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Mike Coatesworth pays tribute to his caring family.
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Mike Coatesworth pays tribute to his caring family.
Mike Coatesworth tells of a runaway wheelchair, an incident which ended in laughter rather than disaster.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the day when he was unable to snap to it after drinking schnapps.
Mike Coatesworth is ill-at-ease after the theft of his garden bench.
Mike Coatesworth goes fishing in Cyprus.
Mike Coatesworth encountered a prickly problem when he went on Army exercises to the Virgin Islands.
Throwing away one's "rubbish'' is like throwing away one's memories, says Mike Coatesworth.
Mike Coatesworth tells of the saddest of sad partings.
Mike Coatesworth tells of the day when he tested his even-tempered brother to the limit.
Mike Coatesworth has no desire to alter his past life.
Wheelchair-bound Mike Coatesworth pays tribute to his home city, Bradford, for providing access to buildings for those in wheelchairs.
Face up to your fears, Mike Coatesworth advises. But what if the "fear'' comes towards you on eight legs?
Mike Coatesworth deplores the fact that the smile is going out of style.
Mike Coateworth tells of his days down on the farm.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the harsh lessons he received when he went out as a Boy Scout, seeking work during bob-a-job week.
There's just one additional thing that would make Mike Coatesworth's favourite pub the perfect place...
When you are serving with the British Army in Germany you don't expect the enmy to be trees! Mike Coatesworth explains all.
Mike Coatesworth pays tribute to his mother who, even though she is in her eighties, is having to care for one of her sons.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the days when newspapers really were useful.
Mike Coatesworth's daughter received a stern lesson in the need to be alert when she went shopping in a city centre.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the days when shoes had to last a long time, even if the wearer ended up with curling toes.
Mike Coatesworth recalls a nervous day on an ice-bound park lake.
Mike Coatesworth tells of a childhood birthday when he received a present to remember for ever.
Mike Coatesworth understands from personal experience why the word "trust'' is not used very often these days.
Mike Coatesworth comments wryly on today's uncaring society.
Open Writing columnist Mike Coatesworth, who has been confined to a wheelchair for 21 years following a road accident, is making a determined - and often painful - effort to walk again.
We wish super Mike all possible success.
Continue reading "Come On Muscles - It's Too Early To Retire" »
Mike Coatesworth recalls embarrassments of the footwear kind.
Mike Coatesworth receives a shocking lesson in gun control.
While having a bath in a metal tub in the living room of his home young Mike Coatsworth feels an icy blast then hears giggles.
Christmas gifts don't have to be costly to bring a happy tear to the eye, as Mike Coatesworth reveals.
When Mike Coatesworth woke up early one winter's morn it was a case of snowballs before dawn.
Mike Coatesworth makes light of life in a wheelchair. But be warned. Watch your toes when Mike's about!
Mike Coatesworth tells of a wonderful holiday encounter which has dramatically changed his life.
Mike Coatesworth learns another valuable lesson from his Aunt Chrissie.
As children put away their Halloween costumes and fireworks still bang and crackle in merry old England in the aftermath of the annual Bonfire Night celebrations, Mike Coatesworth recalls days when kids could not afford such treats.
Mike Coatesworth pays tribute to his Aunt Chrissie, a lady who, though both deaf and blind, showed him the way to a good life.
Mike Coatesworth is filled with gratitude for the care given to him by the staff in Bradford hospitals.
Mike Coatesworth goes on an hours-long trip to nowhere.
Mike Coatesworth tells how his enterprising Aunt Chrissie dealt with the problem of the white cheese sandwiches.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the delights of his Aunt's cooking - cabbage water and all.
Mike Coatesworth tells of the day when his generosity led him into an embarrassing error.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the day when he went fishing and "caught'' a barge.
Mike Coatesworth tries to take the pain out of gardening, only to encounter more pain.
Mike Coatesworth recalls a boat trip - and a happy wink.
A board on which the Lord's Prayer had been carved brought to Mike Coatesworth a lesson for life.
Mike Coatesworth learns a lesson in friendship from his Aunt Chrissie.
Mike Coatesworth tells how he was firstly a tutor, then the one who was being tutored.
Mike Coatesworth learns that it is never a good idea to take a short cut, particulrarly when you are in a wheelchair.
Mike Coatesworth tells of a situation which every red-blooded lad dreads being discovered in.
Mike Coatesworth learns from the Marines how to fend off seasickness. The answer is...a bowl of porridge.
Mike Coatesworth tells a story of a disappointed little girl and a thieving sheep.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the day when he failed to unzip a banana.
Mike Coatesworth tells of happy news concerning a dog called Sandy.
Mike Coatesworth tells of the day when a blooming mistake resulted in happy smiles.
Mike Coatesworth suggests that the setting of a writer's home helps to shape the words he or she produces.
Mike Coatesworth and his wife Betty move to Ireland and find the home of their dreams.
Mike Coatesworth has an early-morning encounter with a handsome four-legged visitor.
The arrival of Spring reminds Mike Coatesworth of some of the scrapes he got into when he was a boy.
Plants are budding. Birds are singing. It's spring again. A time, says Mike Coatesworth, for humans to come out of winter "hibernation'' and start chatting to one another again over the garden fence.
Mike Coatesworth recalls spring cleaning days, and the ritual of wearing new clothes.
Mike Coatesworth and his family feed the wildlife on a snowy morning in their own special Eden.
Beggars may sometimes be the givers of gifts, as Mike Coatesworth's tale reveals.
Mike Coatesworth goes for a buggy ride across the windswept Yorkshire moors.
Waking early on a cold dark morning Mike Coatesworth finds his aunt sitting on the doorstep of their home
Mike Coatesworth remembers the idyllic days when he worked on a farm.
Mike Coatesworth recalls the day when his troops almost missed the "battle''.
Mike Coatesworth's daughter and son-in-law are forced to fight an uphill battle against cobblestones and the weather when they visit the home of the famous Brontes.
Mike Coatesworth remembers the days he worked the bellows and experienced the smell of burning hooves in a blacksmith's shop.
Mike Coatesworth tells of a lucky encounter in a public library.
Mike Coatesworth wonders whether Nature will react by creating more body hair for the fashion-conscious girls who walk around with bare midriffs in winter.
"She was smiling. She seemed to be remembering something from many years ago. I found that I was enjoying myself, watching my Aunt's enjoyment. The swing creaked as it took her higher and higher...'' Mike Coatesworth learns that there is happiness in witnessing another person's happiness.
Mike Coatesworth tells of a ten-year-old boy who was befriended and given food, clothing and companionship on a snowy winter's eve. Ghostly goings on? A true story?
As Mike says "If you think my stories are true, then they probably are. If you think my stories are fiction, just relax and enjoy the tale.''
Mike Coatesworth pays a nostalgic visit to Memory Street.
Mike Coatesworth writes of a lonely sixteen-year-old lad who is befriended on the cold streets of London. Whether true or fictitious, Mike's tale encapsulates the essence of Christmas generosity.
Mike Coatesworth remembers with affectionate delight the family Christmases of his boyhood, a time when money was in short supply.
Intrepid Mike Coatesworth flies from snowy Yorkshire for a holiday in sunny Cyprus, there to be haunted by a mysterious and marvelous woman, and her song.
Mike Coatesworth deplores the politically correct rules directing encounters between children and Santa.
Warm-hearted Mike Coatesworth was taught to really observe the world around him by his Aunt Chrissie, who had a secret motive for getting him to properly use his eyes.
When Mike Coatesworth was a boy it was great fun to play on the Blackie, a grass-grown coal slag heap - but trouble lay in wait at the school gates.
Mike Coatesworth found himself on the cold floor of a garden shed, thinking of his warm bed, on the night that he ran away from home.
Mike Coatesworth is given good advice to guide him through life by his Aunt Chrissie.
As a child Mike Coatesworth thought the streets of London were paved with gold. But who needs gold when you have a loving aunt?
Mike Coatesworth's neighbours come around, rattling his door knocker, waking him up - and he doesn't mind one bit!
Mike Coatesworth was thankful for sound British workmanship when he went climbing on a school roof.
With deep emotion, Mike Coatesworth recalls the day when his beloved sister Jean died.
"If I got the blackjacks, I’d have them eaten fairly quickly, but they would be gone even quicker if my brother saw me with them and demanded a share. Or I could get the gobstopper and suck it slowly and not only would it last longer, but I wouldn’t have to share it with my brother. I opted for the gobstopper...''
In this sweet and tasty column Mike Coatesworth tells how he received an early lesson in unselfishness.
Mike Coatesworth, after considering the English class system, declares "A chip butty is better than a plate of caviar.''
When Mike Coatesworth went to Canada on Army manouvres he never thought he would end up on the back of a bucking bronco.
Former soldier Mike Coatesworth tells of the day when the villagers on a remote island in Hong Kong showed him how mankind can live in harmony.
You arrive at school looking grimy enough to have just done a day's work in a pit. Naturally you can expect an encounter with the worst instrument of torture - the cane. Does it pay to argue about the punishment? Read Mike Coatesworth's vivid recollections, and wince in sympathy.
Mike Coatesworth's mother deserted the family when he was two years old. Care and support was provided by his Aunt Chrissie. Then Mike found out that his Aunt was going blind...