Bye bye black sheep
I recognise that most families are complex, strange entities that ride a roller coaster of life’s experiences. Most have a thin veneer of normality and cohesion. I also recognise that […]
Category Archives: Society
The Dawning – Out of the shadows
It was 1975, on a cold, late-summer evening, down a damp, dimly lit back street, in a cold and dingy gay club, when it dawned on me that I had […]
Amber
The traffic light turned red. The radio played Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars as a young guy pulled alongside and checked himself out in his rearview mirror. He wore a […]
1966
Once in a while, my thoughts drift back to what feels like simpler times. They probably were not any simpler but the experience and innocence of growing up and being […]
Vestis virum facit
Andy’s old navy blue checked suit had hung in his wardrobe in a black plastic suit carrier for the best part of fourteen years. “Isn’t it about time you got […]
Lot 236
The venue was the conference room at the Palace Hotel. Regimented rows of chairs formed blocks of seating on either side of the room. A wide aisle led to a […]
Best
When I was young I had two older aunts, my Dad’s sisters, Ethel and Violet. They were about 25 years older than Dad. They were born at the end of […]
Sweet Dreams
Abraham was very excited at the prospect of his first trip on a boat. “Momma, will I be able to see fishes in the water?” “Maybe,” replied his Momma, “you […]
The Defender
Peter sat quietly seething in his favourite armchair in the lounge. To say he was angry was an understatement. Earlier in the day, he had learnt that once again his […]
Euthanasia, assisted dying and Covid 19
Just over two years ago I watched my Dad die. He was 95, he had pneumonia and was in renal failure. It took two weeks. We knew that he would […]
small tales 