There’s a quote that says: “ever underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups”. I’ve always thought of this in terms of politicians and mobs, but it also applies to large, bureaucratic, organisations, particularly Government ones. They’re powerful – the benefits and tax systems in this country affect actual lives – and they’re run by […]
Category: Bullying
Should
I had something of a ‘Saul on the road to Damascus’ moment the other day. Things are pretty good. I’m really beginning to feel that my life is mine again, and I am moving on from everything that has happened over the last six years. I’m learning to accept that it will never be fair, […]
Control
Inevitably, my decision to hand responsibility for collecting child maintenance from E has created another problem. But, do you know what? I’m still massively glad that I did it. The main reason I’m glad is that it means I no longer have to deal with E. The reason it’s a problem is because, well, […]
Awake
As I explained in my last post, I finally have complete psychological freedom from E. If this were a movie, I’d have left him in a darkened forest, surrounded by gnarly old trees, twisting vines and grasping roots and, goblin like, he’d be shouting at my disappearing form that he’s still important, still relevant, can […]
Witness
I haven’t written about this before because I wasn’t really sure where to start and, as it’s about religion, I was conscious that I could offend. But as we approach another Christmas (I start planning very early), it’s on my mind, and I think enough time has passed to give me some perspective. Basically, the […]
July
July 2020 was a month in which everything in my life changed. By the end of July, I had moved to a new house, and started a whole new life. By the end of July, my priorities had shifted forever. By the end of July, my beautiful Mum, my anchor, my safety, the person my […]
Lowering the bar
Oldest Daughter once said with a sad sigh: “just when I think Dad can’t lower the bar anymore, he manages to crawl under it”. Since she said this, he’s managed to crawl under a fair few more of his lowered bars. In fact, I could have been forgiven for thinking his bar was finally at […]
Wall
They say in marathon running that there is a point (usually at around 2/3 of the way through) where you ‘hit the wall’ and that in order to complete it you need to keep running – runners do it by pacing themselves, taking on nutrition and making a huge mental effort – mind over matter. […]
An open letter to E
Dear E I’m not sure why I’m writing this. I don’t think it will achieve anything. In fact, if anything, it will feed into whatever narrative you’ve created to justify your behaviour and make you the hero of your story (or the victim of mine). I spent 25 years listening to you describe the people […]
Court
28th October 2019. My 50th birthday. I like birthdays. Especially mine. No matter how old I get, I always get that happy feeling on the morning of my birthday – a feeling that nice things will happen, there will be cake, and friends and good stuff. As a result, I’ve had some memorable birthdays. When […]
He-total: Life without Ex 