The phone call came towards the end of November – we had a date for Jessica’s open-heart surgery. We had hoped that we might be able to have Christmas together first but it was not to be – the surgery was set for 14th December. We couldn’t focus on the thought of Christmas – not… Read More
This week’s ‘The Prompt’ is ‘I read the news today…’ which reminded me of an assignment I had when I was doing a creative writing course to write a piece based on a news item I had come across that week without using dialogue. Here’s the piece I wrote: The Broken Boys Well, here… Read More
One of my favourite hymns is ‘Great is thy faithfulness’. It is written on the inside of my diary; the words helped me get through those difficult early days following Jessica’s diagnosis, her heart surgeries and the long days on PICU and the ward as she recovered. It continues to give me strength. There is… Read More
Dear Dr X I suspect it might have been another routine appointment for you. For us, it was a day when our world fell apart. A day when we received news that no parent ever wants to hear. It is doubtful that you would even remember us amongst all the families you must see… Read More
I thought I’d step out of my comfort zone a little for this week’s prompt – “My favourite season…” and try a different style of poetry from my usual rhyming couplet. This is my first attempt at a Chaucerian roundel on my favourite season of all: My Favourite Season My favourite season is the spring… Read More
Joy, for me, is more than just being happy. It’s a much deeper emotion and one that isn’t just linked to happy times. Some of my most joyful moments have been during the most difficult times of my life. My pregnancy with Jessica was an incredibly joyous time. This might sound strange given that… Read More
“I hear sum-der, I hear sum-der Hark don’t you, hark don’t you? Pretty pretty raindrops, pretty pretty raindrops I’m wet through, so wet through”  My daughter Jessica’s version of “I hear thunder” was top of the toddler charts for much for the summer despite mostly having good weather. She wasn’t remotely bothered by the few… Read More