My tooth fell out in the shower. There was blood in the bathroom sink. I’m now missing several teeth on the right side, from essential extractions and general wear and tear. When I grin or laugh out loud, you can see the gap. It’s a crone-like vista. Hag City, Arizona. I might have to stop … Read more
Last week, the teenagers were away on a trip for five days. They are in transition year, so their lives are currently a heady mix of travel adventures, work experience, creative projects and community service. One of them came back from the nursing home they visit once a week, their whole being animated by the … Read more
It’s a small world. But, as my friend Paul always remarks when anyone points this out: “I wouldn’t like to paint it.” Ireland is not so much small as tiny. A speck. In Ireland, it’s not six degrees of separation, it’s more like one. Or a half. You meet a random Irish person on a … Read more
A new friend was making dinner in between Scrabble games. It turns out Cormac, who is infuriatingly good at Scrabble, can also cook. He was wearing a pink-and-white striped apron and standing at his stove lost in quiet concentration. I watched him open a tub of sour cream, spoon a small amount of it into … Read more
The air is bright with spring sunshine in central London. We’re here for a midterm break holiday. We take a cab across Waterloo Bridge to the Imperial War Museum. We’ve been traversing the city on tubes and buses, loving that feeling of living like the locals, swiping our bank cards on public transport – no … Read more
It might not seem like the time of year to think about weddings, but spare a thought for all the people planning theirs. Last year, while winter turned to spring, I masterminded parts of mine from a comfortable chair in the cancer day ward in the Mater Hospital. The weekly chemotherapy sessions were an ideal … Read more