"If you really wanted to commit suicide you'd do it properly and drink some Jeyes Fluid," said dad, scathingly.      We were standing in the hall, only the two of us. It must have been around 10 o'clock in the evening. Dad had just collected me from Nottingham, and driven me back home. He was (with … Continue reading Jeyes Fluid (part one) →

     It was during April of that year, 1973. Marianne and I had returned home from our respective boarding schools for the Easter holidays.      Dad was in a Mood.      I can't remember the cause of this particular Mood, but it had doubtless followed the usual path. It usually began with a minor event which, whilst being … Continue reading The Doorbell →

     At the start of 1963 my parents were twenty-seven years old. I was six and my sister, Marianne, was three.      And we were homeless.      1963 marks the beginning of my contiguous memory. I woke up one January morning with the startled realisation that I exist. There are a few scattered, isolated memories from before this … Continue reading 1963 →

     About 18 months ago, I heard a song on the radio which reminded me of a particular day in 1967. It was the day in which my family went to Dunstable Downs for a picnic, followed by a visit to Whipsnade Zoo.      There's nothing unusual about that.      Except, on this occasion, the song penetrated my … Continue reading The Reason for this Blog →