My changes in circumstances have been brought about by necessity, not choice, and wandering around Eastern Europe, desperate for an affordable place to lay your head for a couple of nights, is no fun. Why should anyone begrudge me the occasional pleasure?
Month: October 2026
The day, for me, had been like any other, but when I arrived home for lunch, my mother and all her clients were in tears. I don’t remember whether anyone explained to me about the tips engulfing Aberfan’s Pantglas Junior School and the inevitability of death, but I do remember Mum hugging me very hard as the tears fell.
There is no time like Christmas to reinforce your vastly diminished coffers. Where once, I used to love the late-night shopping under twinkling fairy lights, wondering what to buy for my relatives and friends, now I cut a rather sad and lonely figure with no one to buy for, no one to buy for me, and leaving town on Christmas Eve with a chicken leg and three sprouts for my festive dinner.