28 June, 2023
Recovering from a heart bypass. The physical and mental challenges.
Having a coronary artery bypass isn’t much fun and comes with challenges. Four years later I thought I’d describe some more of my experiences.
26 April, 2021
I broke my heart in five places and got it fixed
A year ago, I was sitting, shorn of all body hair and waiting to go in for a five or six hour operation. I knew the next two weeks would be hell.
25 February, 2016
Staleys in the Isle of Man
One of the funny things about children and their memories is just how fallible they are. Full of false memories and forgotten realities. I lived, for a while, somewhere on the outskirts of Douglas on the Isle of Man, when I was about nine years old. The family I stayed in had a boy about […]
22 February, 2013
Finding a missing person in South America (and elsewhere)
I promised, ages ago, that I’d write up some tips on how to find somebody who’d gone missing in South America. Recently I had an email from somebody in the same situation which has spurred me into action. Since 1997 I’ve found or been found by my mother, my brothers and my sister. Here I’m […]
1 September, 2012
In Love With My Kids
I’m not going to say much, but I’ll just pop a gallery here of some recent shots of my two beautiful children. I’m in love with them. I can’t stop thinking about them. Everything else comes second. Doesn’t mean they don’t wind me up sometimes, of course…
12 May, 2011
Baby 2!
Here it is – the scan you’ve all been waiting for: Everything is perfect, due date is still the beginning of October, and I could tell he was a boy before the operator said anything. No hiding the fact!
18 February, 2011
Yummy Yummy!
All I did was say “yummy yummy” on every mouthful of food, and he started laughing like mad. By the time I did this video he’d long finished his dinner, so I just carried on…
26 January, 2011
Doug’s Stag Weekend
The Mission: Have fun, and find subtle and not so subtle embarrassments for Doug Watts, the stag for the weekend. Equipment: A lesbian DJ, two hovercraft, alcohol, four cars, Oswestry, and Manchester. The Evidence: Pictures after the two group shots are by Andrew Lewin – they’ve got Doug in!
31 August, 2010
Dad´s Headstone
Had my father’s headstone delivered and installed yesterday. It was a fairly sombre moment, and my last goodbye to him. I won’t go back soon. Unfortunately the computer I’m trying to upload my photos to won’t play ball, so no pictures for the moment. Sorry. Maybe tomorrow when I get to San Pedro de Atacama. […]
29 August, 2010
Quiet Weekend in Arica
I’m staying put while I wait for the headstone to be finished and fitted, and consequently got to see an Arican weekend. There’s not a lot for me to do in many ways, so yesterday I spent some time going through all of my father’s papers and notebooks. I found evidence of one email address […]
Food!
Oh seriously, sometimes, when you travel the food is amazing. Sometimes, it looks like it might be a danger to your health…
28 August, 2010
The Story of Juanito
Here’s something… a smiling, happy and charming man who knew my father in Arica, lives just around the corner from the hotel I’m staying at. He actually lives in the cabin that guards a car park. Just him. He’s been married twice, I believe, but that’s all I know. So how can I tell his […]
Arrangements, part dos
Anyone who’s experienced the death of someone close to them will know that there is often a lot to do. No exceptions here, plus the added pressure of limited time. However, I’m not entirely unhappy about the time thing… makes me get things done. Cementaria Parque de Arica So, following the funeral I went yesterday […]
27 August, 2010
The Funeral
And so it came. In a way it’s weird… I always felt there were only two likely things to happen. First, I would find my father (or he would find me) and a period of reconciliation may take place. Closeness, perhaps never, but reconciliation would be fine. Second, I would never find him, and that […]
25 August, 2010
Arica – Day 1 – Arrangements
Phew… so what a day. It started off with a cold shower and a blandly unsatisfying breakfast of a cheese sandwich, juice and tea. But whilst eating a man came up to me and introduced himself as Joaquin Alvarez… the Honorary British Consul in Arica! It was an unexpected surprise… I thought I was meeting […]
Arica – Day 1
For no obvious reason I’ve woken up really early today. Maybe it’s something to do with the herd of elephants that evidently checked in around 1am. Or the, ahem, charmingly rustic plumbing that means the noise levels in here pick up markedly as the hotel awakes. But it’s not a bad hotel, the Hotel Amaru, […]
24 August, 2010
Chris Coveney…the Introduction
I’ve started writing this post in Amsterdam airport…I’m on my way to Arica in Chile where I’ll be (hopefully) burying my father, Chris, who died on the 19th of July. I say hopefully not because this is something I’m looking forward to but because I face a number of legal and monetary issues with the […]
31 July, 2010
Me? Reading?
Couldn’t resist posting this one up quickly. I just wish I’d had the time to get the focus on his eyes, but by then the moment was lost and, frankly, I’ll take composition over sharpness any day….
5 December, 2009
Sean’s 40th Birthday Party
Sean’s 40. But he’ll always be two months younger than me. Dammit. Well, here’s some photos from his party. Enjoy…
6 January, 2007
Christopher Coveney
I’m trying to trace a chap called Christopher Coveney, also known as Chris Coveney, Cristobal Coveney, C.T.T.Coveney and in full, Christopher Tregay Trott Coveney. I’ve put this page up in the knowledge that if anyone’s searching for his name on Google, MSN or Yahoo, there’s a high chance this page will come up top of […]
