This is a sad episode about grief, a subject that can be really hard to talk about, but it’s so important that we make sure these everyday life circumstances are shared and made normal. I am so grateful that I captured my emotions in my diaries during the loss of someone close to me, often when you look back at a time of trauma, everything feels blurred. Cheryl Strayed said that writing forces you to locate your clarity.’ It really does, it’s something I would recommend to anyone going through grief.

The readings are taken over 20 years from 1997 when I was 15 to 2017 when I was 35.

Follow Instagram for more extracts from my Diaries: https://www.instagram.com/diaryshewrote/

Key Characters:

Lily, Holly, Ashlee, Erica - Some of my oldest friends

Toby, Jason - Boys I fancied at school

Beth - My best mate

Dad, Mum, William, Auntie Pat, Nana, Katherine, Ben, Uncle John, Susan, Robert, Grandma - Family

Adina, Melissa - London friends

Rowan - One of my best mates who I met in my single years

Locations:

The Arndale Centre:

https://www.manchesterarndale.com/

Tesco:

https://www.tesco.com/

Red or Dead:

https://www.redordead.com/

M&S:

https://www.marksandspencer.com/

Cultural References:

Midnight Mass:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight_Mass

Entertainment References:

Cheryl Strayed:

https://adobe.ly/2MgvIYE

Titanic:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanic_(1997_film)

Ellen Degenerous:

https://www.ellentube.com/

Harry Potter:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter

Just Seventeen Magazine:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Seventeen

Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel

https://open.spotify.com/album/2Ot1QoNbmHYTzXQDTuWnvO

Bridge Card Game:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contract_bridge

Duke of Edinburgh Expedition:

https://www.dofe.org/

Silent Night:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uDwZqezLnnDRWOoQ69ndA

Rockin’ All Over The World by Status Quo:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4gIdjgLlvgEOz7MexDZzpM

Diary, She Wrote was produced by Liz Beardsell, and edited and engineered by Ethan Illingworth