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: Grieving
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”
75. Shelter under God’s almighty wing
I have just been on holiday to Cornwall. We stayed within five minutes of the sea and woke to the smell of fish and seaweed. One morning we walked up the steep side of the bay which gave us a magnificent bird’s eye view of the fishing fleet in the harbour. Immediately below us wasContinue reading “75. Shelter under God’s almighty wing”
73. Joy and sorrow at a wedding– two sides of one coin
Next week the daughter of a friend of mine is getting married. It has been planned for many months, affected by Covid limitations. But this wedding has been affected by something far more significant than Covid. The bride’s father, my friend’s husband, died suddenly at the end of last year. This wedding, which was plannedContinue reading “73. Joy and sorrow at a wedding– two sides of one coin”
71. What we’ve learnt about grief
I have just listened (only two hours ago as I ate my lunch) to a radio programme entitled ‘What we’ve learnt about grief’. You can find it on BBC Sounds. It was presented by Cariad Lloyd, a comedian who hosts the Griefcast Podcast. This is described as ‘a podcast that examines the human experience ofContinue reading “71. What we’ve learnt about grief”
69. Three parallel stories
This last week I had a most strange experience. I had a root canal treatment performed by an endodontist – a root canal specialist. Being Covid-secure he and the nurse were gowned up. I only ever saw their eyes. I wore my winter coat because the windows were wide open to circulate fresh, chilly air.Continue reading “69. Three parallel stories”
67. All a matter of time
My three-year-old grandson cannot tell the time and doesn’t comprehend it. These days it is more complicated because only analog clocks visually show the passing of time. Digital ones don’t. “When is it bed-time?” he asks in the middle of the morning – not because he is tired, but probably because he wants to goContinue reading “67. All a matter of time”
66. Border crossings
Eight months after Robert died, I listened to the Easter day morning service on the radio. It was led by Richard Littledale, a Baptist minister whose wife had died the previous year after a long illness. He memorably spoke of the previous Easter Sunday. He had left the house early to lead the sunrise service.Continue reading “66. Border crossings”
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”
Sudden death... then what? 