I'm walking with my sister up the narrow path which leads into the park. It's not yet 8 am but I can feel the strength of the sun on the backs of my legs as the dog pulls to one side trying to get hold of a half-eaten apple. In the park, a few people dressed in lycra run past making no sound save … [Read more...] about Rotten Fish And Regret
Relationships
Taking Care Of Everything
My daughter is feeding ice cream to her grandmother, now too weak to feed herself. "It's hard to see the people who looked after us not able to look after themselves," I say. She agrees, but she's happy to do it. It reminds me of having to help my father get out of the bath or go to the … [Read more...] about Taking Care Of Everything
When It’s Time To Look At The Past
For the thirteen years since the death of my mother a huge collection of 35mm photographic slides have been sitting in the garage on a shelf, waiting for me. Having cleared out her house after she died, a task which took me and my two siblings the best part of a year, I couldn't face looking at … [Read more...] about When It’s Time To Look At The Past
Dealing With The Trauma Of A Trauma
Last weekend my son sustained head trauma. Someone punched him so hard it broke his mastoid and, as he fell he hit and cut his head. For two days there was blood coming from his ear, he couldn't keep a glass of water down, and he was so dizzy he couldn't get himself off the bed until he was so … [Read more...] about Dealing With The Trauma Of A Trauma
Talking About Statues
"What do you think of the statues being taken down?" I ask my children while we're doing the washing up. "I don't know why we have statues at all," says my daughter. "It's hard to know where to draw the line. I guess nobody is all bad," I say. My son is straight back with, "Yeah, maybe … [Read more...] about Talking About Statues