You wait all day for a blog post, and then three turn up all at once...

I mentioned four weeks ago that bits of my Micro Fiction seem to be turning up as English assignments in the US. Well I didn't realise it at the time, but the author of that piece was clearly a straight-A student, top of his class, and heading for a place at Harvard. At least in comparison with the latest two.

First there's Curious Little Lena (I think that might be a nom de plume), who's been studying my story 'The Puzzle'. She states that "The Puzzle is about literally, a jigsaw puzzle". No it's not. It's about a power tool. That's kinda the point.

But it's hard to criticise when she launches into such a fantastic analysis of the story, viewing it as a complex metaphor for life, which is not only a puzzle, but also a struggle against external forces that requires determination to complete successfully. And there was me thinking it was just a cheap gag about DIY. How wrong I was.

Lena's work pales into insignificance however when placed up against the talented Walfrey, who reviews 'Summer Loving', a story I wrote for Lisa a good two months before I met her. Walfrey writes:

"The main storyline basically displays a man, who reminisces about the good times he and his lover have experienced together, such as taking a dip in the pool last week, the funny hair cut his lover had in the spring and the matching coats they wore in the winter. A literary element used in this micro fiction is symbolization. "The sky blue, the sun shinning" signifies a happy and blissful atmosphere between the two lovers. It also seems as if the the man has somewhat of a low level of happiness and also very appreciative. It seems to be this way because he finds value in little things such as getting funny hair cuts. Because this man can cherish a moment so simple, it also shows that his personality exudes a sense of appreciation to many things around him."

Which is excellent. Unfortunately...

IT'S ABOUT SHEEP, DAMMIT!!!!!

I don't mean to overreact, but really, he's not a man, the pool is a sheep-dip, and no one "finds value in little things such as getting funny hair cuts" - they were being sheared for the spring!!!

But still, he's right about the symbolisation.

I think.

Of course, I'll feel terrible when I find out they're both eight years old and special needs. You're not allowed to tell children they're wrong these days. I could scar them for life.

So I'll calm down with a picture of my first ever home-grown strawberry, as harvested this morning. And eaten shortly afterwards. Who needs a garden when you've got a windowbox and some Smart Price compost.