It looks like this hellish year of lockdowns is finally coming to an end (crosses fingers, toes and eyes) and as we take our first tentative steps back into a world larger than our four walls, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate some of the things within our homes that have made the last year bearable.
Adoption – Why I’m Searching for my Birth Mother Now
I was put up for adoption soon after my natural mother gave birth to me when she was seventeen. My adoption was successful and I’m incredibly lucky to have enjoyed a good life. I am happy. I truly believe she did the right thing for me, and hope it was right for her too.... Continue Reading →
Covid – What it was like for me
I thought my Covid temperature had come back again last night. My head pounded and my skin burned. At its worst, my temperature wasn’t like in films, where the patient lies in bed with a cold cloth on their forehead and sweat soaks through a flannelette nightie. It was more of a burning sensation, mainly... Continue Reading →
Spectator Sport
When travelling alone, I used to occupy myself by guessing the age of strangers. I did this by observing how far they held their mobile phone away from their face.
Woman Positive
The thing I’ve chosen to do, is celebrate being a woman. I’m listing some of the glorious elements of my life that are only possible because I am a female in today’s skewed society.
Thirsty Brain
Do you ever have those nightmares where you're about to sit an important exam and you haven't revised?
Not-So-Silent Protest
The Sounds of the Middle-Aged Body As I followed the physiotherapist’s instructions to bend my neck to the right, I heard the sound of bubble wrap popping inside my body. ‘Is that normal?’ I asked. ‘Our bodies make all kinds of protests as we get older,’ the man-child said, and asked me to bend the... Continue Reading →
I Claim my Mid-Life Crisis
If men can have one, so can I I was a precocious child. This is evidenced by the fact I entered a Public Speaking Competition at the age of thirteen with a speech about ‘The Male Menopause’. I was robbed; I came second, despite my talk rousing the audience to guffaws and standing ovation (at... Continue Reading →
Ugly Duckling Friends
I recently wrote a piece on how female friendship is one of the most valuable things about being a woman. Then my kids reminded me of what friendship is like when you’re a teen.
Pandemic Production
I Support the Arts and the Arts Support Me. Last night the overture to Jesus Christ Superstar made me cry.
Who Wants to Live Forever?
When I heard the author Jeanette Winterson say, ‘Why would you want to be tethered to an ageing, dying animal if you don’t have to be?’ I felt like she was speaking directly to me.
A Full Stop to Celebrations?
I’m a fan of punctuation, in all its forms. I find it easier to understand and enjoy reading if the punctuation is there to remind me when to pause; when to stop and breathe. It’s the same with life. I like my life to be punctuated with events honouring the moments when things go right.... Continue Reading →