Notes from Marcel
The Sideline
Small observations from around Silverdale. Nothing urgent, nothing you need to know. Just a few things that seemed worth noticing.
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90 Minutes to the Left and the Right
Marcel reflects on an afternoon watching the Silverdale Sirens take on FC Oakhaven in the women's cup final. From an overenthusiastic fan with a giant flag to a scrappy winning goal, this week's Sideline column is a warm observation about why people gather for football in the first place.
Read Marcel’s noteFrom the notebook
One Scoop, Briefly
My nephew’s ice cream lasted from the counter to the curb, which was not quite the afternoon he had planned.
Red Shoes
Marcel doesn't understand what it feels like to be born in a body that doesn't match who you know yourself to be. Then his wife says seventeen words that change the way he thinks about understanding altogether.
This Week, I’m Borrowing Marcel’s Crate
Marcel caught an ordinary cold this week. If you ask his wife, you’d think the only thing more dramatic than his symptoms is his certainty that the newspaper simply couldn’t survive without his column.
The Official Dictionary
A sunday afternoon of scrabble and a lesson in mastering the alphabet
The Missing Screw
The pier was rebuilt from end to end, but one tiny brass screw still needed teaching some manners.
The Match I Nearly Watched
Whispers of Tennis, screaming on gravel, and no urgent reason to stay awake.
Before September
Late August doesn’t announce itself. It just leaves a few tomatoes by the road and lets the bicycles slow down.
Bargain Birthday
Marcel came home proud of a bargain cauliflower—only to discover he'd forgotten the one date that mattered. Fortunately, some people can make far more than gratin out of a simple vegetable.
The Typewriter in the Attic
It had been waiting under an old tablecloth, with one good ribbon and a letter E that needed encouragement.
The Right Amount of Car
Marcel thinks fifteen years with one car is quite enough. His wife agrees. Unfortunately, Marcel has also discovered pickup trucks, towing capacity and the dangerous usefulness of a tape measure.