Apologies for not writing on this blog for a while, but I’ve been focussed on writing my first novel, and the great news is that it’s now available on Kindle! (Paperback version should follow in the next couple of weeks.) It’s called Friends for Life and is about three women who meet after their husbandsContinue reading “New novel news”
Tag Archives: bereavement
Out of the picture
Isn’t it interesting the way each of us deals with grief in sometimes polarising ways. A relative, whose husband died several years ago in circumstances very similar to mine, filled her living room with pictures of him, including one taken on their last holiday together. She says she found comfort from being surrounded by allContinue reading “Out of the picture”
Is widowhood a question of black and white?
How does one be a widow? I am one, but I don’t know how to be one. It’s a horrible word, isn’t it, conjuring up images of black, spiders, weeds and danger. Things that are dark, mystical and to be avoided. But I don’t want to be avoided. In the olden days, widows dressed inContinue reading “Is widowhood a question of black and white?”
Why being Selfish at Sixty changed my life
It’s two years since I started this blog and in that relatively short space of time, so much has changed. I wrote it to mark my 60th birthday and to kick off my year of being ‘Selfish At Sixty’ – where each month I was going to do something lovely, new or adventurous. Where IContinue reading “Why being Selfish at Sixty changed my life”
Letting go
Today, when I was getting my coat from the rack to go on my daily exercise, I noticed that my husband’s leather jacket is still hanging in the hallway. Some of his shoes are also in the shoe rack. Most of his clothes have gone, to charity shops, homeless shelters. So why am I hangingContinue reading “Letting go”
Seasons of sadness
There’s a tree at the end of my back garden. A giant horse chestnut. It’s my barometer of the seasons. Each year since we moved into our house 23 years ago this month (March), I’ve looked out at it longingly, waiting desperately for the first buds to appear on the bare branches, the first signsContinue reading “Seasons of sadness”
Cast adrift
I wrote this shortly after my mum died in 2007, and it was published in its complete format in the Guardian’s Family section later that year. I’m posting an edited version here because it deals with a side of bereavement that affected me at the time, and many people who read it said it reflectedContinue reading “Cast adrift”
Showing friendship
Over the past few months I’ve learned a lot about friendship. About who my friends are, the various ways in which friendship can be shown, and how sometimes it’s the small things carried out with thought, and the most unexpected people, that can mean the most. I’ve also realised what a terrible friend I’ve beenContinue reading “Showing friendship”
Future imperfect
Two things happen when your partner dies. The first is that you lose your partner. The second is that you lose yourself. All those plans that you had for the future, big and small, the things you were going to do together, are gone. The trip to Pisa, renovating the kitchen, enjoying watching your childrenContinue reading “Future imperfect”
Selfish At Sixty 