The Lebanese flag
Foreign Aide

Question

Scene-setting. What does ‘nationality’ really mean? Are you born with it, or can it be claimed? Would you fight for your country?

Abstract image of an explosion
Foreign Aide

Explosion

Dinner at Lawrence’s is interrupted by news of a serious incident in the Beirut suburbs … and then by an explosion.

A Dementia Partner's Story

The Lebanese flag
Foreign Aide

Question

Scene-setting. What does ‘nationality’ really mean? Are you born with it, or can it be claimed? Would you fight for your country?

Lena's having a wonderful time in the kitchen, furiously whisking the dough for her famous bullar (cinnamon buns). Alan's standing at the side with hands outstretched to catch the dough if Lena whisks too hard

Bio

I’m Alan Miles, and I spent over 10 years caring for Lena after she was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Now I’m writing our story of love and dementia in ‘The Marathon Years‘ — a new chapter each week.

And I’m proposing an exciting new approach to dementia care with The Care Combine.

More about us here.

Picture of the book 'The Foreign Aide', showing the crescent moon and stars in an evening sky above a smoking city landscape. In the foreground is an Arab shisha pipe. The whole scene is framed in an Islamic-style arch. The author's name is Alan Miles, and there's a question beneath his name - 'Who can you trust in love and war?' Underneath the book is a crumpled shirt, bloodied at the left shoulder. And just showing beneath the shirt is a brown manilla envelope. At the top of the picture there's a newsflash: 'Launch-date: June 9, 2026'.

Cancer

Lawrence gives a history lesson, and stuns Richard with a secret. Meanwhile horrifying violence is breaking out in Beirut’s suburbs. Will Richard and Claire’s apartment be safe?

Rooster

Our 4 main characters meet. Richard is nonplussed by Monique’s secret — and unique — talent.

The Lebanese flag

Question

Scene-setting. What does ‘nationality’ really mean? Are you born with it, or can it be claimed? Would you fight for your country?

Abstract image of an explosion

Explosion

Dinner at Lawrence’s is interrupted by news of a serious incident in the Beirut suburbs … and then by an explosion.

2 wedding rings on a stone surface,separated by a crack

Marriage

The backstory of Richard and Claire’s relationship and their life in London. Their marriage is solid … or is it?

A map of Lebanon.

Destination Beirut

1974 – A career opportunity for me in Beirut. But as it turned out, Beirut was not in France, but the Middle East. And we arrived just in time for a civil war.

War-damaged buildings in a narrow Beirut street

Scenes from a war

During a ceasefire in the war, Lawrence drives Richard back to his apartment — but he can’t get in. So Lawrence takes them on a battleground tour instead, terrifying Richard.

Sign up for my free weekly newsletter

Join our community 
Get the background behind the stories
Keep up with all my latest news

Show your support
People are saying ...
Social media?

Almost everything I do is here on the website – except my running, which is on Strava.

But if you happen to use any of these, please follow me. It all helps to spread the word.

Newsfeed

I’m testing out Bluesky — a Twitter/X alternative — to tell friends what’s going on in my life right now. I’m told that Bluesky is a quieter place to chat with friends — without people bursting into the room shouting at us and telling us how we’re supposed to think, or trying to sell us something, or showing us how many pies they can eat in 20 seconds.

We’ll see.

Below is a carousel that scrolls through my last 5 Bluesky updates. Tap or click to pause the carousel and go to the actual post on Bluesky to comment, quote, repost — everything you’d expect on social media.

Let's Share

Please share your feedback, thoughts and suggestions with me. You can comment on my posts, or contact me directly at alan@milesposts.com.

And perhaps you know others who might enjoy or take comfort from my stories and ideas. If so, please tell them about milesposts.com. And if they scan the QR code, they’ll be taken directly to this Home Page. 

QR Code