Archives

Uncle John by Julia Wilson

Sep27

A Legacy Of Love

Ninety years ago today my beloved Uncle John was born. He was the firstborn, followed by my Dad three years later. My Dad always talks with pride about his older brother. A bond formed in childhood, strengthened following the death of their father in 1942, leaving a close knit household of three with my Nanny at the head.

Uncle John had a love of learning and studied to become a teacher, and then became a head teacher of Jessons Primary in Dudley. He had a passion for imparting knowledge into children, and when given the choice to retire in the term before or after his 65th birthday, he chose after.

My Uncle John was married to the love of his life, my Auntie Jean. He was devastated when she lost her battle with cancer in 1987.

Continue reading →

Christmas At The Ragdoll Orphanage by Suzanne Lambert

Aug24

A Life Living And Loving Others

ChristmasChristmas At The Ragdoll Orphanage by Suzanne Lambert is a powerful memoir of the bond between Nancy and her daughter Susan. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry.

Nancy had a heart just made for mothering. Living and working in Nazareth House for thirty six years meant many children passed through her care. However only one six day old baby girl stole her heart. Nancy may not have birthed Susan but their bond could not have been closer.

The book is written from the perspective of both Nancy and Susan. An overwhelming sense of love pervades the whole novel.

Continue reading →

Cats And Daughters by Helen Brown

Jun3

Letting Them Roam A Little

CatsCats And Daughters by Helen Brown continues Helen’s story from where her book Cleo left off. However I had not read her first book but it didn’t matter as any info I needed was provided. I now intend to read Cleo as I loved Helen Brown’s style of writing.

I was attracted to the book by the cover and thought I would be reading about a small kitten. The book is about so much more. It is about Helen’s life after Cleo (her first cat). Jonah, her second cat, only makes an appearance after about a hundred pages.

Helen Brown has not had an easy life, far from it. She has faced much heartache. She has found that cats can help you heal. Cats can be very therapeutic. They are intuitive, sensing a need and responding. “Cleo had taught Rob (Helen’s son) to trust life again.” Cleo had left a hole in the family’s life but “as I wrote about her, Cleo seemed more alive than ever.”

Continue reading →

Talk To The Tail by Tom Cox

May31

Purrfect

CatTalk To The Tail by Tom Cox is an absolute gem of a book for any cat lover. This was my second cat book by Tom Cox and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.

Tom Cox has the gift of capturing exactly what life is like with six cats. As the owner of five (it used to be six) cats myself, I find myself in agreement with Tom on so many things in his book. Like Tom, I can recognise the difference meanings of miaow’s. Our late cat Ben’s “look what I have caught” miaow is very different to Marble’s “help I’m going to be sick” miaow. Tom has certainly captured the essence of life with cats.

As every cat person knows, no two cats are the same. It was an absolute pleasure to read about the different personalities of Janet, Pablo, The Bear, Shipley, Ralph and Bootsy. One of my favourite descriptions was that of Shipley, “I live entirely in the moment and think exclusively about my own needs on a minute-by-minute basis”. Love it! What a classic.

Continue reading →