The second Christmas after my treatment finished I was at the work Christmas party when one of the young lawyers asked me if I had any tattoos. “Yes,” I said, and I showed them one of my dots. They looked closer. “What is it?” Without missing a beat I said, “It’s the world from far away.” They smiled, slightly confused, and another of the young lawyers said “Really? That’s kind of cool”. The conversation moved on. But the words stayed with me. When I lay on the radiotherapy

Life is a song, it ends when it ends" - Taylor Swift, Opalite As the mother of a 16 year old daughter I have listened to The Life of a Showgirl a lot. Every time I ferry my daughter anywhere in the car a lot. I would not choose to listen to that album over and over again - but having been held hostage to it - I am struck by the beauty of the language and imagery Taylor Swift uses. “ Buy the paint in the colour of your eyes and graffiti my whole damn life” “And when anyone c

I was in my office working late a few Thursday nights ago. Since cancer I’ve tried to avoid working late. I watched the sun set behind...

Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection. -Arthur Schopenhauer This year is very joyous for...

Building back better. It sounds like an election slogan but it has actually become my post cancer mantra. I started off the year wanting...

I have had a wonderful summer break. I’ve been away to the beach, gone on long daily walks with the dog, weight trained four times per...

I have committed to doing 250 workouts in 2025. It is day 4 and I’ve done 4. I’m doing another Body for Life - which unfortunately has...

As I have gotten older I think I have been blessed to spend a majority of my time living in the grey. ”In the grey” is the area between...

War has been front of my mind. I have just finished a book called Birds Without Wings . It was a very dense novel set at the end of the...

The title of this post comes from one of my favourite songs, Gypsy , by Fleetwood Mac. The "gypsy" is the free and fearless side of our...

Steve was not his real name. And the revelation of his real name coincided with the first instance of gaslighting. I should have known...

I am not necessarily a confrontational person. I like peace and order in my life. I do however tend to face adversity head on. I need to...

I lived in London during Cool Britannia.

Today I had my last reconstruction surgery! [Happy dance 🕺🏽] It is the cherry on the top. Nipple reconstruction. A small piece from my...

Tūrangawaewae is one of the most well-known and powerful Māori concepts. It is often translated as 'a place to stand'. Tūrangawaewae are...

They’re eating the dogs They’re eating the cats They’re eating the pets Of the people that live there - Donald Trump I love a political...

The allegations made against my former boss Mohammed Al Fayed come as no real surprise to me.

Extra, extra, read all about it! Cancer has been in the news this week. It doesn’t discriminate. It can affect anyone. However, that is...

I love a good murder trial and I have been following the Philip Polkinghorne trial with fascination. It is incredible to witness someone...

It was 1997. I met him on the tube during my morning commute from Mill Hill to Hackney. He started chatting to me. He complimented me on...