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Rebecca Armstrong

@RebeccaJ

Rebecca Armstrong is features editor for The Independent and i paper.

Gir Lion Lodges
London

Hotel review: Gir Lion Lodge, ZSL London Zoo

Voices

If I thought packing was hard in the old days...

"I call the nurses’ station every day at four o’clock and nine o’clock, then they take the phone to him."
Voices

Conversations with my disabled husband are a kind of call and response

Professor Fitzpatrick’s tenderness is really something special
Features

Noel Fitzpatrick has taken healthcare for animals to new heights

Disabled protestors demonstrate past the Houses of Parliament, in central London
Voices

In Sickness and In Health: The terror of government

Sainsbury's has offered up a recipe for hot cross bacon butties
Features

Hot cross vs 'not' cross: Have variations on Easter buns gone too far?

Voices

In Sickness & in Health: I find the silence scary

'So many people write gaming off as the ultimate time-waster, but it can delight, and it can give people trapped in their own bodies an escape into a world they can control'
Voices

In Sickness and in Health: Video games and the importance of escapism

Voices

In Sickness & in Health: My relaxing family getaway went downhill fast

Choc and awe: the TV ad for Trio bars expressed our yearning in song
Features

Why do we hanker after long-gone lunchbox treats?

I’m dreaming of electric wheelchairs, sufficient social care, wet rooms and ramps
Voices

In Sickness & in Health: Worst-laid plans can be taken away from you

Voices

In Sickness & in Health: Every man needs his Excalibur

Low life: Bungalows are falling out of favour even with elderly people, many of whom prefer living in flats
Property

In praise of the bungalow: Why I love living in a low-rise

Property

In praise of the bungalow: Why I love living in a low-rise

Low life: Bungalows are falling out of favour even with elderly people, many of whom prefer living in flats
The cards from him, written by a hand that can no longer hold a pen
Voices

The written reminders that can unleash the tears

My dad is slowly learning to refer to Badger as “him” rather than “it
Voices

In Sickness & in Health: I miss my Badger but applaud his ambitions

Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you inferior without your consent"
Voices

In Sickness and in Health: A lack of resolutions

Even without the gifts, it would have been a big week for this pair of fans
Voices

In Sickness & in Health: We laughed on our first Star Wars date

Even without the gifts, it would have been a big week for this pair of fans
Voices

In Sickness & in Health: We laughed on our first Star Wars date

Voices

In Sickness and In Health: Rediscovering the magic of radio

No pain, no gain is a good motto to live by
Voices

No pain, no gain? No jog, no pub is my motivation

Rebecca, Becky... or Vole?
Voices

What's in a name? A lot, when you have a life like mine

Tortoises tend to hibernate for around three months of the year
Voices

It's autumn - time to stick the tortoise in the fridge

The forecast for fireworks tonight is not too damp
Voices

A year to remember – even if it’s only me who can

The forecast for fireworks tonight is not too damp
Voices

A year to remember – even if it’s only me who can

In the UK crocodile meat is considered essential, but tampons are not
Health News

Tampons are essential, not a bleeding luxury

"I’d like to introduce you all to the five call-centre staff at the Department for Work and Pensions who each gave me a different reason for why one of Nick’s benefits was being stopped, and print their names in block capitals"
Voices

A column dedicated to everyone who hasn’t helped

The forecast for fireworks tonight is not too damp
Voices

A year to remember – even if it’s only me who can

In the UK crocodile meat is considered essential, but tampons are not
Health News

Tampons are essential, not a bleeding luxury

"I’d like to introduce you all to the five call-centre staff at the Department for Work and Pensions who each gave me a different reason for why one of Nick’s benefits was being stopped, and print their names in block capitals"
Voices

A column dedicated to everyone who hasn’t helped

A hoist from 1957 may not match modern equivalents... but it got the job done
Voices

Joint effort to get upright deserved a standing ovation

Voices

Joint effort to get upright deserved a standing ovation

A hoist from 1957 may not match modern equivalents... but it got the job done
A woman pushes a man in a wheelchair through a city park
Voices

The trials and tribulations of wheelchair chic

I'm still learning what it means to be a sister
Voices

I was a proud only child – but a prouder big sister

The Great Escape: Millions of Britons have holiday plans this weekend
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: From the friend in need, it’s au revoir

Love doesn't always take two: Grace Gelder (not pictured) married herself)
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: With this ring, I am hoping to renew our

Love doesn't always take two: Grace Gelder (not pictured) married herself)
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: With this ring, I am hoping to renew our

A couple hold hands near the shore
Comment

In sickness and in Health: I miss the way we used to live, and the

Reviews

The Jump, by Doug Johnstone - book review: A bridge over murky waters

Comment

In sickness and in health: Friends make all the difference when it

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: A holiday isn’t a holiday if you’re

Daisy Buchanan (second from right) in Normandy with her mother and sisters (from left) Dotty, Gracie, Jane, Maddy and Beth
News & Advice

The summer that changed my life: From a girls' trip in Malia to a

Stuck for what the read on your holidays? The Independent's summer books special has the answers
Comment

In Sickness and In Health: The 'brain books' which provide comfort

“Tips? Tricks? Spell it out for me, poppet.” “T…W…I…T…S” Ah! A Twix
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: The real power of speech

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: The bravery in trying to remember the bad

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: How to move in 20 steps (it’s not as easy

A Mini Cooper is the perfect small-car package
Comment

How this rusty driver became a van-reversing virtuoso

Not such a great birthday party?
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: 'I'm really happy to be alive and to see

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: 'I'm really happy to be alive and to see

Not such a great birthday party?
A sign advertises tattooing and piercing near Camden Market
Comment

When your image is the only thing you can control, it's no wonder

Pizza
Comment

I don’t mind making a meal of it when I eat with Nick

New rules mean individuals will no longer be allowed to register other people in their household
Comment

A political voice that really needs to be heard

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: A night out to show I’m still Rebecca as

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: A night out to show I’m still Rebecca as

Comment

When a small amount of desk space means the world

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: The missing S, assorted other letters, and

Comment

A cherished home redefined by new memories

Comment

I’m thankful for the clouds outside Nick’s window

Comment

I’m thankful for the clouds outside Nick’s window

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: R is for rehab, P is for parking and OT is

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: R is for rehab, P is for parking and OT is

A woman dressed as a leprechaun, a fairy type in Irish folklore, waves from a London bus that is participating in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in London, Britain, 15 March 2015. St. Patrick's Day is a bank holiday in Ireland and North Ireland to honour Pa
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Small joys in the shape of a cardboard

Lost cat
Features

Lost pets posters: The photocopied picture of a much-missed companion

The importance of a door knocker
Comment

I’ve learnt to make lists – and that the brain’s amazing

Portrait of woman writing letter at desk
Comment

Dear Nick: a personal letter to my wonderful husband

Comment

Dear Nick: a personal letter to my wonderful husband

Portrait of woman writing letter at desk
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: My alphabet of medical care, from comas to

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Nick’s accident has been an education for

'One minute he cares desperately about his precious things, the next he can’t remember them'
Comment

I repeat things over and over in the hope they’ll stay with him

The 'take down' requests to the world's biggest internet search engine came after a European Court ruling on Tuesday
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: I’m being sensible and avoiding

The 'take down' requests to the world's biggest internet search engine came after a European Court ruling on Tuesday
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: I’m being sensible and avoiding

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Escape to the country? More like a

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: In this land of no answers, the questioner

A festive cat (not the author's) embraces the Christmas spirit
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: The adventures of Badger the cat (aka Santa

Whistl, which was previously known as TNT Post, already has a successful downstream business, which handles and sorts bulk mail from major companies, before passing it on to Royal Mail which delivers the letters to households
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Cheers Jacko, the kindness of strangers is

A wheelchair user
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Behind Nick's wheelchair, every step of the

Nurses now being face struck off if they don't report poor care
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: How’s Nick? A short question with so many

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Cheers to the boozer for the shandies and

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: I hope that one day he’ll want his moose

Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Nine months since the night everything

Milton Keynes Hospital
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: A good hospital can make a world of

"Up along the side of Hampstead Heath, green foliage on one side and higgledy houses on the other"
Comment

In Sickness and In Health: On the road, a farewell to North Circular

World's heaviest firework new record set in Japan
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Fireworks can be an ordeal for a recovering

The Moon
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Waking up to my 4am witching hour of worry

I co-own it and now look after my house, ground rent, security lights, boiler check ups and all
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Looking back at old me is what makes me

Our resilience to stress is to a large extent determined by our genes
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: There’s only one me in this annoying

Shop for life? Sainsbury’s shares are at an 11-year low
Features

Supermarket shoppers are finding that every Lidl helps

I co-own it and now look after my house, ground rent, security lights, boiler check ups and all
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: Looking back at old me is what makes me

Our resilience to stress is to a large extent determined by our genes
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: There’s only one me in this annoying

Shop for life? Sainsbury’s shares are at an 11-year low
Features

Supermarket shoppers are finding that every Lidl helps

"Of course, curtains aren’t doors, and they are a terrible substitute for walls."
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: In our hospitals, privacy has a very

“You're running away!” Nick said to me the other night as I tried to leave the hospital
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: ‘There’s nothing I want more than to

Home body: Badger stays safe indoors
Pets

Should we really feel guilty about keeping cats inside?

The colours of autumn leaves
Comment

In Sickness and in Health: As autumn arrives, more of us should wear

Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden are the creators behind Tatty Devine
Fashion

Fifteen years of Tatty Devine

Comment

Listening to my husband Nick swear again is just music to my ears

Features

New research shows that women's anxieties peak when they are in their

Are women really at their most stressed at 34?
Comment

Super stressed at 34? Tell me about it

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