Tag Archives: family relationships

My cat is better at cleaning itself than I am

Melvyn Bragg, two academics and an oceanographer are in my bathroom chatting away about the late Devonian Extinction when 70 percent of life on earth died, while I lie in my broiling hot bath. They are debating if the trilobites were wiped out by a single catastrophic event or passed away due to changes inContinue reading “My cat is better at cleaning itself than I am”

Moonpig, Mother and me during lockdown

It’s five months since Mother got sucked into a demented game of ping pong between us, hospital and her nursing home. Four falls, four visits. Still fighting. In that time, she’s fractured her hip, caught Covid and won the Cheeriest Personality of the Year at the local gerontology department’s Christmas awards after charming them duringContinue reading “Moonpig, Mother and me during lockdown”

Mixed emotions about the day ahead

I often wake up with mixed emotions about the day ahead. I’m not sure why. Mornings weren’t always like this and I used to be at my best before lunch. Carpe diem was my usual morning battle cry. I was like a young Bertie Wooster, pumped on Highballs for Breakfast. Now, I start most daysContinue reading “Mixed emotions about the day ahead”

Mother may have dementia says the consultant

Mother is back home after ten days in the hospital. She is the centre of a lot of attention and not just from us, her family. She’s on the care list of the NHS integrated community response service team, which includes a nurse, a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, a social care assistant, a social workerContinue reading “Mother may have dementia says the consultant”

Will the exam fiasco trigger a children’s crusade?

Will the exam fiasco will trigger a new children’s crusade? I don’t mean a medieval religious crusade like the one in 1212.  Only a lunatic or Donald Trump would consider an actual religious crusade now. But might it trigger a modern children’s ‘Grade Crusade’ to reclaim the confiscated exam results stored in the vaults ofContinue reading “Will the exam fiasco trigger a children’s crusade?”