Just a few details of introduction: I have a 31 year-old son STILL living with me. My daughter, who's now 33, lives in Canada. She has two children (who were the best babies in the world and are now the best children in the world).

The rest of my family have passed on (where to depends on what you believe in).

I have a man-friend, Ray, but I write very little about him.

I work for a local charity which supports unpaid family carers. I love this job for a million reasons; not the least being that I am paid to write!

I hate sugar in drinks and I'm not sweet. I enjoy real coffee, chocolate and cheese - in no particular order.

roof.on.fire@ntlworld.com.

Latest Entry

Snowday

January 24, 2021
Lockdown snow. "A nice bracing walk", thought I. So off I trundled on a five-mile round trip, well wrapped up, walking shoes on and a bottle of water in my pocket. About four miles in, one mile from home, the frozen puddle won. I stepped on it and zoomed down straight onto my hip. Why…
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Recent Entries

  • My new favourite word
    January 4, 2021
    LOVE this word. It's perfect to describe our journey through 2021.
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  • In comes 2021
    January 1, 2021
    Happy New Year to anyone who reads this. I saw in the New Year with a cup of Chinese tea (a box of Chinese tea bags was a Christmas present) and the TV. Then I went to bed. I had already decided that 11pm was the real New Year - that is arguably an historically…
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  • I’m so OLD!
    May 22, 2018
    I've just read this on a website that I visit regularly: "Please let us know in the comments section below, on our Facebook page, Tweet us, or just old-fashioned-email us". Since when did email become the old-fashioned way? I still write letters, send cards and even telephone people. I guess that...
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  • Jane got the short straw
    April 10, 2018
    The charity I work for supports unpaid family carers. Up until this financial year end, a big chunk of our work was funded by the local authority, with grants from other organisations letting us ice the cake and put a cherry on top. In its infinite wisdom, the local authority awarded the contract...
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  • I’m a professional writer
    February 26, 2018
    I’m now a professional writer! In a way. The local authority where I worked went through yet another restructure in December 2015 and this time I was a casualty – my job was made redundant and I became gainlessly unemployed early in 2016. I didn’t stay unemployed for long. I worked for a teacher ...
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  • No change there then
    February 24, 2018
    Years ago, I wrote an entry on OD detailing in vaguely (hopefully) humorous prose why I hate Facebook. I can't be bothered to go there again, but after trying to use it once more for a complete year, all I can say is that I still hate Facebook. The other 'no change' is the detail…
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  • I’ve joined the rush
    January 29, 2014
    Weird.  I came to say "good bye" to OD in an unusually sentimental way.  I love that OD had one last little trick up its sleeve - it let me save a title, but no text.  I had to write this by saving my title-only entry and then editing it. Anyway, for the same sentimental&...
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  • Make your mind up
    September 1, 2013
    At work, we are going through a period of restructure, rationalisation, call it what you will, at work.  There are, not unexpectedly, a lot less jobs available than there are people going for them. Today, the application forms we’re to use were posted on the intranet.  That was my...
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  • Iron melts
    April 13, 2013
     I can't let this passing go entirely unmarked, but I'm not willing to write a eulogy either.
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