Write-Place

This morning on Sky News, Liz Truss the UK Foreign Secretary has said that it is “highly likely” that Russia will attack the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, as President Vladimir Putin pursues plans for a “full-scale invasion". There are now calls for Britons to leave Ukraine immediately while commercial flights are still available in the expectation of an imminent invasion  She also stated that the UK will not hesitate to impose further sanctions on Russia if there is  evidence of Moscow sending troops further into Ukraine.  I watched the Prime Minister yesterday in the House of Commons revealing sanctions on five Russian banks and three Russian individuals, which some critics say are too lenient. Though hardly a 'critic' myself I did think that I had missed some important points in this statement and that 'too lenient' is an clear under statement.  All main news outlets confirmed my incredulity, showing that not only the opposition par...

  I couldn't let today go by without mentioning the date, which I mostly am not sure of until I have checked a calendar of some description.  However today's date is significant (or can be made to seem significant) by noticing that it is a palindrome as well as an ambigram date.  Palindrome Days happen when the date can be read the same way backwards and forwards. The dates are similar to word palindromes in that they are symmetrical. As well as this, it  is a 2's (two's day) and it falls on Tuesday, the second day of the week - though this only works if you say it in an American accent and ignore that Sunday has historically been classed as the first day of the week; well at least according to the The Bible and Christian message.  I know I should have thought and written about this month's ago as social media is already awash with this information and more, but as I get older, I find that planning ahead is, generally, not for me and 'spur of the moment' is...

  Mind, Brain, Soul - Who we really are ...      Most of us prefer to think that we possess something that is greater than the sum of our neurons; something that animates us and makes us the human individual that we are. But a lot of what we perhaps used to classed as mind seems to be turning out to be brain and some part of that must surely also be the soul. So what is the difference between the Mind, Brain and Soul? If we question who we are in these terms, we will soon discover that we are not only our minds, but  something else and maybe everything else at the same time. And what about the soul? Is the soul individual or are we all separate souls?  One of my favourite topics  is memory and how we define and recall our memories. Many greater 'minds' than mine have  over centuries have  A memory, at the cellular level, is a particular pattern of cellular changes on particular spots in our heads. A mood however, is a compound of neuro tr...

"  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." Luke 2:10  -  King James Version (KJV Looking forward to Christmas Day with it's promises of gifts and spending time with the family, shopping for presents, writing cards, opening the doors of an Advent calendar each day,  awaiting the arrival of "Santa", decorating our homes - inside and out - are  all ways in which most of us spend the first twenty four days in December. I have done all of these things and more over the years, but have to admit that as each year goes by, increasingly I tend to leave the things which constitute this build up to the day,to my children and grandchildren. I do decorate the living room in my house though this is increasingly by adding more candles than are already there and putting lights around the "trees" and plants which already occupy the indoor space.  A small pine tree, which is an off shoot ...

 I have recently had eye surgery for a detached retina.  The retina is a thin layer of nerve cells and blood vessels which line the inside of the eye. It is sensitive to light like the film in a camera and is essential to be able to see. Apparently a retinal detachment can occur at any time with no particular, cause though  some people are at a greater risk of developing retinal detachments - people who are short sighted, those who've had cataract surgery and who have had a severe blow directly to the eye.  I can claim to have had the first two of these so it was almost inevitable that I would have a retinal detachment, too. It happens when a hole or several have developed in the retina and fluid has passed through the holes causing the retina to peel away from the inside of the eye similar to a blister. The result of this is loss of whole or part of the vision. Without treatment this usually leads to permanent loss of vision in the affected eye.9 I now know that the...

                                                                   *Preface*                    "But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man                                             and the life he leads? "                                                   Albert Camus     So what happened next? This is the question I have had from many people who have read “Crossing Borders” (my account of my meeting with my Palestinian husband) and of those who have l earned of the background of my husband and ste...

When embarking on writing your own autobiography, no doubt one of the most important questions you will ask yourself is "What shall I call it ?" There are a multitude of ways of deciding on a title, for an autobiography, from picking a catchphrase from your working life to a phrase relating to a particular talent - or lack of it - which relates to you. It was suggested to me by tutors while at University that the title should be left till last, but I have found that in practice, having something in mind keeps you focused and gives the reader an idea of whether they want to read the writing or not.  The list of 'famous' authors of biographies is endless.  A quick 'Google' gives us Prime Ministers (current and past) Ghandi, Mandela, most politicians present and past as well as writers as diverse as Agatha Christie, Anne Frank and Alan Bennett and so called 'celebrities' of the day,  some of whom I have heard of and many more that I haven't. The first...