My mother-in-law died this week at the end of a decline that felt much longer than it was. She left the room where my children were nursed as babies, where I read "The House At Pooh Corner" to my son so many nights in a row that I no longer needed the book. She left while nobody was looking, … [Read more...] about A Death In The Family
Relationships
Working On Thoughts About Death
I'm hunched over my laptop preparing for an online conference by completing an exercise on attitudes to death. I'm writing about how I'm fine talking about death because I feel like I experienced quite a lot of it growing up although, as I write, I realise I also think about it a lot. My … [Read more...] about Working On Thoughts About Death
Reflective Journals Through The Medium Of Bananagrams
Over a game of "Bananagrams" at the dining room table shoehorned in before dinner, my daughter says, "We have to keep a reflective journal but I don't know what to write in mine." She places down letters to make the word "conundrum", an irony I ignore because she'll already be ahead of … [Read more...] about Reflective Journals Through The Medium Of Bananagrams
Getting Things Done Like A Man
Over the road, the man at number three has been working in his front garden for the past two weekends. First, he dug out all the earth and now he is laying concrete. As I walk past him with the dog she sniffs at a pile of leaves while I watch him crouch seriously, wielding a spirit … [Read more...] about Getting Things Done Like A Man
A New Definition Of Awkward
Walking home past the big house at the bottom of the road I notice a huge pile of stuff sprawling across the gate and onto the pavement. There is a note taped to the wheelie bin. "Dear dustmen, sorry for all the rubbish but I'm going through a divorce and there's a lot to get rid of." I'm … [Read more...] about A New Definition Of Awkward