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Eighteen years ago today, we lost my amazing brother, Anthony. Friends will know how much he meant to me, to our sisters, and of course to the whole family. It was an earthquake, and, much as we try to rebuild, Continue reading
We ve just had the two year anniversary of beautiful Edana s untimely demise. I m not sure if this made me feel better or worse, but I decided to sing along with her one more time. Apologies for butchering a gorgeous recording! Continue reading
I don t know about you, but I was appalled by Rishi Sunak s assault on the sick last week. He patronised, he scapegoated and he blamed. Not content with going after experts, civil servants, teachers, lawyers, doctors, nurses, rail workers, and Continue reading
Heather Cooper s excellent historical novel invites the reader into maverick, pioneering photographer Julia Margaret Cameron s Isle of Wight home, and into the lives of illustrious artists like the neighbouring Tennyson, through the eyes of Mary Ryan a beggar girl Continue reading
BANK OF ENGLAND from the Governor Jeremy Hunt Chancellor of the Exchequer HM Treasury 27th August 2023 Dear Jeremy, I think it’s time we were straight with the British people. Interest rate hikes are the wrong tool to curb Continue reading
The 75th anniversary of the NHS feels like the right time to share Gill’s story. My friend Gill was a nurse for many years, starting back in her teens, working in youth care and elderly care. She has scars on Continue reading
Brexit has failed. If you still need convincing of that, this post is not for you. I m taking it as a given. If you too take it as a given, where does that leave the case for rejoining? Surprisingly elusive. Continue reading
Burt Bacharach s sad passing today reminded me of this little gem. Beautiful Annabella Sciorra and Vincent D Onofrio, Matt Dillon and Mary Louise Parker, and Brooke Smith in the Say A Little Prayer scene in Mr Wonderful (Anthony Minghella, 1993). Those Continue reading
Today PM Sunak, in a bid to look like a man who stands for something, is suggesting maths should be compulsory in the last two years of school. You could be forgiven for feeling outraged. While the NHS crumbles before Continue reading
In the mid-90s I set fire to myself. My sister and her husband arrived for dinner from the Isle of Wight. I turned up the gas on the stove and threw the pasta into the boiling water. As they came Continue reading