Everyone knows that chemotherapy makes your hair fall out. It’s one of those horrid facts that you just know without thinking. In the haematology block at Nottingham’s City Hospital this dark fact is in evidence everywhere - varying degrees of hairy and hairless heads, some swaddled in scarves or hats in an attempt to retain body heat. My dad was diagnosed … Continue reading jAfro
It is one of those cold, wet winter days consumed by grey. Where the sky seems to reach right down to the pavements and gardens in one vast wash of greyness. If I had a view of the sea at this moment the sea and sky would be indistinguishable from one another, just all grey, the kind of picture perfect for making a really tricky jigsaw puzzle from. I am in a loft room in the east midlands at present – a sea view a geographical impossibility. There are three roof windows cut out of the sloping ceilings, two on one side of the apex, one on the other, and the colour of sky is exactly the same shade in each. Farrow and Ball would list it on their paint chart as ‘nondescript grey’. Or perhaps just, ‘nondescript’.
A glass of pink fizz was waiting for me on the table in the bar when I came out of WH Smiths, my treat aeroplane reading clutched in one hand. I ‘cheersed’ my chap and chinked my glass against his. Flying with an airline where every little thing seems to be not included in the … Continue reading Writers’ Tears
In order to supplement whatever part time job I had at the time, and to top up my lager snakebite fund, during my ‘A’ level years I would meet up in town with friends and we’d take over a patch of pavement and busk. Sometimes I would be half of a duo, but mostly I’d … Continue reading The Gig
The road that I live on is a friendly sort of place. It’s not too long and not too short, with only one way in and one way out. It is home to an assortment of cats who may or may not deign to pass the time of day with you, depending on their mood … Continue reading Some other time
For those of you unfamiliar with the BBC Radio Four programme, 'Desert Island Discs', I feel that some background information may assist in your understanding of the words to come. The programme was thought up by Roy Plomley, who presented the show 1942-1985! Then came Parky, followed by Sue Lawley 1988-2006. The current presenter is … Continue reading So Lonely
Palm trees and hot tubs Once upon a time, an English symphony orchestra decided that an ornate Tuscan church would make a lovely alternative to their usual London concert venue, and a plan was hatched forthwith. A plan that came to the ears of a lady writer and her chap, with an invitation to pack … Continue reading Road trip – finale
Part three - Italy A gigantic, immovable mountain blocking a short cut to Italy? 'We can't go over it. We can't go under it. We've got to go through it', as Michael Rosen might say. Mont Blanc was, obviously, impossible to miss, and his mouth could be glimpsed ahead, wide open and hungry for vehicles … Continue reading Road trip – part three
Part two - roof down (for ten minutes) As the car swung through the open gates...wow. A beautiful, palatial French manor house, dating back to 1766, set in lush green grounds. Cream coloured stone, the fourth tier in grey brick with matching slate roof. Tall double doors in the centre, with pairs of long shuttered windows … Continue reading Road trip – part two
Part one - roof up As a schoolgirl, September for me always brought with it a mixture of feelings. Joy, at the thought of using my new pencil case, sporadic slivers of excitement at the idea of fresh beginnings and the unknown, but predominantly, trepidation. New school year, new lessons, new teacher. Eeek! At primary school … Continue reading Road trip – part one
