When my dad and brother died, I denied my grief the way we deny the climate crisis. But it didn’t go away

‘Ignoring a problem, however tempting, won’t make it go away. It’s more likely to leave an aftermath of what ifs.’ Photograph: Giza-01/Getty Images/500px Prime

The kids’ bedtime had long since passed, and my frustration was beginning to show.

As they faffed, I fretted – about the list of chores still to do before I could collapse into bed myself. At last as I harriedly tucked in my daughter, she looked up at me with a concerned expression and said: “Dad, does Poppy need surgery?”