Out for the night, she’s dressed to the nines
Boozed up on spirits, and cheap, foreign wines.
She’s out on the pull; got something to prove;
Hoping for stares as she shows off her moves
Her standards are shoddy, so score rate is high:
Grateful for attention from any old guy;
Groping her ass, and trampling her feet;
No conversation, or name when they meet.
In short skirt and heels, make-up on thick.
She runs to the toilet, about to be sick.
 
Now, crippled by heels, stacked crazily high,
Staggering home with some other guy,
Travelling back in a battered old Ford:
The night’s a success: she’s drunk and she’s scored.
Late night kebab and a stranger’s bed,
A heap of clothes she’s already shed.
Too drunk to remember a thing in the morning,
The pain in her head won’t serve as much warning.
Hangovers all just part of the fun;
Comparing with mates to see how much they’ve done
 
A cry for attention, of low self-esteem
One day, I’m sure, she will run out of steam
But, for now, say the people outside,
She’s the town bicycle, everyone’s had a ride.

​Face down in the daffodils
How did I end up here?
Middle of a roundabout at 4 in the morning
No recollection of the evening’s events
Leading to my current flowery bed
Dew’s starting to fall and the leaf that’s tickling my ear is an increasing distraction.
The effort required to remove it seems excessive, you know?
Never mind, let it enjoy its little game...

It is at this time of night that the ghosts and demons of my past return in force, into the beaten fortress of my tired mindscape.
Whether recent relegations or relics from an ancient history; all, it seems, must have their airing and be graced an audience within the confines of my battered skull.
Not yet the time of blissful slumber and repose; the spectres of my yesteryears desire a voice and must be heard.

In December last year I started contracting. With the promise or regular income and involvement in work that would make a real impact on the lives of thousands of people across the country, what wouldn’t appeal?! Ok, it’d be working in a real office, with real people in suits and stuff, but we’re used to change; we adapt, let’s go!

There are learning opportunities in every job you do and piece of work you undertake, and this contract was no exception.

Before venturing into contracting, I’d never really thought about accessibility. Yes, I use tech, and I had some awareness of things like screen-readers, but if you’d asked me to give examples of accessibility issues that DON’T involve a screen-reader, I would have struggled.

Turns out there are loads of reasons people might struggle to access, interact with, and digest information on the web!

• Some users need to be able to change the colours and contrast of text on a screen to be able to read it. If there are large blocks of text, they might use a screen-reader instead of trying to focus on a screen for long periods of time.
• Some users don’t have English as a first language – Google translate might work for a lot of cases, but what if your first language is British Sign Language?
• Some users quickly lose focus if there are multiple things on a screen – if they need to complete a task, they get frustrated when adverts, videos, noises, or other unexpected website features crop up and distract them.
• Some users have motor impairments, so they can’t use a mouse and have to navigate using a joystick, by touch on a tablet or mouse, or tab through web content using a keyboard. Others might use voice recognition software to give instructions to their computer.
• Some users are blind and need to use a screen-reader and their keyboard to navigate around websites. When headings and links don’t follow a logical pattern or aren’t specific, it’s easy to get lost, and can be impossible to complete a task.

Barclays has a fantastic collection of personas, covering a great spectrum of accessibility issues, which I recommend you check out.

As well as building websites that interact with assistive technologies and that can be used without a mouse, the design of messaging on websites is really important.

‘Style to be good must be clear... Clearness is secured by using words that are current
and ordinary.’ Aristotle

The average reading age of the UK population is 9 years old, meaning many of the people visiting your website aren’t going to understand your complicated technical terms, lengthy paragraphs of information, or essay-like explanations of features and USPs.

To improve the readability of your content, use short sentences, everyday words, and break up paragraphs to make your copy easier to scan.

If you’re building a website which will host a lot of content, find a couple of style guides to stick to, like Gov.uk, the Guardian and Observer, or the BBC News style guide, or create your own to reflect your own unique brand. Just remember to pitch your language at a level that is accessible to the masses.

​Teardrops stain my cheeks as I remember the man that was.
A powerhouse of strength,
Independence,
Dedication,
And my inspiration;
Now shrunk and battered,
Weakened by the poisons
Requisitely pumped into his tiring veins
To fight the failings of a system built for more.
As he sat in that bed I saw glimpses of the frightened boy he must once have been;
Long before I was even the seed of an apple in his mind's eye;
And brought forth again,
There was an innocence;
A determination;
A desperation,
As he willed himself to avoid the queue for the exit;
A queue which his body had already joined,
And could not be drawn away from.
As the tears flow they are not purely of sorrow
They are of pride;
Of respect;
Of love;
Of hope.
He never gave up,
In spite of the failings of his mortal vehicle.
The mental and physical exhaustion took their toll
But were denied their final victory over an indefatigable spirit and strength of mind which will live on eternally.
Teardrops stain my cheek as I remember the man that was,
And will always be.

One way or another, the end must always come,
and whilst it is right to grieve for that which is lost,
take solace from that which is found:
the strength and the drive to continue on
in the face of a changed world,
turned temporarily upside down,
back to front,
and inside out,
but essentially still waiting for you -
after some timely hiatus -
to return and be welcomed
by open arms and supporting hands,
comprehending faces
and the promise of smiles returning...