home for Christmas is just one huge performance…

When Ariel returns home from dance college, her mother expects her to perform the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in a pink, sequined tutu in front of many, many party guests. Ariel adjusts the costume and choreography to expose dark truths about her life, but, as it turns out, this is not the biggest performance of the night… 

The Performance, a short story by Ailish Sinclair. Get it free for newsletter sign-up.

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