THE COLOUR OF MADNESS
A Blog About Living with Mental Illness
Category: True Stories
Wild Thing
A dark shape darted across the chicken coop in front of me and disappeared. I blinked, rubbed my eyes and surveyed my surroundings. Nothing was amiss, the sun was shining, wind whispered through the lightly waving trees and my lone chicken tilted her head… Continue Reading “Wild Thing”
A Fox in the Hen House
I used to keep and breed both chickens and Muscovy ducks. For a time they were my pride and joy. A mismatched flock of Isa browns, Rhode Island Red’s and crested silkies with their fluffy feet and pom pom hats would scavenge and peck… Continue Reading “A Fox in the Hen House”
Part 6: The Devil’s Car
After leaving New Zealand and Diamond behind I don’t remember The Devil being spoken about again. My Grandmother had returned once more to New Zealand and I had no contact with either of them. Diamond’s story was long forgotten, stored safely in a locked… Continue Reading “Part 6: The Devil’s Car”
Part 5: Uncovered
Diamond had her first baby at 13, she’d grown up the hard way “graduated from the school of hard knocks” as she often joked wryly, but a trauma survivor can sniff out another a mile away, she had sensed my inner pain and she… Continue Reading “Part 5: Uncovered”
Part 4: Blackout
When we were around 13 or 14 we went back to the land of the long white cloud, once again as an unaccompanied minor. By this stage of our life our mental health was declining rapidly and we were just beginning the downward spiral… Continue Reading “Part 4: Blackout”
Part 3: Meeting Diamond
It’s funny how the mind plays tricks on you, worse perhaps for those of us with dissociative disorders who experience time as anything but linear. I knew I’d been to New Zealand as a child but it wasn’t until writing “The Devil’s Wife” that… Continue Reading “Part 3: Meeting Diamond”
Part 1: The Devil’s Wife
I’m angry right now, seething in fact. Broken on behalf of my father, broken on behalf of my aunt, my cousin and crushed by the ripple effect it had on all those that had suffered at the hands of The Devil and his wife;… Continue Reading “Part 1: The Devil’s Wife”
The Last English Teacher
She was short and chubby, 30 something with long blonde hair. She was kind yet firm, quick witted with a sarcastic ‘don’t fuck with me’ attitude. Her name, like my own, was Kate and in an era where teachers were only ever called Sir,… Continue Reading “The Last English Teacher”
Story time: Acceptable Relationship Age Gaps, or Grooming?
*content warning grooming, eating disorders and also Looong post warning! Our teenagers years had been rocky to put it mildly. I’ve been haunted by this part of our life lately and in particular I am having difficulty reconciling the dynamics of a relationship we… Continue Reading “Story time: Acceptable Relationship Age Gaps, or Grooming?”
Out Loud
I’m getting frustrated with parts of us,Recovery from trauma is a slow process, I understand that but We have been in therapy 5 years, longer actually because we had a different therapist before this one an I think we saw her for a couple… Continue Reading “Out Loud”
THE COLOUR OF MADNESS 