I recently read in the newspapers (after having been pointed in the right direction by my father) that the Literary Review judging panel for the Bad Sex in Fiction awards has chosen not to include the latest Bridget Jones novel on its shortlist, despite what is said to be a fairly fruity description of the eponymous … Continue reading The Great Libraries of Room 5
Of eggy bread and personal battles
I learnt that there was a bed free for me in the Ruth Myles Unit on the morning of Sunday, 20th October, but was told it wouldn't be ready until early afternoon. Naturally I did what any self-respecting Englishman would do, and went out to brunch with my wife. We went to Jack's at the … Continue reading Of eggy bread and personal battles
We are Family
The last time my (original Norton) family was all together was at my and Mariacristina's wedding in July 2011. Until yesterday, that is, when we had a delightful afternoon all together in my room on the Ruth Myles Unit. Sadly my nephew and godson Peter is at an age where they recommend he doesn't come … Continue reading We are Family
Say ‘cheese’!
When Mariacristina first moved to London, we didn't have very much money, and – as I was banging on about the other day – had to adapt to our circumstances. Mariacristina proved to be an excellent efficiency hunter and merrily cut a swathe through our outgoings to cut out, for example, unnecessarily expensive branded food, … Continue reading Say ‘cheese’!
Get busy living…
I'm a firm believer that just because you're in hospital doesn't mean you need to put your life on hold. Of course a lot of things change: no commuting to the office for a while; you can't just pop out to the pub or take your wife to the theatre; the concept of food takes … Continue reading Get busy living…
More than just a medical approach
I was impressed by the two second-year medical students who came to see me a couple of days ago as part of their course – I understand the idea was to get a bit more practical experience of talking to actual patients, and to learn from the horse's mouth about our experiences, rather than from … Continue reading More than just a medical approach
The waiting game
It's been over a week since I finished the chemotherapy, and in terms of treatment – from my immediate standpoint – there isn't much to report medically. My white blood cell count is still right down, and while it remains there, there's nothing much to be done apart from wait for it to come back … Continue reading The waiting game
Now and then (part 2)
I have been blessed, on both occasions of my coming into hospital for treatment, with the most astounding support from friends, family and beyond.In 2005, I was hopping between cheap places to rent, scraping by in London on the romantically low (!) salary of a budding literary journalist and generally trying to make my own … Continue reading Now and then (part 2)
Now and then (part 1)
As you can imagine, my return to the Ruth Myles Unit was accompanied by an enormous sense of déjà-vu, having previously made the ward my home for the best part of 13 months between October 2005 and January 2007. This is reinforced by a number of familiar faces on the staff: SuperLee, Nelly and Banoo … Continue reading Now and then (part 1)
The benefits of good behaviour
As much as I love the idea, I am unlikely to ever be one of those extraordinary, rule-breaking innovators who turns the world upside down by rejecting the regulations in front of him and ploughing his own controversial, inventive furrow. Those who have known me for a while are unlikely to be surprised at this; … Continue reading The benefits of good behaviour