It’s Robert’s birthday today. Note the present tense. This day will always be the date of his birth. He would have been 69. This is also the fourth birthday he has missed, since he died. My daughter and I talked about this as we ate a cooked breakfast together in honour of the birthday boy.Continue reading “77. To kill a mocking bird”
Category Archives: Gratitude
76. Shakshouka that explodes
Several years ago I discovered the delicious North African dish, Shakshouka. I’ve been making it ever since. Lunchtime yesterday I ordered it at a restaurant. The very first mouthful was deliciously explosive – not to damage me, but I was stunned by the level of garlic, sweet chillies and fresh tomatoes. I can’t remember theContinue reading “76. Shakshouka that explodes”
68. Remembering acts of kindness
The local Christian Schools Trust ran a communion service at the start of each academic year for Christian staff and parents at the schools our children attended. One year Robert was asked to be the speaker. The service was set to be held a few days after 9/11. “What shall I speak on?” Robert asked.Continue reading “68. Remembering acts of kindness”
65.100,000+
This last week saw another terrible Lockdown milestone – over 100,000 deaths in the UK from Covid-related illness, around one third of which were in care homes. The Prime Minister hung his head in sorrow. The faces of those who had died were on view everywhere emphasising the enormity of this number, photos of theContinue reading “65.100,000+”
62. Put a smile on your face in 2021
For several years, one of the joys of a Saturday has been to sit and read a weekend paper from cover to cover. It was even better if this included a leisurely latte in a café when, instead of talking, Robert and I would read our favoured sections of the weekend paper. During Lockdown 1,Continue reading “62. Put a smile on your face in 2021”
61. Present at the birth (New Year’s Eve)
It is my daughter’s birthday today. We have all become very inventive in our celebrations during Covid. As a family, but in two groups, we went through the woods at the back of my house, on a treasure trail in search of five twig stars and chocolate coins. There was a crisp frost when IContinue reading “61. Present at the birth (New Year’s Eve)”
59. No longer able to say, “Guess what…!”
Robert and I loved the works of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer, 1632-1675. He only painted between 35-40 paintings, one of the best-known being Girl with a pearl earring (c1665). We went to Amsterdam and Delft to celebrate our 50th birthdays with the express intention of seeing Vermeer’s works there. One of the pleasures ofContinue reading “59. No longer able to say, “Guess what…!””
55. Are birthdays celebrated in eternity?
Today is Robert’s birthday. The children and I had a picnic together in my son’s short lunch break – two households, socially distancing. It happened to be in a cemetery, but that is only because it is the nearest green space to where he is working. We ate food that Robert liked, we talked aboutContinue reading “55. Are birthdays celebrated in eternity?”
54. Michael Rosen and fragility – You can’t catch me!
I love Michael Rosen’s poetry. For over 30 years I have read his poems to my own children and to children in school. His sense of humour, his quirkiness, his reality and honesty make him one of the best contemporary poets. He ‘gets’ children. I’ve always appreciated his openness over the death of his son.Continue reading “54. Michael Rosen and fragility – You can’t catch me!”
52. Grief in the autumn
My older grandchildren came for a sleepover at the weekend. It poured with rain on the Saturday but on the Sunday the sun shone. We went for a damp but bright walk in the woods, collecting autumn treasure in a carrier bag. “Grandma, why have leaves gone red and orange just at the top?” “WhyContinue reading “52. Grief in the autumn”
Sudden death... then what? 