Goodbye to All This

By BBC World ServiceSociety & Culture Health & Fitness Personal Journals

Goodbye to All This episodes

December 28, 2020 12. Moving
He’s still here all the time. Yet he’s not. And a diary has more in it than expected.
“I’ll feel his absence every day, like a bruise that’s tender to the touch.”
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
33 min
December 21, 2020 11. The shoe
“She hates me going into her room”. A pink, strappy, high-heeled shoe causes a big row. The girls are growing up – fast. And now Sophie is crying over a shoe.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
20 min
December 14, 2020 10. Appointment
The washing machine breaks. The bills are mounting. Sophie almost electrocutes herself. And just as it couldn’t get any worse, it’s raining and there’s nowhere for the delivery men to park. Now she is going to be late for her appointment.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
25 min
December 07, 2020 9. Something new
“You’ll never find anyone if you’re not online.” Sophie is ready to start dating again but finds it’s done differently now. She meets a man who likes her shoes.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
30 min
November 30, 2020 8. Going under
“Mama, I can’t get to you!” There’s unexpected danger on a holiday, when the family is swept out to sea in Byron Bay, Australia.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
32 min
November 23, 2020 7. Port in the storm
“His death is nothing like the worst thing. The worst thing is now.” Sophie is struggling after Russell’s death. Everyone is trying to help, but is saying the wrong thing – except one person, who knows what it’s like because his wife has died.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
26 min
November 16, 2020 6. The funeral
Love, flashes of anger and remembering funny things. It's the first time Sophie has nothing to do except sit since her husband died. And she looks like Jackie Kennedy at JFK’s funeral.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
22 min
November 09, 2020 5. The crowded goodbye
“He was covered in flowers and looked so peaceful.” The children put them in his hair and all around him. They stroked his head and kissed him.
“It was as though he could see Sophie and the girls were surrounded by lots of love. And he was surrounded by love. And perhaps Russell felt it was a safe time to go.”
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
35 min
November 02, 2020 4. Crashing waves
“I’m sorry it’s not better news.” A hospital appointment feels like a polite break-up. Sophie and Russell are told nothing more can be done.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service
37 min
October 26, 2020 3. Family portrait
“Hold on, we think. Hold on.” A photo and a moment captured, trying to cling on, before it all begins. The cancer treatment starts and everyone wants to help.
A Falling Tree production for the BBC World Service.
35 min

About Goodbye to All This

From the publisher's feed

“I still love him and I miss him.” Losing the thing you are most sure of and coming out the other side - a story about life, love and loss. A 12-part memoir by Sophie Townsend.