Month: November 2026

Part of growing up

by Tom Monks

Corporation houses – Lovely compared to the pebble dash the rest of the huge estate had. We had red brick out front, railings and steps up to the house. Four house terrace with party alleyway in the middle. Nice frontage. But out back we had an arena …..

 Growing up in finglas west – early 1970’ s – We watched the show jumping on tv – Black and white – RDS – Aka Kan – And for days afterwards we replayed it out in the back garden – All sorts of bric-a-brac – Making our own fences – Water jumps, Triple jumps, doubles the lot.

We were all riders—no judges. Galloping around the back garden – Stick in hand – Hitting our own arses. Giddy up 

by Tom Monks

What’s a song that changed your life?

Not directly of any one song – Maybe David Bowie ‘Life on Mars’ – Put him on my radar way back in 1970’s and his music is still with me – Through all the changes – Beatles of course – last in the life’ and others from sgt peppers – Later – would have to say Leonard Cohen – saw him loads of times – The best I can say about LC is that the day i was diagnosed with cancer I went to see him in the evening – Helped sooth the rising fear

Fuck you cancer

by Tom Monks

Short post – Over 10 years now since treatment stopped – Feels like only yesterday – Living my life – learning, creating, growing despite that fucker – Have to get rid of this bitterness – That fucker ran away with 10 years of me