What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
The Pyramids of Giza and the Taj Mahal represent the executive end of what mausoleum moolah can buy you. If you aren’t a god on earth or a favourite wife of a Mughal emperor, then I guess your ambitions need to be reassessed. Other than a brick in the wall at Meadow Lane, home of … Read more
How often have you woken disappointed that you only recall fragments of that dream? The one that doesn’t make sense and is often framed within a bizarre fantasy. Dreams exist for several psychological reasons, including the notion that they may help us consolidate and better understand our memories, which in turn equips us to respond … Read more
If my own experiences are anything to go by funerals are usually pretty sombre occasions. I suspect the only exceptions to this general rule are when genocidal maniacs such as Hitler, Genghis Khan, and Pol Pot kick the bucket. Culture shapes what rituals are followed and how mourners should behave, with religion very often presiding … Read more
I recall reading, or maybe I was told, that people don’t mind change unless it happens to them. I have searched the internet looking for the author of this gem, alas without success. However, I remain convinced that it is buried somewhere within the information highway and one day I will be able to credit … Read more
When I was about eight years old my mum donned a large headscarf, equally enormous earrings, and looked into a crystal ball. I vividly remember this spectacle since she was performing a charade as a clairvoyant at the local school fete. It was a crude and rather comical caper, although people still paid to have … Read more
One Christmas Eve, aged around ten, I heard some odd shuffling noises coming from the landing. Tucked up in bed I decided to investigate, but I had to be cunning since my parents had given me a clear directive, “If you don’t go to sleep Father Christmas won’t come!” Lifting myself gingerly onto the chest … Read more
The really important moments in my life are usually accompanied by tears or, at the very least, a glazing of my eyeballs. These trigger events don’t necessarily have to be dramatic, seismic, or signal loss and tragedy. My bouts of significant self-reflection are often partnered with the most ordinary events, like a trip to the … Read more
On the face of it moving a sofa from A to B was never going to be an historic event, an ‘ah-ha’ moment, or a pivotal turning point in my life. Yet as this seemingly mundane event unfolded in a somewhat adult style rendition of an Enid Blyton classic, I was reminded of some of … Read more
My first recollection of the term ‘bully’ was from the pages of The Dandy, my must-read childhood comic. “Bully Beef and Chips,” created by Jimmy Hughes, first appeared in 1967 and reflected the story of two boys in seemingly constant conflict – the aggressor, a pudding basin haired brute called Bully Beef, and the victim, … Read more
According to Albert Einstein, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” And who am I to argue with such a luminary? Little did I know that this piece of guidance would begin to prove itself on a scrap of paper. Nor, come to think of it, did I ever imagine that as a direct consequence … Read more