Courage?I'm not a particularly courageous person. I much prefer to avoid conflict than to enter into it with any enthusiasm; and when I do find...
Me and Homer SimpsonIt has been a while since my last entry. Chalk that up to another visitor from England and then to the arrival of our son Chris from...
Decision madeFor those readers who are not receiving my email updates (and you are welcome to ask to be included), the news is that I have decided not...
Summer wineSummer has finally arrived here in New Zealand - as usual, just in time for the return to classes. Hands up all those who would support a...
An allySomeone has lent me the book When breath becomes air, written by Paul Kalanithi. He was a highly talented neurosurgeon and neuroscientist...
Dropping off the plateauWell, it had to happen sooner or later. Over the New Year weekend I noticed a sudden drop in energy levels; whereas before Christmas I...
The age of entitlementIn September 1977, I arrived at Howrah station in Kolkata (Calcutta) and took a rickshaw into the city. The route took us past the dozens...
Finding strengthThe first part of this post is an edited version of a piece I wrote fourteen years ago, when our daughter, Becky, was dying of a brain...