Thread:I have a dear friend. Before I begin this thread you need to understand that. She's my friend. She works in a hospice, is a palliative care doctor. She has helped me so much, when my father was dying, giving me advice at the start of lockdown, for the care of my mother. She's a mother, a daughter, a doctor who turned away from a life as a journalist, retrained to become a doctor, moved into palliative care and fights for the @NHS with heart and passion. She looks far too young to have lived all the life she's lived. She is also a writer.

Thread: My dad taught me many things. He helped me learn to walk when I was a small child, holding my hands as I took first steps.
He taught me how to be kind to strangers, making food for the 'gentlemen of the road' who passed by, giving hem clothes.
He taught me how to love, married to my mum for 65 years.
He taught me how to laugh, and how to have respect for others, and, bless him, how to trespass, quietly, for he believed that the land belonged to all.
His last lesson to me was how to face death, with courage.
When his heart failed he asked

Thread: Keep hearing people say, there's nothing we can do' re Climate change, etc. It's time to first take responsibility and then make changes.
It's all of our fault the world is in this state. We fly, we eat in an unsustainable way. We allow pesticides to be poured onto land. We listen to a child, growing into a woman, say oh yes yes, isn't she amazing and then we carry on, making no changes, driving, flying, eating fruit out of season.
We aren't helpless. Our governments will do nothing. We first have to lead, then our leaders will follow.

Thread:
I have a new book out. It's written by a twelve year old child and is a celebratory odyssey of wildness, in praise of solitude.
Half the earnings for this book will go towards making libraries in schools.
There is something at its heart that is seldom spoken of. 2. The author of the book, aged 12 when she wrote it, disappeared aged 25. She was never found, has never been declared dead.
In the UK between 180 000 and 250 000 people go missing every year.
Of 'teenage runaways' the overwhelming % is young women.

Thread: Months ago I was asked to ‘express an interest’ in a commission. When I’d worked out what was being asked I did.
I put forward art, based on The Lost Words, Words and images, and @AlisonOToole who designed the book helped us win the commission.
A book became a hospital Much of the work is put together by Alison, with such skill. Some new paintings were made, where elements were required. And Robert wrote a new spell, for Buttercup, for the children’s ward.

Thread:
It’s a while since I painted a book. And it’s unusual to dedicate a Christmas card, but this year’s @HelpMusiciansUK is dedicated to @autumnrosewell
Why? Well, because she works tirelessly to promote illustrators and authors, their work and to encourage ... people to thonk about a fair wage for authors and illustrators. She promotes reading and supports readers young and old. And she proposed the awards for author and illustrator of the year at The British Book Awards, the #nibbies and is a great supporter of #picturesmeanbusiness