From the darkness of the pandemic, the world is reawakening. Previously empty streets buzz with life. Friends and families are reunited, and people once again travel the world. It’s like seeing spring burst into unimagined life after the harshest of winters. Almost two years have passed since I published Life in Lockdown: What Matters When … More What It Means to Be Clinically Vulnerable in a World of Covid
Freedom Day. It’s hard to imagine a name more starkly at odds with the reality faced by so many of us. I, along with millions of other clinically vulnerable people, have been shielding for sixteen months now. I have no idea when that will end, but it will not be today. With covid cases … More What Freedom Day Means for Those Who Aren’t Free
Life with long-term illness is uncertain. The immediate present is unpredictable; the future unknown and often frightening. When living with a body that cannot be relied upon, it takes time to reach a place of fragile equilibrium. For me, that hard-won balance has been tested over the past year. I’m not alone in being … More Seeking Peace in a World of Uncertainty
Life has made me wary of looking too far ahead. Even before the turmoil of 2020, my road was one of uncertainty. New Year has long felt like standing on a cliff edge and looking down: twelve whole months can be too much to contemplate all at once. Reminders of time passing can be hard … More Is There Hope in a New Year?
Like dawn glimpsed through a curtained window, normality is returning to the world beyond my walls. Restrictions remain, but I once again live in a country where people take holidays and visit loved ones. Where bars, restaurants and shops are alive, and not just shuttered memories. For a few months this spring, the rhythm of … More The Uncertainty of Life After Lockdown
On the eve of 2020, in New Year Reflections, I looked back on a difficult 2019 and asked: “What might I be called upon to face this year?” I could not have imagined what lay ahead – not only for me, but for the entire world. Living through the coronavirus pandemic is both a global … More Life in Lockdown: What Matters When All Is Lost
A Life Hidden 