What It Takes to be Tough

Once in a while, I read a book which stays with me long after I've closed it. Given how much I read and how strong my opinions about literature are, this doesn't happen as often as you might think. Sometimes the lives of fictional characters linger in my mind, sometimes I replay storylines as if …

The Opposite of Cake is a Salad

Helena sat at her kitchen table. It was a dreary day in the middle of July, the sort of day that leaves you wondering if summer is ever going to arrive or questioning if that single day of sunshine that appeared last week was the only summer happening in this car crash dumpster fire of …

(IN) Equality

Every 8th of March the same question is asked “When did we celebrate International Men’s Day last?” “It’s the 19th November” voices reply But the questioners don’t notice, don’t bat an eye. “Well we don’t make a song and dance” they say “We don’t kick up a fuss in quite the same way Why are …

No Cure for Heartbreak

I have been watching a lot of Grey’s Anatomy recently. I discovered it was on Amazon Prime and I started watching it from the beginning. Some people say it’s depressing but in those early days, the dialogue was quick witted, sharp, moving and funny, while the storylines pushed the boundaries of medicine and beyond. You’d …

Getting to Know You

I wondered how long it would take me to get a reference to a musical into my breast cancer blogs. Answer: not very long. Thanks King and I. I'm about to be quite frank about my new boob and breasts in general. If this is the sort of thing that gives you the heebie jeebies, …

My Grandma

I won't claim to have known my Grandma for a long time. In a life that spanned a wealth of experience, I knew her for only a fraction. Growing up, we visited regularly and I was, inevitably, always pleased to see her. She was kind and caring, as all grandparents are supposed to be, but …

The Trussell Trust – Challenge 22

On Saturday 9th November, Chris and I went to Sainsbury's to do a shop but for a change, the grocery shop wasn't for us. Armed with a list from the Trussell Trust we did a basic shop for things to take to Battersea Food Bank after I discovered that 13 million people in the UK …

The Return

It has been a very, very long time since I last blogged on alicemaypurkiss.wordpress.com. This is bad. But there's been a lot going on.Since I last posted, I finished my internship at Index on Censorship and began working, mainly as a blogger (amongst other things) at VoucherCodes.co.uk, working on their lifestyle magazine Most Wanted. I've …

Go on, have a giggle!

It's been a stressful and busy couple of weeks, and last week I felt like it was starting to take it's toll. I had bags under my eyes, my skin was more blemished than usual and I was exhausted. But on Wednesday night I was invited out with a couple of friends for a Chinese …

Name of Ched Evans’ rape victim highlighted again on Twitter

The name of footballer Ched Evan's rape victim was thrust into the public domain via Twitter once again this week. In April, the Wales and Sheffield United Striker was found guilty of rape of a 19 year old woman believed to be "too drunk to consent" and jailed for five years. Since the trial, North …