- Home
- Site Index
- About Me
-
My Books
- Book List & Themes
- Strictly for Adults Novels >
-
Tales from Portlaw
>
- No Need to Look for Love
- 'The Love Quartet' >
-
The Priest's Calling Card
>
- Chapter One - The Irish Custom
- Chapter Two - Patrick Duffy's Family Background
- Chapter Three - Patrick Duffy Junior's Vocation to Priesthood
- Chapter Four - The first years of the priesthood
- Chapter Five - Father Patrick Duffy in Seattle
- Chapter Six - Father Patrick Duffy, Portlaw Priest
- Chapter Seven - Patrick Duffy Priest Power
- Chapter Eight - Patrick Duffy Groundless Gossip
- Chapter Nine - Monsignor Duffy of Portlaw
- Chapter Ten - The Portlaw Inheritance of Patrick Duffy
- Bigger and Better >
- The Oldest Woman in the World >
-
Sean and Sarah
>
- Chapter 1 - 'Return of the Prodigal Son'
- Chapter 2 - 'The early years of sweet innocence in Portlaw'
- Chapter 3 - 'The Separation'
- Chapter 4 - 'Separation and Betrayal'
- Chapter 5 - 'Portlaw to Manchester'
- Chapter 6 - 'Salford Choices'
- Chapter 7 - 'Life inside Prison'
- Chapter 8 - 'The Aylesbury Pilgrimage'
- Chapter 9 - Sean's interest in stone masonary'
- Chapter 10 - 'Sean's and Tony's Partnership'
- Chapter 11 - 'Return of the Prodigal Son'
- The Alternative Christmas Party >
-
The Life of Liam Lafferty
>
- Chapter One: ' Liam Lafferty is born'
- Chapter Two : 'The Baptism of Liam Lafferty'
- Chapter Three: 'The early years of Liam Lafferty'
- Chapter Four : Early Manhood
- Chapter Five : Ned's Secret Past
- Chapter Six : Courtship and Marriage
- Chapter Seven : Liam and Trish marry
- Chapter Eight : Farley meets Ned
- Chapter Nine : 'Ned comes clean to Farley'
- Chapter Ten : Tragedy hits the family
- Chapter Eleven : The future is brighter
-
The life and times of Joe Walsh
>
- Chapter One : 'The marriage of Margaret Mawd and Thomas Walsh’
- Chapter Two 'The birth of Joe Walsh'
- Chapter Three 'Marriage breakup and betrayal'
- Chapter Four: ' The Walsh family breakup'
- Chapter Five : ' Liverpool Lodgings'
- Chapter Six: ' Settled times are established and tested'
- Chapter Seven : 'Haworth is heaven is a place on earth'
- Chapter Eight: 'Coming out'
- Chapter Nine: Portlaw revenge
- Chapter Ten: ' The murder trial of Paddy Groggy'
- Chapter Eleven: 'New beginnings'
-
The Woman Who Hated Christmas
>
- Chapter One: 'The Christmas Enigma'
- Chapter Two: ' The Breakup of Beth's Family''
- Chapter Three: From Teenager to Adulthood.'
- Chapter Four: 'The Mills of West Yorkshire.'
- Chapter Five: 'Harrison Garner Showdown.'
- Chapter Six : 'The Christmas Dance'
- Chapter Seven : 'The ballot for Shop Steward.'
- Chapter Eight: ' Leaving the Mill'
- Chapter Ten: ' Beth buries her Ghosts'
- Chapter Eleven: Beth and Dermot start off married life in Galway.
- Chapter Twelve: The Twin Tragedy of Christmas, 1992.'
- Chapter Thirteen: 'The Christmas star returns'
- Chapter Fourteen: ' Beth's future in Portlaw'
-
The Last Dance
>
- Chapter One - ‘Nancy Swales becomes the Widow Swales’
- Chapter Two ‘The secret night life of Widow Swales’
- Chapter Three ‘Meeting Richard again’
- Chapter Four ‘Clancy’s Ballroom: March 1961’
- Chapter Five ‘The All Ireland Dancing Rounds’
- Chapter Six ‘James Mountford’
- Chapter Seven ‘The All Ireland Ballroom Latin American Dance Final.’
- Chapter Eight ‘The Final Arrives’
- Chapter Nine: 'Beth in Manchester.'
- 'Two Sisters' >
- Fourteen Days >
-
‘The Postman Always Knocks Twice’
>
- Author's Foreword
- Contents
- Chapter One
- Chapter Two
- Chapter Three
- Chapter Four
- Chapter Five
- Chapter Six
- Chapter Seven
- Chapter Eight
- Chapter Nine
- Chapter Ten
- Chapter Eleven
- Chapter Twelve
- Chapter Thirteen
- Chapter Fourteen
- Chapter Fifteen
- Chapter Sixteen
- Chapter Seventeen
- Chapter Eighteen
- Chapter Nineteen
- Chapter Twenty
- Chapter Twenty-One
- Chapter Twenty-Two
-
Celebrity Contacts
-
Thoughts and Musings
- Bereavement >
- Nature >
-
Bill's Personal Development
>
- What I'd like to be remembered for
- Second Chances
- Roots
- Holidays of Old
- Memorable Moments of Mine
- Cleckheaton Consecration
- Canadian Loves
- Mum's Wisdom
- 'Early life at my Grandparents'
- Family Holidays
- 'Mother /Child Bond'
- Childhood Pain
- The Death of Lady
- 'Soldiering On'
- 'Romantic Holidays'
- 'On the roof'
- Always wear clean shoes
- 'Family Tree'
- The importance of poise
- 'Growing up with grandparents'
- Love & Romance >
- Christian Thoughts, Acts and Words >
- My Wedding
- My Funeral
- Audio Downloads
- My Singing Videos
- Bill's Blog
- Contact Me
'Mother/ Child Bond'
Words are woefully inadequate to describe the loving bond that exists between most mothers and their child. Despite the cord of separation being cut at birth, nothing is capable of severing the unqualified love bond between the two.
In my life, I have personally known the worth of a loving bond between mother and child. I have felt that special relationship that is capable of making bruised knees stop hurting by the magic rub of my mother's hand and the mystical soothing of her voice of reassurance.
As a growing child, my mother always told me that I was 'special' and because of her daily reminders about my 'specialness', I naturally grew up feeling 'special', and still do. The only difference today, is that I know that every creature and human in our world is 'special,' but no more or less than any other of their kind. When, as an 11 year old, I got run over by a large lorry and was a hospital patient for almost nine months with extensive injuries of a fractured spine, lung puncture, 22 out of 24 of my ribs broken, two broken legs and two broken arms, mum and dad were told that I'd die, and when I didn't, they were then told I'd never walk again.
My serious accident kept me unable to walk for three years, and living and walking again merely confirmed my 'specialness' in my mother's eyes. At that time, I simply believed that I could never advance in mum's estimation from the status of 'specialness', but I was wrong. Following my bad accident, a national newspaper described me as being a 'miracle boy' for having confounded the expectations of the medics by surviving and regaining my mobility against all odds. After that, there was no holding my mother back when it came to speaking about 'her special boy.' During the rest of her life, my mother never viewed me as being anything less than 'miraculous.'
When mum died, I knew that I'd lost the best friend I'd ever had and I grieved and cried for a number of weeks after her funeral. I only started to feel better after I started to tell myself that, in spirit, she'd never left me and never would. Though she'd died and could no longer give me that magic rub whenever I stumbled, fell and bruised myself, or smile at me reassuringly with that mischievous face she could put on whenever I made a boob, she was still with me; much, much more than any memory might conjure up. I still feel that though she passed over from this side of life to the other side of the grave thirty-five years ago, she has remained by my side ever since, urging me on whenever I was in danger of stopping and watching over me during times when I was in need of my own guardian angel.
From the many things my mother taught me, to always look for the best in other people by taking from yourself, is something I never forgot. She wanted me to live life to the full and to do those things that she never had the opportunity to do, except dream of. Essentially, she taught me not to live my life in either regret or retrospect as there is never any reason to be sorry for living and there is always something new each day for everyone to look forward to. She reminded me that whatever goodness we encountered in our everyday life, however small or seemingly insignificant it might at first appear, that I should never fail to see its preciousness because it was worthy of embrace.
At the age of sixty-nine, I stopped writing, having published over fifty books. My new wife, Sheila, gave me renewed inspiration and she persuaded me to take up my pen again. Having told all the stories I thought I had in me to tell, I decided to tell some of my mother's stories that she told me as a child about Portlaw and its characters. So, I took the germ of the many stories she used to tell me about her life in Portlaw, County Waterford (the place where I was born and where I'll finally rest). I always wanted to believe the truth of her tall tales and so I used my vivid imagination and author's licence, and transplanted them from her own garden of thought to mine; growing and stretching them even beyond my mother's 'truthful' recall. I have since 1970, added to my publication list by including thirteen romantic stories that come under the umbrella title of 'Tales from Portlaw.' I often wonder what mum would think about the twist I've given to her stories?
All of these romantic stories are also published here on my website and can be freely accessed by following the link:
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/tales-from-portlaw.html
You may also purchase a copy in either e-book format from www.smashwords.com or in paper back/hard back from www.lulu.com and www.amazon.com. As with every book I've ever sold since I first had one published (over sixty-six books to press), all profit from their sales will go to a charitable cause in perpetuity, as did the £200,000 I gave to charity from the entirity of their sale's profit between 1989 and 2005.
My mother was an Irish dreamer and I end this post with her favourite song, that I heard her sing out of tune the whole of my childhood. It is sung by her favourite singer who became one hundred years old in March, 2017. Mum would have been very pleased to know that in my later years, the singer of the song, Vera Lynn, became a good friend of her 'special son' and helped me with a number of my charitable causes. I also include a song I recorded in February, 2018 which never a day passed when I woulodn't hear mum sing it as she worked away, dreaming of the old land. Copyright: William Forde: August 13th, 2016. (Amended and Reviewed: April, 20180).
https://youtu.be/Y5RhWVlXF0Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKzmf_hZQ14&feature=youtu.be
In my life, I have personally known the worth of a loving bond between mother and child. I have felt that special relationship that is capable of making bruised knees stop hurting by the magic rub of my mother's hand and the mystical soothing of her voice of reassurance.
As a growing child, my mother always told me that I was 'special' and because of her daily reminders about my 'specialness', I naturally grew up feeling 'special', and still do. The only difference today, is that I know that every creature and human in our world is 'special,' but no more or less than any other of their kind. When, as an 11 year old, I got run over by a large lorry and was a hospital patient for almost nine months with extensive injuries of a fractured spine, lung puncture, 22 out of 24 of my ribs broken, two broken legs and two broken arms, mum and dad were told that I'd die, and when I didn't, they were then told I'd never walk again.
My serious accident kept me unable to walk for three years, and living and walking again merely confirmed my 'specialness' in my mother's eyes. At that time, I simply believed that I could never advance in mum's estimation from the status of 'specialness', but I was wrong. Following my bad accident, a national newspaper described me as being a 'miracle boy' for having confounded the expectations of the medics by surviving and regaining my mobility against all odds. After that, there was no holding my mother back when it came to speaking about 'her special boy.' During the rest of her life, my mother never viewed me as being anything less than 'miraculous.'
When mum died, I knew that I'd lost the best friend I'd ever had and I grieved and cried for a number of weeks after her funeral. I only started to feel better after I started to tell myself that, in spirit, she'd never left me and never would. Though she'd died and could no longer give me that magic rub whenever I stumbled, fell and bruised myself, or smile at me reassuringly with that mischievous face she could put on whenever I made a boob, she was still with me; much, much more than any memory might conjure up. I still feel that though she passed over from this side of life to the other side of the grave thirty-five years ago, she has remained by my side ever since, urging me on whenever I was in danger of stopping and watching over me during times when I was in need of my own guardian angel.
From the many things my mother taught me, to always look for the best in other people by taking from yourself, is something I never forgot. She wanted me to live life to the full and to do those things that she never had the opportunity to do, except dream of. Essentially, she taught me not to live my life in either regret or retrospect as there is never any reason to be sorry for living and there is always something new each day for everyone to look forward to. She reminded me that whatever goodness we encountered in our everyday life, however small or seemingly insignificant it might at first appear, that I should never fail to see its preciousness because it was worthy of embrace.
At the age of sixty-nine, I stopped writing, having published over fifty books. My new wife, Sheila, gave me renewed inspiration and she persuaded me to take up my pen again. Having told all the stories I thought I had in me to tell, I decided to tell some of my mother's stories that she told me as a child about Portlaw and its characters. So, I took the germ of the many stories she used to tell me about her life in Portlaw, County Waterford (the place where I was born and where I'll finally rest). I always wanted to believe the truth of her tall tales and so I used my vivid imagination and author's licence, and transplanted them from her own garden of thought to mine; growing and stretching them even beyond my mother's 'truthful' recall. I have since 1970, added to my publication list by including thirteen romantic stories that come under the umbrella title of 'Tales from Portlaw.' I often wonder what mum would think about the twist I've given to her stories?
All of these romantic stories are also published here on my website and can be freely accessed by following the link:
http://www.fordefables.co.uk/tales-from-portlaw.html
You may also purchase a copy in either e-book format from www.smashwords.com or in paper back/hard back from www.lulu.com and www.amazon.com. As with every book I've ever sold since I first had one published (over sixty-six books to press), all profit from their sales will go to a charitable cause in perpetuity, as did the £200,000 I gave to charity from the entirity of their sale's profit between 1989 and 2005.
My mother was an Irish dreamer and I end this post with her favourite song, that I heard her sing out of tune the whole of my childhood. It is sung by her favourite singer who became one hundred years old in March, 2017. Mum would have been very pleased to know that in my later years, the singer of the song, Vera Lynn, became a good friend of her 'special son' and helped me with a number of my charitable causes. I also include a song I recorded in February, 2018 which never a day passed when I woulodn't hear mum sing it as she worked away, dreaming of the old land. Copyright: William Forde: August 13th, 2016. (Amended and Reviewed: April, 20180).
https://youtu.be/Y5RhWVlXF0Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKzmf_hZQ14&feature=youtu.be