but everything's been a bit noisy here for the last few weeks. I'm so pleased to be given a voice to speak about dementia, thanks to Anne Karpf and the Guardian. And I've been working on lowering stress levels and staying slow, for a while now. I need to be care-ful, mind-full. That's not quite what's happening. The Media Department at Dementia UK is helping out, it's a relief to have them there. Here are the links, in case you're interested. When the dust settles, I'm planning to come back...

Writing songs is totally new to me. This poem has been set to music by David Belmont, who Mary Fridley introduced me to. Shirley Novak of Charnwood Arts has supported the recording of me reading the poem with the music. I've loved working with them all, and I'm playing with more ideas. Thanks also to Marilyn Ricci, Karin Koller and Rothley Writers for giving invaluable feedback and support. Charlotte Beaver has lent me a keyboard now, to take it all further. This post is coming out on my...

This morning I gave myself a hundred words. I'm giving them to you now. ... I’m old. My way of being old will not be anyone else’s way. I’m developing, learning, discovering. I’m finding out about other people and the world, about who I am now, and about living. I’m inconsistent, unreliable and awkward. I’ve never known the future. The unknown changes as mind, body and context change. I feel less silenced by the past, and more silenced by the context. I have more to say and offer, and less...