Tag: countrymemoir
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109: ROSIE
Our beloved cat Rosie (the friendliest, most easy-going cat in the world) hasn’t been herself recently. She’s lost a lot of weight (admittedly, she was massively overweight before… but now, worryingly, she’s beginning to look like a normal-sized cat). Also, her fur is looking straggly and has lost its lustre. In the last few days,…
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108: WOMEN’S DAY
It’s International Women’s Day 2023. Lizzie and I are sitting at the kitchen table, eating soup (provided by Lizzie – as usual – I’m ashamed to say) and discussing this yearly event. ‘They’ve asked me at work to send in a photo of myself,’ says Lizzie, frowning. ‘But not any photo. I have to be…
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107: CHOCOLATES
It’s Valentine’s Day. The first Valentine’s Day since Lizzie got the all-clear from her cancer. And… … unfortunately… … it’s crap. I can tell things are getting off to a bad start, when I present Lizzie with her card and box of chocolates. The card goes down OK. After all, it’s a Valentine’s card. As…
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106: LONG ENCOUNTER
I’m on the train from London Paddington to Honeybourne station – fifteen minutes drive from home. I had to catch the 20.50 from Paddington, as my usual train – the 19.50 – no longer appears to be scheduled. I guess that trains which take people away from London – as opposed to into it –…
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105: PORTRAIT
It’s the night before my fiftieth birthday… and Lizzie’s painting my portrait in the living room. I’m slumped down on the sofa with my laptop, scouring social media as Lizzie dabs away across the room – where she’s set up her easel. Occasionally, when I’m trying to think about something, I cup my hand around…
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104: COMEDIAN
I’m in the kitchen, emptying the dishwasher… whilst hungrily eyeing the delicious supper Lizzie’s left out on the hob (which she and the kids have already tucked into). I figure, if I look industrious – doing the dishwasher – Lizzie won’t mind me also tucking into the delicious supper… even though it’s yet another meal…
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103: MILK
It’s a weekday morning and I’m rushing to get the 7.58 train from nearby Honeybourne Station, in Worcestershire, to London Paddington. This morning – disaster – we’ve run out of milk. I realise it when I’m in the kitchen, halfway through preparing a flask-full of coffee to take on the train. I panic. This is…
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101: DRUNK GUY
I’m currently working one day a week in central London, doing my latest film production job. When I get on the train to London, in the morning, and when I get on the train back home, in the evening, I’m focused on one thing… getting a seat around a proper table. I mean a table…
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C
At one point I was thinking of numbering all of these blog posts I’ve written with Roman numerals, rather than giving them titles. This would have been a challenge, as I really can’t remember how to do Roman numerals. But why would you do something so pretentious in the first place? you might ask. Well,…
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99: GIFT OF LIFE
This afternoon, Lizzie has an appointment with the surgeon (Mrs. S) who removed her cancer last summer. The build-up to the appointment has been a little fraught, because Lizzie’s due to get the results of her latest blood test from the surgeon too… the blood test which says whether her ‘markers’ have gone up or…
P. D. Clifton 