In the Shadow of the Shambles

Résumé du livre

This is a scrapbook of stories, photographs, collages and thoughts. It is a journal of what was happening in the lives of Kyleigh and Michael Simpson. Michael was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis as a teenager and records the good and the bad times and the invaluable role of the garden that buoyed them and became a constant focus for their family as they lived with this disease. There are lots of insights about gardens and gardening along the way. This book is designed to be dipped into rather than read from cover to cover. It is a raw and honest look at the challenges and rewards of loving and caring for a partner in need. It reveals how a resilient partnership can make amazing things happen. Only a few people read Kyleigh's original scrapbook. Michael would flip through it and look at the pictures as he never really wanted to relive anything traumatic. He would say "I lock it in a box and keep going." Kyleigh on the other hand needed to write and play with glue. They became such experts at being able to deal with bad news but somehow turned it around and were able to laugh at the absurdity of what was happening. Together they had a great capacity for enjoying life no matter what it threw at them. Michael died on Australia Day 2023 and this book records snippets of the pain before and after Michael's death.