I’ve taken the Mac-ro theme literally here, with a photo of my new iMac. I took this photo on my iPhone 4S, and brightened it slightly with iPhoto.
This is my contribution for this week’s iPhoneography Challenge, with the theme of ‘Macro’. The challenge is hosted by Lens and Pens by Sally. Please click the link for more details.
To view the other contributions, click the logo.
Photo: Copyright Al Forbes
Looking back, I hardly knew John Stimson. But he made me a little boat, and it will stay with me forever.
I remember him as an old, thin man with grey hair and a slight limp. He’d look down on me with a smile and ruffle my hair. John could often be loud and funny, but sometimes he would sit very quiet, or go and lock himself in his little garden shed. Sometimes we could hear him singing wartime songs to himself, as he made his model boats. He’d come out again when he was ready.
John was wounded in France in the retreat of 1940, and evacuated from the beach at Dunkirk. A small pleasure craft took him to a Royal Navy Destroyer, and then to safety in England. The physical battle with his wounds was soon won, but his mental war was never completely over.
I didn’t know his story until after he had gone. To me he was just Grandpa, but I’m proud to have known him.
(This story is fictional but is intended as a tribute to the men and women of the British Armed Forces who have given their lives to keep our country safe.)
Lest We Forget
This is my contribution to Sunday Photo Fiction, hosted by Alastair Forbes. Click the logo for more details.
Click the link here to read the other stories.
Photo: Religious Statues Peter Griffin
Buddhist cosmology tells of Trāyastriṃśa, or the Heaven of Thirty-Three gods, which rule over the human realm. This weekend we’re asking for exactly 33 of your own words about a god of your own devising that shares heaven with the other thirty-two gods. Make it yours and have fun with it.
I’ve persuaded the other Rulers to modernise the rules:
This is my contribution to Trifecta Challenge Week 93. To find more details and read the other stories, click the logo.
All Photographs © Steve Lakey 2013
We do like to have our family barbecues, even out of season.
Sometimes Mother Nature has different ideas!
Luckily, our barbecue cooks straight from frozen!
This is my second contribution to the Weekly Photo Challenge from WordPress.com, with this weeks’s theme of ‘Habit’. If you’d like to join in or find out more, please click here.
Photo: Copyright Alastair Forbes 2013
Location: The Pavement, outside a particularly shady building in a really shady part of Shady Town. You get the idea…
“Hey Sarge!”
“Afternoon, P.C. Copper.”
“It’s Cooper, Sarge. You heard about that anonymous letter that Crime Lord ‘Shady’ Hades sent to Headquarters?”
“Oh yes. But it’s not anonymous if he puts his name on it, Lad.”
“But he didn’t put his address on it did he?”
“No, Son he was taunting us. Saying we’d never find the base of his Evil Operations.”
“Will we Sarge?’
“Dunno, Boy. We sent an undercover Officer, Detective Hermes, in. But Hades says he got the cop plastered and hung him out to dry.”
“Sounds Scary!”
“Chin up Kid, and keep them eyes open!”
This is my contribution to Friday Fictioneers 100 word Challenge, based on a photo prompt, and hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. Click the link for more details.
Please view the other stories by clicking the blue frog. 
Walk the Self-Talk 