May 1, 2025 | The Main Blog
The piece below was written in February 2025 and entered into the 2025 Curae Prize, which is for writers who are also unpaid carers. It hasn’t made the shortlist, but I remain proud of it so am sharing it today (1 May 2025). Congratulations to everyone who has...
Apr 30, 2025 | Football Writing, The Main Blog
One of the greatest players of all time, Diego Maradona once said that “football isn’t a game, nor a sport; it’s a religion” which might at least partially explain why I was sitting on a train to London, alone, last Saturday. Regular readers will already be aware that...
Apr 22, 2025 | Football Writing, The Main Blog
This Saturday (26 April), I am going to a football match. For anyone who read the blog I wrote last November called Losing Interest, this might be a surprise. If I’m honest with myself, it is a surprise to me. But, 357 days after my last game, I’m not just going to...
Apr 1, 2025 | The Main Blog
My name is called, and almost 2,000 people applaud. The Presiding Officer smiles warmly at me from across the stage and I’m suddenly acutely aware not just of my surroundings, but that there are a lot of people waiting to do what I am about to. I take a breath and...
Mar 25, 2025 | The Main Blog
Last time I published a blog online, it was reflecting on my first full year as an unpaid carer. Since then, I’ve let the virtual cobwebs gather, which for someone who writes because they need to is a problem. But, as I noted last December, I am incredibly busy these...
Dec 31, 2024 | The Main Blog
At about 5:45am on New Year’s Eve, it occurred to me that 2024 has been the first year since I became of ‘working age’ in which I haven’t done any paid work. There are, of course, numerous reasons for this. My own health is fragile, but my wife and son’s support needs...
