My mother died on Monday 8 December 2025 "of frailty and Alzheimer's Disease", according to her death certificate. She was 95 years old. I have written this piece for those who knew her but will be unable to attend her funeral on Tuesday 6 January. First comes a very brief account of her life, particularly…
It’s 10 years since I retired from the British Library. A decade indeed! In mid February I reached my 70th birthday: generally known as a milestone, and it certainly feels like it. Hard not to refer to my age when meeting ex-colleagues, as I did last week, one of whom I had not seen since…
To the happy few who have followed this blow-by-blow account of our Interrail adventures, I bring good tidings. This is the final instalment. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Monday 24 June (cont.) When we're away from home for more than two nights we like to choose a "local" in which to…
I refer to the so-called Festive Season. Myself, I quite enjoyed it - although it wasn't so good for Anne and her father, who both caught Norovirus. Somehow I avoided it. We went up to Wirral to see Mum before Christmas, then endured a long and complicated train journey home (storm damage to the overhead…
Is November the most miserable month of the year? Dark (even in London) by four in the afternoon, raining more often than not, and often surprisingly cold. That the clocks have just gone back hardly alleviates the gloomy atmosphere. And the knowledge that winter hasn't even started yet. Oh dear. Only a couple of months…
It's a year since my father died. A year to the day since I was advised to go immediately to his care home, because he had not long to live. In the end - because of late-running trains - I did not get there before Dad passed away. I arranged his funeral and reception, applied…
When a body is cremated it ends up as a jar of ashes (usually a plastic one). What then? It's not an item I'd choose to hang on to for long. Would you keep it on your mantlepiece? The scattering of ashes presents problems that you might not have considered until the time comes. Most…
My earliest memories of Dad are of a loving father who would unexpectedly bring home toys after work: soft toys, and on one occasion a rubber bone for me to cut my teeth on. Later, there were model cars and other mechanical devices that he wanted to play with himself. I inherited Dad's huge Meccano…
Back to Blighty in early September, after a long, sunny and thoroughly enjoyable holiday in France. For six weeks we saw almost no rain. Then, on our last day, we were nearly caught out in two violent rainstorms; one on the island of Noirmoutier, and the other in Saint-Malo just before boarding the ferry for…
It is easy to forget that 40 years ago our country (my country, that is) was at war. Very easy for someone of my generation to forget that it happened four decades ago. And even easier for subsequent generations, because there has been little about it in the news. For youngsters who were not even…
The Wight Stuff 