Mum was lying on the sofa with the scissor handles dangling off her fingers. Three wrapped presents lay on the carpet like slain soldiers. Another four sat, still in their naked state, not bothered about being covered in very temporary paper and ribbon. It’ll all end up on the floor anyway. But Matthew wouldn’t tell…

than who people say you are. I can still remember words used to describe me that made me stand a little taller. Sadly I can tell you about other labels I wanted to shrug off. We need to be so very careful when we assign a word to others. It can affirm them or stick…

Looking back, I was more like my mum; always cleaning, cooking, moving. Back then, I cleaned the inside of the microwave and the fridge every week. I always mopped after I hoovered. If I saw something out of place, I moved it back. The quilt on the bed was always smooth. You could run your…

There is a character in Dickens’ Bleak House that I can never forget. It’s Jo, the street sweeper. He has no education, no home. He just sweeps the roads every day. Any time he tries to sit down to rest he’s told to ‘move on’.

Don’t have to be so different.

When things do not go your way?

It was so noisy, cold and smelly there. I sat high up, hoping that while the others were clamouring for attention, someone might see me first. My brothers were just showing off but those other two? Frantic.

Your boat. Especially when it’s all you have left to do. Over the years I have been on a journey through many different types of exercise. At my best I swam forty lengths of the pool. After that I went to a small gym for those who wanted more gentle work with weights. I learnt…

He clicked the alarm off and made his bed straightaway. He tugged at the edges to make it smooth, stared at it for a moment and then, satisfied, he walked briskly to get himself ready. His uniform was hanging up, ironed and ready for him. He held his head straight and steady as he buttoned…

The organist had pulled out at the last minute so, as often happened, it fell to her to stand in. No-one told you that the position of ‘minister’s wife’ meant more than the title. It meant cook, baker, confidante and countless other things. Today, it meant organist.