I hadn’t expected my mum to die. I remember that, as I look at the shoes – a pair of cheap, shiny black ballet pumps that I had to go out and buy, because I didn’t have any shoes with me that were suitable for a funeral. Shoes I haven’t seen in 8 years, because […]
Tag Archives: family
Happy New Year, one and all: I hope that, whether you celebrate or not, you survived the season intact. I actually had a big family Christmas this year – my first ever! – and it was a delight. My cousin and his wife (who is actually an old school friend of mine, also) hosted the […]
Some words have such a weight you can’t carry them. They are so freighted with import, with the expectations of others or the ages, you shy away from applying them to yourself because you simply can’t live up to them. So, five years ago, when I became, in fairly rapid succession, both homeless and an […]
It’s a weird thing to be no one’s priority, and have no one be your priority in return. It’s approaching four years since my mother died – and ended the one defining relationship of my life – and this is a thought I find myself returning to. In a very real sense, I am completely […]
