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
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
For a long, long time, I couldn’t tell one tree from another, not even on walks in the English countryside where I came of age, and I’m afraid the confusion in my life didn’t stop there. It was all uncomfortably like that poor guy in Hamlet, the prince who was having so much trouble with … More Knowledge is power when it comes to MS
They’re all so sleek and clean and shiny, these new feller-me-lads in my life, and they’re using it to lure me in, seduce me, make me fall for them and their glossy good looks. Even just joking about falls feels wrong, the dratted MS has already had me crash-landing inelegantly onto quite enough stony pavements, … More Falling for someone else
Is it just me, or is birdsong more jubilant post lockdown?Maybe it’s because I haven’t been outdoors much, any birdsong at all feels jubilant, almost triumphant, after surviving the winter. … More About the great railings cull…
How can you make friends with a piece of dirty old metal, covered with grubby fabric and webbing? … More Me and Mr Zimm
I’m limping and staggering even before reaching the front gate, scared of falling and breaking something – again. So try to cheer myself up with thoughts of how the trees are getting ready for summer. Glad rags There’s blossom already decorating their limbs; it makes me think of putting on mascara to meet my husband … More Nightwalking
Actually, this should really have been Day Three. Except I overdid things yesterday and spent the day drinking tea and eating slices of bread and jam. Watery Scottish sunshine Today dawned afresh. Lots of birdsong and watery Scottish sunshine. Thoughts of The Proclaimers but in the wrong part of the city. The odd car surprising … More Day two
“How about you aim to get out the house once a day,” said Husband. “To get a little bit of exercise? You don’t have to go far.” “That’s a good idea,” I said, struggling to remember the last time I’d been out the front door. Five months ago? Maybe six? These days a ‘big’ trip … More To next door and beyond?
Travels with a Zimmer Frame 