It is the summer of 1976 - one of the hottest I have ever known. I am 19 years old, and personal secretary to a genial grey-haired transport specialist at the Department of the Environment who is counting the days to retirement. I have been doing this job since I left school at 18. It’s comfortable and undemanding, with a reasonable salary. I have no cause to imagine that my career will not … [Read more...] about Suddenly One Summer
My Personal Stories
Sole to Soul
What is it about footwear that is so memorable? I still remember the sandals I wore to primary school – traditional Clarks with spongy soles and a T-bar, and the silvery sparklers I paraded around in when I was crowned May Queen. That was when shoes were fun and easy. When I got to my teens, things got woeful and complicated. All of a sudden shoes were important, shoes spoke volumes … [Read more...] about Sole to Soul
A Warm Glass of Flat Cola
A friend of mine once told me that coming events cast their shadow. At the time I didn’t really know what she meant; I was too busy living in a champagne bubble to care. The year was 1988, I was the editor of a pop magazine and had no boundaries in place between work and play. I did both far too hard and the notion of a holiday was alien to me. Then the aforementioned friend invited … [Read more...] about A Warm Glass of Flat Cola
Story of the Day #4: Suddenly One Summer
It is the summer of 1976 - one of the hottest I have ever known. I am 19 years old, and personal secretary to a genial grey-haired transport specialist who is counting the days to retirement. I have been doing this job since I left school at 18. It’s comfortable and undemanding, with a reasonable salary. I have no cause to imagine that my career will not continue along this predictable … [Read more...] about Story of the Day #4: Suddenly One Summer
Story of the Day #2: Sole to Soul
What is it about footwear that is so memorable? I still remember the sandals I wore to primary school – traditional Clarks with spongy soles and a T-bar, and the silvery sparklers I paraded around in when I was crowned May Queen. That was when shoes were fun and easy. When I got to my teens, things got woeful and complicated. All of a sudden shoes were important, shoes spoke volumes about who … [Read more...] about Story of the Day #2: Sole to Soul
Story of the Day #1: A Warm Glass of Flat Cola
I am setting myself a new target: to write a story every day. I may not publish every one of them, but it’s a way of kick-starting myself back into the spiritual practice of writing from which I had become disconnected during a summer of divine discontent. Here is the first story. All of them will be autobiographical, because part of my purpose is to help people understand that their story can … [Read more...] about Story of the Day #1: A Warm Glass of Flat Cola