Tonight I watched part 2 of the harrowing British docu-series My Last Summer about 5 terminally ill patients coming to terms with their imminent death and how their friends and loved ones are coping. It is heartbreaking to watch, especially as most have lost nearly all of their friends since their diagnosis (worse still, one…
Ghanaian Coffins
In case you missed it in comments, Katy Keck posted a link to some outlandish Ghanaian coffins. They are a bit like 50s novelty architecture in Los Angeles (doughnut shaped coffee shop, ship shaped coke factory etc). I am pretty sure Laura would have cracked up at this. Maybe she would have liked a giant…
Talking About Dying
To my great surprise the British media is currently trying to lift the lid on what it means to have a terminal disease and face your own death. Probably due to the huge numbers of people who are currently being diagnosed as terminally ill at midlife and younger. One of my favorite TV shows since…
Ciao Puglia
We came, we saw, we ate and ate and tomorrow we will be back in Britain. ‘Back to old clothes and porridge,’ as one of my relatives famously said. Our Puglia adventure started 2 years ago when I found this little Trulli online and bookmarked it as a dream home for Laura and I to…
Generosity
No one rushes about in Puglia. People amble down the middle of the streets pushing babies and carrying packages holding up all the traffic. Everywhere we go people prioritize food and generosity over clock watching and making money. Our host, Isa, arrived this morning with an elegant tray of cream cakes. She had offered to take…
Scuba Girl
I am a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to the sea. I paddle about, swim a bit (Andrea’s girls have been letting me cling on to their inflatable crocodile with them – it is like a seagoing safety blanket). But mostly I like to lounge or walk on the sand. Laura wanted…
I Turisti
Lucie & Andrea Isabel Janette & Alex (Mum & Dad) Ave, Isabel, Andrea & Saskia (my sister’s family)
Puglia photos
Martina Franca Lido – Savalletri Olive trees – Ostuni Trulli – Alberobello
Nonnas
It is nearly 80 degrees. Yet in every village we pass in Puglia there are tiny little Italian Nonnas (grandmothers) who look like prunes – the sun dried essence of age all dressed in black; black woolen cardigan, skirt and shoes and thick grey stockings, flicking brooms, pegging out washing, peering out of windows (certainly…
Mucosal Melanoma: Celebrating the Survivors
Today is the one year anniversary of the day that Laura was rushed to Beth Israel Hospital to see a top cancer specialist. On a routine exam in the morning her gynecologist found a golf ball size mass in her vagina. Two days later we were told it was mucosal melanoma. 11 days later we…
High Blood Pressure
Yesterday mum went to get her blood pressure checked and her doctor produced something that looked like a 1950s bicycle pump and started puffing away as if he was blowing up a life raft (evidently digital equipment hasn’t made it to the British health services yet). He is a kindly young man, eager to find…
Holding Hands
During our first year together Laura and I sent each other lots of video clips, poems and I even devised silly questionnaire’s (‘what is the most outrageous thing you ever wore?’ etc) as a way to get to know each other better. Laura loved animal love stories (especially unexpected ones like an orangutan who falls…
The Necklace
Packing for my UK trip, I was thinking how nice it would be to have a piece of Laura’s jewelry to wear, a love token and reminder of my soul mate. As I don’t have anything else at the moment, I parade about in Laura’s old socks, a couple of her scarves and a belt….
Soul Love Forever 