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Memories of a Clackmannan Lad 1947 – 1958
A childhood experience, from the 1940s post-war infant years to the raging 1950s. My mother told me that I had actually come into the world with a bang. It happened during one very early morning in 1943 when German bombers were flying overhead, and the spent rounds of anti-aircraft bullets were clattering on the tiled roof above her. Dad also said that he could hear bombs dropping somewhere between Edinburgh and Glasgow. So, it seems that I had come into the world with a bang! A few years later, I was to enter another experience: the teenage years.
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Hijabs, Hitchhiking and Hangovers: Lessons from Iran
‘Are you foreign? Why would you come to Iran? Please tell your friends back home that we are nothing like the Western media.’
These were among the phrases that Rose would hear almost daily in Tehran.
Hijabs, Hitchhiking and Hangovers: Lessons from Iran is a coming-of-age travel adventure. At the age of 20, Rose was part of the first group of Cambridge students to study in Iran after Iran re-opened its borders to the West. Navigating Foreign Office warnings and nuclear sanctions, she was at first a rather reluctant traveller, overwhelmed by the culture clashes, language barriers and Islamic law.
Through a collection of short stories, Rose tells of how she makes a home in Iran, experiences unexpected kindness and gets to grips with the Farsi language. At times amusing and at others, tragically telling of the harsh realities of Iranian society, Hijabs, Hitchhiking and Hangovers is a gripping account of self-reliance and the often dangerous impact of politics on travel abroad.
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Hanging on the Ledge of Life
Out of the ranks of the middle class, wise honest leaders will rise.
Truckers, labourers, bikers, night club bouncers, football players and soldiers.
Read this book to see how such people who once lived by a code can make North America great again by embracing new careers in religion and or politics.
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My Life, and Its Ups and Downs
Who would have thought that growing up could be such fun? Especially in a village where you knew everyone, and we all looked out for each other. It appears with today’s hardships and crime that the fifties were the best years to be alive. It was safe to walk about the streets, even as a five-year-old at school. The pace of life was a lot slower and more genteel. Not so many cars were on the roads, and jobs were easy to change if you didn’t like the one you were in.
In this heartwarming memoir, Anna Goddard takes us through the ups and downs of her life journey, from her humble beginnings in a Kentish village to her varied career pursuits, whirlwind romances, and the joys and challenges of raising a young family. With refreshing candour and humour, Anna reflects on coming of age in post-war Britain, training as a nurse, her unplanned twin pregnancy, and navigating young motherhood. As times change, so do attitudes, fashions, and relationships. Through it all, Anna retains her wit, warmth, and lust for life.
Brimming with nostalgia and hard-won wisdom, this is the story of an ordinary yet extraordinary woman making her way through extraordinary times. Her account offers a window into a bygone era and reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit.
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Kick Ass
Kick Ass: Changing the Odds through Faith, Will, and Hard Work is a powerful narrative of resilience and determination. The author recounts her journey following a catastrophic accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down, a condition akin to that of Christopher Reeve. In her darkest hour, she turned to Christ, whose response marked the beginning of a remarkable turnaround.
Her head therapist, upon her departure from acute rehab, confessed that he initially doubted her chances of recovery. Despite this, she defied expectations.
Evie, a Michigan State University graduate, furthered her education by obtaining an MBA on a grant from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She broke barriers as the only female director in the aerospace sector of Allied Signal.
Her steadfast faith in Christ provided the strength needed to navigate through her life’s crises. Now a mother of two and grandmother of three, she cherishes the life she has been able to resume, despite its limitations. These restrictions once hindered her from golfing for 11.5 years. However, after discovering Balance of Nature, she joyously returned to golf, a beloved activity she thought lost to her, completing the last piece of her recovery puzzle.
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Sixteen Chickens on a Trampoline
Faye Lippitt is a journalist who found her inspiration in the happy chaos that enveloped their home as she and her husband raised their six children. The six arrived in eight years, sometimes arriving two by two, which made for interesting times.
This book is a series of snapshots of the family at their home in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. It is also about choices. As Faye puts it, when chaos rains, your response is your choice. Laugh? Cringe? Cry? Laughter feels a whole lot better.
It’s the author’s hope that busy parents will steal five minutes of the day to read one of the stories, and another five to write their own in the back pages of the book. For time flies, and memories fade and the things our children do and say are crazy enough and precious enough to keep forever.
Faye, and her husband Greg, now live in the Caribbean and are blessed with enough grandchildren to keep the laughter coming.
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From Dhobie’s Bight to Duntroon
Dan Simpkins, although born in Narrandera on the Murrumbidgee River in the south west of New South Wales in 1942, spent his childhood and formative years on the far north coast of the state. Because of his father’s nomadic lifestyle, he attended five different one-teacher bush primary schools, so small that on two separate occasions when larger families relocated and the little schools had to close, his education proceeded by correspondence. Stability was achieved with the award of a state bursary allowing attendance over five years at the Lismore High School. Dan worked as a bank teller in Canberra for twelve months after high school before entering the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
This book commences by tracing Dan’s forbears as they settled into Australia, and then follows his own upbringing from the bush at Dobie’s Bight to the start of his life in the Army. It is another example of the value of hard work and education.
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Finding Myself
In the second book of this ongoing series, Royce continues his journey of self-discovery from age 14 to 18, as trauma lurks trying to hide him from himself.
Navigating life’s pains, strains and hardships while attempting to find oneself is a winding path travelled as best one can. Though often unaware, Royce moves slowly yet steadily forward despite the darkness. Dangers explode without warning - hidden perils that scar his soul and edge him further away from himself.
Not wanting to lose himself, Royce needs his inner warrior. He needs love - for himself and the world around him - though the concept of love remains unclear, given his parents’ hateful expressions of pain. Thankful for what little love comes his way, Royce intuits its importance. For it is love that helps one remember the self that dwells within. Being harsh or unkind to oneself betrays the heart of self-love.
Through his ongoing trials, Royce journeys toward the light of self-understanding. It is only by embracing one’s full humanity that true healing can begin.
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Life After a Craniotomy Operation
Step into the remarkable journey of resilience and hope with Life After a Craniotomy Operation. Our brain, often compared to a computer perched atop our heads, serves as the epicentre of our existence, enabling us to navigate the complexities of modern life and its myriad highs and lows. However, when illness strikes, rendering simple tasks impossible, fear takes hold, and the words of a wise consultant resonate deeply: fright, flight, fight—an embodiment of our struggle.
But what if a dedicated team of neuroscientists offers a lifeline? They extend a helping hand, emphasizing the pivotal word: ‘help.’ In that moment, how would you respond? Would you eagerly embrace the opportunity, exclaiming, ‘Yes, sir!’ Or would you cautiously inquire, ‘Only if it can restore my previous self?’
But pause and consider—what does ‘normal’ truly mean? What matters most is the fundamental question: Will I continue to live?
Life After a Craniotomy Operation invites you to embark on a poignant exploration of life’s fragility and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. Within these pages, you’ll discover stories of triumph over adversity, the power of medical advancements, and the indomitable will to forge a new path forward. It is a testament to the enduring nature of the human experience and a reminder that life, even after the most challenging of circumstances, can be embraced with renewed vigour.
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Learning from Albi
Scruffy, deaf, and homeless, life on the streets is tough for young Albi. What could the future possibly hold for an abandoned Spanish Podenco puppy that has been hit by a car and can’t hear? Yet despite a traumatic start, Albi’s life changes when he is rescued, brought to the UK, and fostered by Lois Sinclair, founder of the rescue charity, Gracehounds, and a passionate dog lover who has shared her life and home with numerous canine companions. Before long, Lois and Albi’s lives become interwoven.
With Lois’s nursing background and Albi’s intuitive nature, the pair soon find themselves volunteering in the animal healthcare sector. Albi also develops a reputation as a transition dog, offering support to other dogs and their owners during times of loss.
But Albi is a free spirit. He also has health issues. And while his sensitive nature earns him many friends and admirers, there will be challenges ahead, including surgery. As Albi continues to enrich Lois’s life, questions remain. Albi may have found a forever home but can the love and hope which bind him and Lois sustain him? And does this unique animal have the strength to live the life that every dog deserves?
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Riding Through the Storm
During World War Two, a young girl was seen around the Stoke Bishop area of Bristol riding her bike or a pony; climbing trees; building dens, playing with the ‘gang’ in Blaise Castle Woods, and a lot more besides! This seemingly carefree life had its darker side as the storm clouds of war thickened and broke overhead.
Riding Through the Storm recalls the author’s life before, during and after the war. It is tinged with humour and remarkable occurrences and mirrors that time with insights into how people lived during those dark days. Nearly eighty years after the storm subsided, the full significance of what the author had lived alongside came to light and propelled this drama almost into the realms of make-believe!
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A Dyslexic’s Battle
I am now over 80 and a working silversmith. I tell the story of my early life at the end of the Second World War and its aftermath of shortages and rationing. I continue with the great difficulty I had with reading and writing leading to my disastrous failures at school and my first employment as a scientific assistant in the nuclear industry. During my first job my life changed in two major ways while working for the Atomic Energy Research Establishment. Their very forward-looking attitude to further education allowed me to add more ‘O’ levels, including the very important English, but as importantly, during that time I got married and before long had a daughter as well. I then decided to make the leap and try to obtain a medical degree but with only very basic ‘O’ levels I would first have to gain higher qualifications. I left full time employment for a Technical College in an attempt to add the three ‘A’ levels required for admission to Medical School but this was of course complicated by having wife and young daughter. To support us during this time I worked as a toolmaker, chauffeur, gardener and eventually trained as a London Ambulance driver. This very tortuous journey eventually gained me a place at Guy’s Hospital Medical School. I continue the tale with a number of vignettes of life at Guy’s Hospital as a medical student and the many unusual ways I increased my income during my studentship. I cover the time spent after qualification as a houseman in other hospitals. I finish with life as a General Practitioner and in Medical Research where I gained a PhD. I found that the higher up the academic tree I climbed the less my dyslexia, which I discovered I had when a medical student, impinged on my work and life. As an aside I hope that any youngsters with dyslexia reading this account will take heart that being dyslexic is not the end of the world.
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