Peter Batten writes about loneliness . . .

I visited Victor once a week for almost 9 years. When I let myself into his flat I would usually find him watching TV or playing cards on his computer. “How are you?” I would ask. Raising his arms wearily he would say, “I’m lonely and I’m bored”. Oh, and I forgot to mention that my enquiry had to be written on a pad or printed out in big letters on his computer screen. Victor had been totally deaf for several years. He was housebound by severe arthritis in his upper legs, had painful problems with his sight, and had treatment for a small cancer tumour on his head about five years ago. And, I almost forgot, a single heart by-pass operation in the 1990s. Continue reading Victor Hatfield 1942 – 2018 →