When I was thirteen, my father occasionally came to visit us for the weekend. There were a lot of things I assumed about his visits, back then. Like, for instance, the fact that he and my mother shared a bedroom only because there was no spare bedroom. They were, after all, separated. We lived in [...]
So here I am at my laptop once again, at the end of another week, writing yet another blog. Actually, I’m on an aeroplane right now, together with my daughter, on our way to England. Our final week has come to an end. Yesterday was our last day at home, and now, at 8.47 on [...]
Before I get to the horrible bit in this blog - I mean the bit on that dark lonely street in Birmingham - let’s start all nice and innocently, shall we? September: season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, according to Keats. Children and teenagers back at school, summer almost over. Another year in the cycle [...]
When I visited the exquisite country of Rwanda eighteen months ago, together with my daughter and Errant Hubby (who was not yet errant back then, needless to say), I had no idea what was in store for me. I’m sure most people will automatically associate the name ‘Rwanda’ with the genocide against the Tutsi that [...]
Hmm. That is the question. Oh come on, it’s just the same as any other day of the year, isn’t it? That’s what all the sceptics and non-superstitious folk will claim. And in terms of having sex - or not, as the case may be - I guess it is just the same as any [...]
FOR SOME WE LOVED is a semi-autobiographical novel based on the complex relationship between a mother, a daughter, and a monk. Here's a very brief overview, followed by the first chapter. In 1978 Leah Cavanagh, an attractive sixth form student who dreams of being a concert pianist, meets Brother Matthew Haddon on a retreat with [...]
“I hope we can still be friends.” “Please let’s still keep in touch.” “I’ll always treasure the time we had together.” “You’ll still always mean a lot to me.” Any of the above phrases sound familiar? Or should I say the above clichés, because at the end of the day, that’s what they are. You [...]
