My experience in cardiac ward 28 described how I found brief but very meaningful connection with my fellow inmates. An eye-opening experience, which left me with some questions. What conditions encouraged this? What did I have to do to make it happen? And how can I learn from this experience about connecting in the world of…
Cardiac Ward 28 – Camaraderie and 3am Lunacy
Sometimes we are thrust together with people through no choice of our own, or of theirs. Maybe in a queue, a lift, a waiting room, at a concert or on a plane. Those were the days. Our English default is to remain quiet and to keep our distance – physically and emotionally. To be private,…
Pipe Cleaning My Heart
When I was a boy, my grandad smoked a pipe. To clean it he used a pipe cleaner; around six inches of flexible wire encased in fluffy cotton. My sister and I would make intricate models out of them. Similar, larger pipe cleaners are used to clean sinks and drains. Whatever the size, pipe cleaners…
A concern of the heart
The last time I was in hospital I was 10 having four teeth removed. All I can remember is lying face down on the bed and the nurse saying “is it a little boy or a little girl”. Yes I was small, prepubescent with long curly hair so maybe it was a fair question. But…
Christmas Day in the C.D.U.
We all knew that this Christmas would be different. I just didn’t expect it to be quite THIS different. It’s Christmas Day and rather surprisingly, I find myself enjoying the hospitality of the Clinical Decisions Unit of the acclaimed Leicester heart hospital. To their credit, the NHS served up a decent turkey dinner. I particularly…
A Mind of Our Own – Personal Reflections on Mental Health
I wake up. I am in a bed in a small room in the aptly named Black Forest. There is no light. I cannot see my own hand in front of my face. I have no idea of the time and I dare not look at the clock. I don’t want to know how many…
You are NOT REDUNDANT
With the devastating impact of Coronavirus on the economy, an unprecedented number of people are facing “redundancy”. This article comes in 5 chapters, the first three of which are to help people deal with the anger, hurt, loss and self-doubt which so many people feel. The last two chapters talk about moving forwards, and re-planning…
The Man in the Boat
Out on the sea, see the boatrocked by the waves,but still afloat. An orange segment,a wooden half moon,like a rocking horse rocker,like the bowl of a spoon. Dancing on water,how can it prevail?No oars, no engineno rudder no sail. The dark skies are threatening,the elements wrestle,the raindrops like bulletspour down on the vessel. And there…
All the colours of Tirana
This gallery contains 17 photos →
Istanbul – Finding the Essence
My third and final day in Istanbul, and a much sunnier one. Finally, it was starting to look a little brighter on the outside, if not any more colourful. Following a jolly five mile dawn run, and breakfast in the Crowne Plaza hotel lounge, I jumped on a tram to the city’s cultural centre and,…
Unwrapping The World 