Valley of the Shadow

Valley of the Shadow

The ‘Times’ today (Feb 23 2017) published an article on the rise in the number of cancers diagnosed in England. For many years, it has been a hidden killer (it claimed the lives of both my mother and father) but our diagnostics are better than ever and the ‘cure’ rate...
The Wrong Shoes, eh Gromit?

The Wrong Shoes, eh Gromit?

It stands erect, ringed in red and white. The dark wilderness of its base set aside from the billowing white up swelling of the chalk cliffs behind it. Thrusting upwards in public warning, its tip glazed and different to its shaft, it stands out by day attracting the...
Aftershocks Continue

Aftershocks Continue

I was shocked to discover that the cancer and the consequential hospital stays had wrought such havoc on my body. My partner and I measure each other (shut up, it’s fun) each year, and I have lost muscle mass along with weight. Thigh muscles to have withered, so I...
Picking Daisies

Picking Daisies

Once upon a time, long, long ago, a father taught his son to draw.  The youth showed a precocious talent. An uncle portrayed as a ‘great ape’ because he called the boy ‘monkey face’, was teased by his brothers about the drawing, and never forgave the lad. Art college...