Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
Saturday 21st April - Yesterday, a scattering of my dad's ashes were mixed with the potting compost of two azaleas bought in his memory. A big fan of the shrubs that thrive in acidic soil, we thought it a fitting tribute for our late family head. My siblings and mother plan a similar homage to... Continue Reading →
Friday 20th April - Karen and I dined alfresco yesterday evening - Our unchallenging but flavoursome cuisine cooked in a recently purchased outdoor pizza oven. During a bizarre dream earlier in the week, astrologer Russell Grant recommended utilising the ingredients marmite and baked beans for a topping (see A Pizza The Action ). Despite this... Continue Reading →
Thursday 19th April - Due to a busy schedule, today's flight of whimsy will have to be penned in segments. Chunks of narration conveying how my few 'to dos' are progressing, on what is forecast to be the meteorological silver-lining of recent cloud cover. Arriving downstairs this morning my wife Karen enthusiastically informed me "The... Continue Reading →
Wednesday 18th April - After a night kipping over at mater's abode, it was an early reveille for yours truly today to undertake my usual Wednesday morning voluntary work at Wakefield Hospice warehouse. This gratis labour my small gesture towards thanking the people who so splendidly cared, supported and comforted my family during his final... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 17th April (Part 2) - Spent the afternoon in a local garden centre. A newly constructed, contemporary building with an up-market café/restaurant, state of the art horticultural equipment, a stock of shrubs that would usurp the Garden of Eden's and more scented candles than you can shake a stick at....... If required, this impressive... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 17th April - Yesterdays rocketing temperatures in West Yorkshire meant I was able to fulfil my much awaited re-entry into the world of horticultural maintenance. Solar rays bequeathing us warmth hitherto unexperienced in 2018. Heat of such ferocity if you sat close enough to a fire pit it was just about bearable enough to... Continue Reading →
Monday 16th April - Stretching for a component part of the chiminea I was constructing, I tweaked my back this morning. The building of the fire pit not a particularly onerous task in itself, however the recurring twinges post-tweak made it a fairly uncomfortable undertaking. Akin to smaller aftershocks that can cause further disruption after... Continue Reading →
Sunday 15th April - Yesterday, the missus and I returned the upstairs chambers back to some semblance of tidiness, following the upheaval caused by the week's decorating. A frustrating seven days or so where I couldn't locate stuff due to errant piles of clothing, inaccessible drawers and furniture road blocks in various rooms. I also... Continue Reading →
Saturday 14th April - Yesterday evening, with vocal chords smoother than a Casanova pick up line, sharp clothing smoother than the escalators on the Piccadilly Line and soul refrains smoother than a Hollywood bikini line, US jazz singer Gregory Porter hit first direct Arena, Leeds. Actually, hit is probably too strong a word - Gently... Continue Reading →