“Life and Death Decisions is my little crate of dynamite. It’s part medical memoir, part call to arms for action on some of the greatest but

“Ishrat knew a false step could be it. A plunge. The end at the beginning. Crossing jagged ancient steps root arteries snaked cliff faces offering

“I had been living in Prague two years at the time of the Velvet Revolution. I was fluent in Czech and had been following the

“There was the saw-toothed ‘kronk’ of the dawn raven, throaty enough to splinter dreams, send them skittering like silverfish. Chrissy-boy stirred, but his eyes stayed

“From the doorway, it looks as if a flock of baby doves has landed on our coffee table. Mum glances up at me from where

“Self-care when you’re long term sick is incredibly important but sadly the idea of self-care seems to have been hijacked by the more toxic side

“The winter wind had bitten through her thin coat. She hung it in the wardrobe and fingered the worn astrakhan collar. It was time for

“It’s time to wake up! Some people open their eyes and are full of enthusiasm for the day to come; others groan and yank the

“Above us the kilns glowed deep against the darkness of the valley sides. Mud clung to my boots, every step adding a fresh layer. The

“The train journey had been long, but they had managed to entertain themselves. The cans of lager they carried were cracked open within minutes of

“It didn’t cry or make much of any sort of fuss all day, which was amazing really, considering. After picking the baby up, I’d dawdled

“There is only one person ahead of me in the queue for the phone at school, which is in the corridor near the main hall

“The woman beside her buttons her shirt, then wheels her cart back to the corner opposite where the other woman is squatting. Are they friends?

“Ramadan, 2019  We stalk the moon all month round, lick our lips, till the Adhan goes off on our phones, dig our teeth into the

“When a coal tit tears into my room. Rush of wings thrashes against white. No clouds. No whisper-thin rain threading through a grey miracle. Instead,

“Babe, its freezing. Can you get my parka? Such a straightforward request means I can turn over, keep dozing. This state of bliss lasts about

“She knows immediately after Nothing to Declare that he isn’t there. The air in the Arrivals hall isn’t any different from the plane or from

“…The next station is Acton Town…Please mind the gap between the train and the platform…There are beggars and buskers operating on the train; please do

“Simple time keep people simple. This, that, be happy, be sad. Take books away, heads have less clutter. Take food away, everyone do as they

“The ice-cubes tinkled in her glass as she took another sip. ‘What are you drinking?’ ‘Gin and tonic. I’m not going to sit here alone