Ian Curwen

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me! Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

On Leeds United Last night Leeds United were beaten in the second leg of the play-off semi-finals. This ended the team’s season. In actual fact, our season was over by Christmas, and since that point we’ve simply been delaying the inevitable. Twitter’s 140/280 characters aren’t nearly enough to cover the emotional rollercoaster that being a Leeds fanContinue reading “On Leeds United”

Looking after your mental health

I created this blog at work, but the content are just as relevant outside of the workplace… Mental Health Awareness Week is upon us, and once again we’re asking people to think about their mental health and wellbeing. If you feel like we do this a lot, then you’d probably be right. Over the last fewContinue reading “Looking after your mental health”

Baby Loss Awareness Week

Today marks the start of Baby Loss Awareness Week. Sadly, thousands of people across the UK are affected by by the death of a baby or experience pregnancy loss each year. Yet despite this, it’s something that far too few people feel comfortable talking about. The week is designed to address this by raising awareness ofContinue reading “Baby Loss Awareness Week”

Thanks

My last blog was particularly sad. It was written with tears in my eyes. For both my own benefit, and perhaps yours, I wanted to follow it with something brighter. We all know that a crisis is the true measure of any friendship, and what is clear from our experience is that we have someContinue reading “Thanks”

Time of death

Tilly was born at 0056 on Saturday 26 May 2018. I’m sure you know that already. But I knew because they announce it, and they write it on the board. It also stops the giant clock on the wall. It is unambiguous. But the time of death is different. Less clear cut. They don’t actuallyContinue reading “Time of death”

Carrying on

On Saturday it’ll be ten weeks since Tilly’s short time with us. I will have completed my second week at work, and will continue to carry on. Whatever that means. As you all know, I was daunted about returning to work. I am pleased to say that my worries were short lived, as my colleaguesContinue reading “Carrying on”

It’s the little things

Charlotte and I have just had a relaxing break in Cornwall. Now we’ve returned, my thoughts have turned to my return to work. At the moment this feels a little daunting, but I know that this nervousness will subside. It’s the little things that are worrying me about my return. Things like: When I lastContinue reading “It’s the little things”

#NHS70 – it’s all about care

Tomorrow marks the seventieth anniversary of the foundation of the National Health Service. This is a significant anniversary and one which is rightly getting lots of media coverage. With this anniversary looming large, I thought it was an appropriate time to write a blog about my recent experiences. There will be countless people writing aboutContinue reading “#NHS70 – it’s all about care”

Knowing what to say

Since we found out about the pregnancy problems we faced, the support we have received has been brilliant. This ranges from the kind thoughts of friends to the care of the NHS. Following Tilly’s departure, we’ve also been pointed in the direction of organisations that support parents in our circumstances, such as Sands (the stillContinue reading “Knowing what to say”