We are going on holiday tonight*. The children, still of an age where a fortnight in Scotland is as exciting as a Caribbean cruise (if only), are apoplectic with excitement and keep emerging from their bedrooms to see if it’s time to leave yet. We’re heading to the Scottish island where Mr M spent his […]
There are no photos
Why didn’t I take more photographs? I had all the time in the world. I arrived at the hospital at eight every day: drifted between intensive care, the pumping room, and the canteen. I went home at four then came back after supper to sit in the dark between two incubators, against a backdrop of […]
Dear neighbours
Dear neighbours, You will no doubt have noticed a subtle change in the equilibrium of our street; a tiny shift in the usually peaceful environs in which you choose to live. I apologise. You might be wondering why you can no longer hear the bird-song, why the rustle of the trees doesn’t reach you, and why […]
Prom time
I have nothing against our friends across the pond, and have long-since accepted the Americanisation of language, fashion and food trends. But when it comes to the children, surely things have gone too far? Leaving secondary school used to be a fairly subdued affair. A half-day at school playing board games you’d brought in from […]
Writing Process: Blog Tour
I’m taking part in the Writing Process Blog Tour, invited to join in by Fleur Smithwick, author of How To Make a Friend, to be published by Transworld in January 2015. I have to answer some questions on my writing process, then pass the baton to another writer. Here goes… WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON? I’m writing […]
Am I invisible?
There are times when I conclude that I must be invisible. I mean, I’m physically here, obviously – far too much of me, in places – but the effect of my presence is so insignificant I may as well not be. This morning I spent ten minutes trying to make the dog stay in her […]