A word can change a mind. A sentence can change a life. A book can change the world.
Once upon a time I worked in an Oast House… “What’s an oast house?” I hear you ask. It’s a place used for drying hops, which is a main ingredient in the production of beer. It’s what gives beer its distinctive flavour and is quite smelly when picked from the vine like plant which grows…
The image you can see at the top of the page is that of a tonne bag of white gravel. That’s 1,000 kg of gravel. Not your Imperial ton, which is 1,016.047 kg or 2,240 lbs. There’s not a lot of difference between a tonne and a ton if it were to be dropped on…
As an avid writer and erstwhile sufferer of a couple of debilitating illnesses, I’ve done my best to not let this stop my writing progress. But it has been hard over the first six months of this year. And now treatment has started, I’m hoping to catch up on my various projects that have been…
World War 2 Mention World War 2 to most young people and they will have a picture in their head of Nazi bombers being shot down by RAF fighter pilots, or the miracle of Dunkirk. Or they will have a blank expression, smile at you indulgently and swiftly move on, to another subject. It’s easy…
People like to laugh at certain things and I pretty much agree with most forms of humour. For writers, Bill Bryson has to be one of the funniest I have ever come across. His work literally makes me laugh out loud and brings tears to my eyes. For comedians I don’t think you can top…
Tuesday 23rd May 2023 was a red-letter day for me. It was the day I received my all clear from cancer. I’m officially a cancer survivor. But (there’s always a but, it seems, with cancer) I’m not quite all clear. My lymphoma, Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma, has been reduced from an 80% invasive state to 5% and…
If you think the title of this piece seems a bit of a mouthful, well, you would be right, dear reader. But what it actually is are descriptions attached to my medical history that has unfolded since just after Covid-19 laid us all low. It all started on a warm sunny day in 2019 on…
“What’s in the box?” “Nothing much, I lied. It’s a present. For my wife,” I said, stammering with nerves, wanting him to shut up. “What is it? What have you bought her?” “What?” I said, my voice conveying my annoyance of my workmate as we rode the tram home. “The Gift. What is it?” “Just…
Tomorrow is chemo day, again. I’m under no illusions, it’s going to give me a wide-ranging set of ups and downs for the next few days. I’m used to it. What I’ve been finding difficult is the lack of information about how long I’m going to be having chemo for. The nurses and doctor are…
Have you ever wondered where certain sayings come from? Saved by the Bell is one that’s especially dear to my heart. The saying is supposed to be a reference to boxing, where the ringing of a bell signals the start and end of each round. The bell that sounds to signify the end of a…
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