The NHS is celebrating its 75th birthday today and I know if my Mother had been here she would have been waving the biggest of flags. Born in 1948 just like the NHS, Joyce Cook, my Mother spent more than 30 years working as a nurse and midwife. She died aged just 51 – but… Read More NHS 75 – My Mother the Nurse
When my father passed away last year we were faced with mountain of grief we are only just beginning to process – in these circumstances this is of course to be expected. What I didn’t expect was the depth of the sadness at the prospect of saying goodbye to Sapgate Lane – a house which… Read More The house on the hill – and the unexpected grief of saying goodbye to our family home
Every now and again a book comes along that knocks you sideways, changes your perspective and affects you long after you have turned the last page. The Choice by Edith Egers has been out for some time and I have seen it recommended across social media but I must say I was hesitant to tackle… Read More Book review: The Choice by Edith Eger
I am not a huge fan of Gothic literature, or anything to do with the supernatural but was persuaded to buy Wayward due to its pretty book cover and many promising reviews. Emilia Hart’s debut novel, which came out in 2023, centres upon three women Kate, Violet and Altha in three very different periods of… Read More Book Review: Weyward by Emilia Hart
To the shock of us all my Dad passed away quite suddenly on May 6, after a very short illness. I had the honour of writing and reading out his eulogy at his funeral on the 31st and I’ve put it below. I wanted to share with you a bit about our childhood and what… Read More Saying goodbye to Dad
This week I was invited by the lovely people of Welcome to Yorkshire to a screening of the new Emily film at the Plaza Cinema in Skipton. Living in Haworth and loving all things Bronte I could not wait to see it and honesty it was everything I wanted it to be. Here’s my review.… Read More I went to see Emily!
Dear Harry Tomorrow is the most important day of your life – except it’s not. It feels like it is, and it feels like the culmination of every single thing you have ever worked for in your entire life. Twelve years of hard graft, of homework, tests, projects, reading, more homework, more tests, choices, course… Read More A letter to my son on the eve of his GCSE results
It is hard to believe that this summer’s hit film Where the Crawdads Sing was in fact the debut novel of writer Delia Owens. First published in 2018 the book sold more than 4.5 million copies and was selected for Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine Book Club. Set in 1950s America, the story follows the life… Read More Book Review: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Inspirational women I Swam the English Channel After being involved in a serious road accident as a child Christine Bradley lost her confidence and gave up swimming completley. Later in life, not only did she take it up again, but she decided to take on the ultimate challenge of swimming the English Channel. The idea… Read More Inspirational Women: I Swam the English Channel
The Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth … Read More Haworth – A complete guide to visiting Bronte Country