In memory of the children of Aberfan, 21st October 1966 Before the Bell Rang There are mornings that never end, only echo. Aberfan was one of them. The rain had fallen through the night — the kind of Welsh rain that softens the hills but sharpens the nerves. By half past nine, the children of … Continue reading The Slag Heap of Forgetfulness
Tag: Coal
Germinal
Émile Zola’s Germinal, published in 1885, is a hefty tome that plunges readers into the sooty, grimy world of French coal miners in the 19th century. With its bleak depictions of class struggle, social injustice, and the human spirit’s tenacity, it’s hardly the kind of book you’d expect to read at a comedy club. Yet, … Continue reading Germinal
Summits and Scorched Smalls
With clenched teeth and lungs wrung dry of breath, we clawed our way upwards, each step a battle against the gnawing cold that sank its teeth into our bones. Ice clung to the crags of our faces like barnacles on a shipwreck, and the bitter wind sliced at our extremities with the precision of a … Continue reading Summits and Scorched Smalls
Wording 