It was a shock to discover last week that the poet and translator Richard McKane died a few years back, in 2016. I didn’t know Richard well; he taught me Russian for a few months in the mid-nineties but we kept in touch for some years afterwards and he was an exceptional man, someone I’ve … More An exceptional man
It’s credit to the skill of writer Victoria Mackenzie that it’s not actually all that surprising to discover her character Julian (female, despite the name) has chosen of her own free will to live walled up in a small stone cell she can never leave again. Or, at least, not until her death. Life in … More Girl power in the Middle Ages
Raynor Winn writes movingly in The Salt Path of the crisis she and her husband Moth faced when they lost their home and money – within days of discovering that Moth was seriously ill. Destitute, homeless, penniless, the middle-aged couple managed to put two fingers up to adversity. Putting their few remaining belongings in storage, … More Flavour with generous pinch of salt
The name should say it all, really. Except it doesn’t. Or not to me, anyway. They explained to me when I got my diagnosis about how my kind of multiple sclerosis (MS) is ‘relapsing – remitting’; I couldn’t help noticing that when the doctors told me about that, they looked relieved, almost as if that was good news. … More Clue hidden in name
Living with the Enemy is a 2013 guide to living well with pain, illness and disability. A friend with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) recommended it, and it’s already helping me a great deal. It’s a refreshing change from the well-meant platitudes that get usually get trotted out at times of disaster. Am thinking here of the … More Living with the Enemy
Last Sunday, Zim and I went on a long journey together. Yes, we made it all the way from home to this beautiful walled garden in Corstorphine. Almost a mile. On foot. In what passes for summertime here in Scotland. Zim isn’t one of those fancy all-terrain walkers, which I learnt about only a couple … More Seeking refuge in walled garden
I have not received payment of any kind for this review. It’s hard not to get all metaphorical about vibroplates, the exercise equipment that help people like us recover or at least improve our balance. The one I’ve invested in after my last MS attack looks a bit intergalactic. Like something Buzz Rogers might use. But … More Getting our balance?
A way to cool off in the clammy summertime. Enjoying summertime I’m trying to encourage more of you to sign up to this blog’s email feed, so am giving away two towels that should help keep people cool through the summer. For the chance to win one of the towels, all you have to do … More Subscribe for the chance to win towel for summer
I’m making progress on my walking. Even made it as far as the end of the street yesterday before half-collapsing onto Zim’s saddle for a rest, holding onto his handles with sweaty hands. Zim came through for me, same as usual. And I’m finally – a mere eight years after diagnosis – understanding that more … More To the Himalayas?
The wind is howling and whispering, rustling and roaring through the leaves as it storms across the valley of Edinburgh spread out between hill and sea. The ridge of undulating Pentland dips down towards its destination in the North Sea, making me think of all the people who must have felt so relieved to be … More MS not so bad?
Travels with a Zimmer Frame 