It’s been a funny old week. I’m just home after a few days in hospital – well in coronary care actually – after a late night dash to the emergency room. I had been having chest pains for a couple of weeks, and they started coming every day, even when I was at rest. ItContinue reading “Learning to Lean”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Masked but not Muzzled
Our island home of Guernsey in the Channel Islands has hit a new milestone this week in the battle against Covid 19. Till the first of July this year our borders were virtually closed and the virus was fairly well controlled – almost eliminated in our group of islands called ‘the Bailiwick’ (led by aContinue reading “Masked but not Muzzled”
The Gift for Someone in Pain
I have always found great comfort from watching the birds feeding in our garden, especially in winter. This is when Robin comes. He is always alone – he seems unable to mix with the other birds. He only ever eats from the table and never swings from the feeders like sparrows do. He appears quiteContinue reading “The Gift for Someone in Pain”
A Pandemic of Loneliness
According to recently published research, in total , 45% of adults feel occasionally, sometimes or often lonely in England. This equates to twenty million people. Characteristics of people who are more likely to experience loneliness include: those who are widowed, those with poorer health and those with long-term illness or disability. 43.45% of the groupContinue reading “A Pandemic of Loneliness”
Prison visit
This time tomorrow I will be in prison! Not that I have done anything serious to deserve my incarceration – just having a story to tell. I will go into Guernsey Prison to talk about my experience of pain, critical illness and recovery, as part of their Sunday worship service. I’m told that numbers areContinue reading “Prison visit”
‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’
The words of the famous hymn spell out my story. Even if the corona-virus crackdown prevents the singing of this in UK churches – not that many would probably choose this style of musical praise today anyway – it remains one of my favourites. Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven;To His feet thy tributeContinue reading “‘Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven’”
Bookshops Reopen
It is a real pleasure to know that bookshops are reopening around Britain after lockdown. My latest book ‘Through the Storms’ came out just before that period of closure and has been stuck behind locked doors ever since. Thankfully, online stockists like Amazon, Eden and Aslan have continued to make it available. I have alsoContinue reading “Bookshops Reopen”
Isolation Agony
I have a friend in quarantine. He has about a week to go of his 14 day sentence. It’s hard going. Meals put down outside his door. No mixing with hotel staff or anyone else at all. Twenty minutes exercise per day – less than many prison regimes. And his crime? Arriving in Guernsey fromContinue reading “Isolation Agony”
Black Lives Matter
I am tempted to say ‘all lives matter’ but that would risk being patronising and overlooking the dreadful injustices being heaped upon people from ‘BAME’ communities in the US, Europe and even in Africa today. I see the same issues of police brutality, racism and corruption in Zimbabwe as in America, and feel the painContinue reading “Black Lives Matter”
How Much am I Worth?
I was scandalised while listening to BBC Radio 4’s morning programme Today on Weds 20th May 2020, at approximately 8.45am. Not my usual reaction to this typically well-balanced current affairs programme, but the story was appalling. They interviewed two disabled people who had separately been deprived of their home based carers due to the pandemic.Continue reading “How Much am I Worth?”
Through the Storms 