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…
I am back in the Wirral working on the order of service for Dad's funeral. I have already chosen three pieces of music and am beginning to draft my eulogy. I'm looking for suitable photographs. But the thing is, he's still alive For the second time, and now definitively, Mum and Dad have moved into…
Wednesday 26 January is Dad's 96th birthday, an event I was beginning to think would not take place. He has looked close to death on several occasions. But what do I know? Caring for one elderly parent is difficult and exhausting, but caring for two (one of whom has dementia) is almost impossible. It is…
I have been reviewing my posts from last year. It is far from riveting stuff. There was a great deal about Covid-19 (no surprise there); a bit of nostalgia; quite a lot about getting out of London, when possible (and there were more escapes than I mentioned - including a very enjoyable weekend in Paris),…
It isn't working. Certain things, such as having to climb half a dozen stairs to use the lift, are admittedly problematic, but could be dealt with, given time. But it is clear that they have already made up their minds. Everything is wrong. "It's never going to work," says Dad. Mum is crying, and wants…
I sit in the gloom watching my father sleeping, mouth wide open ( his default mode these days), while my mother stares at the TV. It doesn’t matter what is on because she doesn’t understand much of it. Daytime TV is mind-destroying anyway I have seen too much TV recently: Dion Dublin talking about knocking…
It’s a fortnight since I wrote my last blog on - you guessed it - Coronavirus. Which certain persons close to home have suggested was alarmist, depressing, over-reactive etc. But it wasn’t hard to guess that where Italy led we would follow - even if we are still a few paces behind. If I sound…
I am an enthusiastic, if very limited, "musician". I don't think of myself as a musician - and neither does anyone else! I've never been able to read music properly, I've never had a lesson and I am certainly no virtuoso on any instrument. But music means quite a lot to me, and not just…
The Wight Stuff 