Us and Them
Accompanying the scenes of the Kabul evacuation, Pink Floyd’s Us and Them plays on a continuous loop in my head. “Us (us, us, us, us) and them (them, them, them, [...]
Taliban 2.0?
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, my good friend went to the Iranian Embassy in London to collect our visas. In what was a foreboding experience, we had completed [...]
The Good Thing About Suspected Heart-Attacks
Although my robust heart has seen me through a lifetime of sport, including two marathons, this last six months she has become increasingly unruly. In the week that my umpteenth [...]
Carpe diem, Gavin Williamson
At the request of The Yorkshire Post, for whom I occasionally write, I have penned this comment piece. Perhaps they will publish it. Time will tell. I was limited to [...]
Tears For Fears
Men like me don’t cry: we aren’t supposed to cry. But we do. I do. I have, and I will. Four times in the last week I have been moved [...]
Lord: where’s the flies?
As a teenager, during the summer holidays I would wash cars with my mates, for cash. Never have I felt so flush, handling all those one-pound coins. Great times. Although [...]
Surely, we can do better than this, right?
Wired-up to a portable ECG monitor whilst I type, I feel like a hybrid human-cyborg. Doubtless this state-of-the art gizmo is cleverly reading all the electrical signals going to my [...]
A New Vocation
This chronic illness lark is like having a new job. So many appointments to attend. So many biological readings to document. So much research to undertake: a never-ending, insurmountable amount [...]
Chickens and hedgehogs
IMG_4126 We’ve had chickens in back our garden for over five years. The original three chickens are - miraculously - still alive. In fact, they’re in fine form! Now with [...]
The Middle Class Advantage?
(I would prefer never to speak of any particular “class”, but as the term retains utility, I shall use it.) On Friday evening, I had an emergency telephone consultation with [...]