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Published in

Age of Empathy

·Pinned

Two Policemen Stop Two Women, and Right Away It’s Mild Inconvenience Vs Visceral Fear

She might be late but her friend might be dead — On the outskirts of London one weekday afternoon The policeman moves his vehicle to the left, his flashing lights and siren on briefly as he blocks my way. He slams his car door shut and strides towards me. I groan inwardly as my window slides down. How long is this going to take? …

Police

10 min read

Two Policemen Stop Two Women,  and Right Away It’s Mild Inconvenience Vs Visceral Fear
Two Policemen Stop Two Women,  and Right Away It’s Mild Inconvenience Vs Visceral Fear
Police

10 min read


Published in

Rogues’ Gallery

·Pinned

I Grew Up Catholic — and I Believe in a Woman’s Right to Choose

Seek, and you shall find — a moral question with no answer. — Warning: references to the act of abortion in this article may be disturbing to some readers. At my all-girls Catholic school in Trinidad, I don’t remember any of us thinking abortions were a good thing. If an older sister, cousin, or aunt had one, it would have been kept from…

Abortion

12 min read

I Grew Up Catholic — and I Believe in a Woman’s Right To Choose
I Grew Up Catholic — and I Believe in a Woman’s Right To Choose
Abortion

12 min read


Published in

Climate Conscious

·Pinned

Proposing A Re-think of Big Oil’s Profit Motive

Ideas for working backwards from follow the money, to Unfollow The Money — I hadn’t heard of Jackdaw, the project Barclays is financing, till I saw these four women in the photo, protesting outside of Barclays in Croydon. And I’ve been thinking about their protest ever since. Many people wouldn’t want to show up to a protest of four. It’s not big enough…

Climate Action

8 min read

Proposing A Re-think of Big Oil’s Profit Motive
Proposing A Re-think of Big Oil’s Profit Motive
Climate Action

8 min read


Published in

Doctor, Writer, Mother, Life

·Pinned

The Hugs Not Given — or How Not To Say Goodbye to Your Son

I was teaching him not to feel, perhaps because I hadn’t learned how to feel myself — My nineteen year old is in the back seat. We’re sailing down the motorway to the seaside city where he’ll be moving into University accomodation for the first time. And in place of the serious round-the-table family conversations we never got around to, I’m delivering little lectures to him from…

Parenting

8 min read

The Hugs Not Given — or How Not To Say Goodbye to Your Son
The Hugs Not Given — or How Not To Say Goodbye to Your Son
Parenting

8 min read


Published in

About Me Stories

·Pinned

About Me — Plain Talk Bad Manners

Short and sweet at a glance, then the full course at your leisure — Short and Sweet She, her. Writer. Ex-doctor. Ex-Catholic. Ex-Muslim. So what? Writing personal essays, social and political commentary, novels, book reviews and god-knows-what-else. What life experience though? Born in England, grew up in the Caribbean. Medicine, sales, multi-level marketing, migration, depression, dyslexia, marriage, faith, faithlessness.

About Me

8 min read

About Me — Plain Talk Bad Manners
About Me — Plain Talk Bad Manners
About Me

8 min read


Published in

Doctor, Writer, Mother, Life

·Jun 26

Mourning My Aunt, A Grief Journal (Continued)

Part Three — Day Seven The purpose of life is death. So my Baha’i friend said to me this morning, over a creamy coffee and dark chocolate. ‘Don’t be sad because your sadness keeps her soul down. Instead, pray for her. The more you pray, the higher up her soul goes. Up and up.’ I…

Grief

8 min read

Mourning My Aunt, A Grief Journal (Continued)
Mourning My Aunt, A Grief Journal (Continued)
Grief

8 min read


Published in

Doctor, Writer, Mother, Life

·Jun 18

Mourning My Aunt, My Grief Journal (Continued)

Part Two — Day 4 I believe journaling has helped this week — and more than I dared hope. Just the reassurance I’m making time for my feelings at the end of the day has given me space to get on with things. …

Grief

5 min read

Mourning My Aunt, My Grief Journal (Continued)
Mourning My Aunt, My Grief Journal (Continued)
Grief

5 min read


Published in

Doctor, Writer, Mother, Life

·Jun 16

Mourning My Aunt, A Grief Journal

Part One — Day one How I feel today — bereft. How I felt yesterday — unfocused, tired. I struggled to get tasks done. If I didn’t have external commitments I’d probably have stayed in bed, waking only to eat and brush my teeth. When my husband asked me about my day, and how I…

Grief

8 min read

Mourning My Aunt, A Grief Journal
Mourning My Aunt, A Grief Journal
Grief

8 min read


Published in

Rogues’ Gallery

·Apr 19

Motorist Mayhem! How Many Stupid Things Can A Driver Do In A Day?

I’m sorry to say but I lost count — I’m at a traffic light and someone is blowing their horn. It doesn’t register that the noise might be anything to do with me. A police officer surprises me when he taps gently on my window. Hadn’t he been calmly doing a stop-and-search just behind me? I’m surprised. …

Driving

9 min read

Motorist Mayhem! How Many Stupid Things Can A Driver Do In A Day?
Motorist Mayhem! How Many Stupid Things Can A Driver Do In A Day?
Driving

9 min read


Published in

Doctor, Writer, Mother, Life

·Apr 17

Jammed Between the Train Doors

Because I couldn’t be separated from my daughter — We step out of the train and I notice her back pack is not on her back. ‘Where’s you bag?’ I ask her. She turns around. It’s not in her hands either. Realisation hits us both. ‘Quick, we need to go back!’ I say. Without hesitation, she dashes into the…

Parenting

4 min read

Jammed Between the Train Doors
Jammed Between the Train Doors
Parenting

4 min read

PlainTalkBadManners

PlainTalkBadManners

1.4K Followers

Ex-Doctor, Ex-Catholic, Ex-Muslim. Climate Worrier & Wannabe Climate Warrior. Novelist. Human. Label resistant. https://thefriendlyradicalnextdoor.substack.com/

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