Felicity Graham

Felicity was born in Cheshire in England in 1941. At the age of five she was dragged, kicking and screaming, to Northern Ireland where she (later) married, had a family and has been living ever since. Among other things, she has been a secretary, a BBC Radio reporter, a veterinary assistant, director of a local Saleroom (Temple Auctions), obtained a degree in Fine and Applied Art at the University of Ulster and has recently published her debut novel, “Days of Wine and Wardrobes”. She now lives near Lisburn with her cat, Wudi.

Bleach, Biodiversity, and Banter: Conversations on the Climate Crisis…

Felicity Graham on November 24, 2024, 7:00 am

| Readers 475

this house was clean yesterday we're sorry you missed it text

The fourth floor of an office building somewhere in Belfast… ‘Evenin, Delores, how’re y’doin?’ Mavis heaved a sigh and plonked her bucket and mop on the floor. The mop fell over, she ignored it and Delores knew Mavis had something on her mind. ‘As well as can be Mavis, thanks. Yourself?’ Mavis sighs again. ‘D’yi see this Global Warning thing? It’s doin my head in!’ Delores noticed that sticking out of Mavis’s overall pocket was The Daily Mail which occasionally …

Times – They Are A-Changing…

Felicity Graham on September 1, 2024, 7:00 am

| Readers 680

blue plastic robot toy

Am I imagining it or does nearly everyone of my generation that I meet these days want to moan? It makes me mindful of a 1960s London West End musical, ‘Fings Aint Wot They Used To Be’ by Lionel Bart, with the title song (taken up later by Max Bygraves) that goes on about Teds in drainpipe trousers and Debs in coffee houses. I have come to the conclusion each generation makes a point of creating new stuff for the …

A wee word of kindness makes all the difference…

Felicity Graham on April 9, 2023, 7:00 am

| Readers 632

a sign that says be kind on it

Kindness, defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘friendly, generous and considerate’, made a huge difference to me this week. In the light of the many hours and days of struggling with the vagaries of BTs so called ‘advisors’ sorting out what would have seemed to be a simple problem, I psyched myself up to go through the same frustrating process with Vodafone. The problem was similar in that I was unable to access details of my monthly account which …

Driven to distraction…

Felicity Graham on January 1, 2023, 6:50 am

| Readers 930

aerial photography of road with cars

When I was a child it was necessary for me to do things accompanied by an adult – learning to swim, riding a bicycle, reading, writing and so on. Now I am a (pretty senior) adult I find myself begging to be accompanied by a child, my grandchild to be precise. Things of a technological nature are becoming increasingly mysterious and confusing. Just when I think I have a thing cracked, it changes and my confidence and capability are crushed. …

Be Careful Where You Tread – A Cautionary Tale for Halloween…

Felicity Graham on October 30, 2022, 10:00 am

| Readers 879

birds on sky

Not quite as large as a used tea bag but much the same shape and colour, the tiny thing lay, helpless, on the concrete just below my front doorstep, ideally positioned for an approaching foot to unknowingly flatten it. If it hadn’t been for the ever-questing eye of a visiting artist friend it would never have been spotted in the midst of our morning’s comings and goings. Bats have been visiting our house since the first night we came to …

Dealing with the fat cats…

Felicity Graham on June 19, 2022, 10:26 am

| Readers 2945

follow @mr.toobs for more pics

The vet thrust her hand into the cat basket to extract the angry, growling, spitting, claws-out-creature I had painfully put in, pulled out a docile lump of black fur and, after a brief assessment, plonked it on a set of scales placed handy to the examination table. “Felicity, this cat is not overweight, no, she is grossly OBESE!” This shocked me to my core. The vet’s normally pretty mouth was set in a grim line of disapproval. My cat, frozen …

Have You Heard? My experience of hearing aids…

Felicity Graham on April 16, 2022, 8:30 am

| Readers 12649

euro, hand, hearing aid

One of the GOOD things in the National Health Service in Northern Ireland is the Audiology Department. It probably takes some time to get an initial appointment these days but, let’s face it, being hard of hearing is not life- threatening; irritating, yes, especially for people around you, but it isn’t going to kill you unless, of course, you are standing with your back to an oncoming electric car. Becoming aware of the affliction begins with complaining that the actors …

Making a list. Checking it twice…

Felicity Graham on January 2, 2022, 6:04 pm

| Readers 1647

Phone, keys, torch, money, shopping list, lights, hearing aids. This ‘aide memoire’, attached to the mirror in my kitchen, is faded now, a bit like me in my 80th year. Forgetful more and more and not a little scared as closer and closer contemporaries are being told they have early onset – you know what… When I was invited out for lunch by two grandsons the thought of having them both entirely to myself for a couple of hours filled …

My battle with BT. The conversation continues…

Felicity Graham on December 5, 2021, 8:02 am

| Readers 1924

sadness, phone, sad bear

Hello, BT here. Chapter Two Having asked for help at the end of October Felicity is still unable to access her account with BT. They can take money out of her account each month but she cannot see her bill and what she is paying for. Friday, 12 November 2021. Text: Hello, BT here. Just a quick update on the BT ID fault. We are really sorry about the delay in this repair. The team are currently working on the …

Dear BT. I would like a little less conversation and a little more action…

Felicity Graham on November 28, 2021, 11:27 am

| Readers 2866

home office, coffee, computer

It all began in the dim distant past a few months ago when I was struck by lightning. Well, I wasn’t but my landline telephone was and it and its extensions were rendered useless. I phoned BT to see if they could check the line for me just to confirm I was correct in my assumption. When an engineer arrived he did just that and advised I should purchase a whole new system. A few weeks later I saw on …

My personal experience of our ever increasing health waiting lists….

Felicity Graham on February 28, 2021, 9:51 am

| Readers 993

A few months from now I will be able to call myself an octogenarian! I am lucky to have reached this moniker in comparatively good health as I take only vitamin pills and, if I bend my knees, can still touch my toes. My experience of the National Health Service in N.I. had been, until a few years ago, extremely good. Before, during and after the Troubles the service here was remarkable and, along with our doctors and nurses, deservedly …

The scam that resulted in a £57.32 phonecall…

Felicity Graham on October 18, 2020, 7:32 am

| Readers 2635

Once again, my mundane routine of daily atrocities (housework) was interrupted by the landline telephone. A pleasant female voice began to speak. “BT here, Mrs Graham. I am phoning you to say we have noticed you made two telephone calls last Wednesday to HMRC.” (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs) “Yes, I was trying to complete my self-assessment tax form and couldn’t get the answer from their web site.” “Did you realise you were calling an ‘09’ number?” “What is wrong …

The trials of lockdown Laundry…

Felicity Graham on June 28, 2020, 7:05 am

| Readers 1045

Seven days into lockdown my washing machine, which had served me well, decided to become a space rocket. It had never been the quietest of machines but excelled itself when it began dancing up and down under the work surface while emitting an ear-splitting, clanking cacophony. This lasted for about half an hour, during which I was sure it was going to burst out and upwards at any moment. The cat and I fled the house until all was silent …

The annoyance of sales calls…

Felicity Graham on June 6, 2020, 6:50 am

| Readers 390

After eleven weeks of singleton lockdown I don’t feel it is inaccurate to say that the one thing that has kept me sane has been the telephone. For all the kind friends and relatives who have stayed in touch by either my landline or mobile I will be eternally grateful. There is nothing more capable of lifting a sagging spirit than the sound of a human voice. Of course, it does depend on what it has to say… Last Tuesday …

The Question of Taste, or lack thereof…

Felicity Graham on April 26, 2020, 12:20 pm

| Readers 644

I remember the taste of that iced coffee as if it were only a few minutes ago yet it must be at least twenty years. We were in Africa with friends who had invited us to join them on their time share, a compound with wild animals and a swimming pool. On the way we stopped at a strange place that wasn’t a bar or a garage or a shop or anything really but it had seats and tables outside. …