Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
Since returning from my Portuguese vacation on Friday, frustratingly I’ve been laid low with overwhelming fatigue and ‘the runs’. The only plus side of the latter being frequent dashes to the bathroom have meant, despite illness, I am maintaining my daily Fit Bit step target. With regards the tiredness element of my condition, I feel... Continue Reading →
My grandad used to always say “When one door shuts, another one opens” … I remember him as a lovely bloke, but a terrible cabinet maker. The above a gag I’ve just shamelessly stolen from late great entertainer Tommy Cooper. The quip feeling a fitting way to launch this writing group narrative; the suggested topic for the... Continue Reading →
Last week’s Portuguese vacation with my partner Sarah has meant it has been a barren time literary wise of late. Sure, I could have still waxed lyric on the Iberian Peninsula. However, instead I chose to indulge on a relaxing seven-day smorgasbord of sun, sand, sangria, silliness, and Sarah. An alliteration brew warming both my... Continue Reading →
Although penning this piece from the bedroom of a Portuguese hotel, I am more than aware back in Blighty my fellow Brits are celebrating Father's Day. One of the many reminders of the celebration coming in the shape of cards from my children, granddaughter and Zella the dog which take pride of place on my... Continue Reading →
During a reflective moment yesterday, lyrics to Daryl Hall and John Hall's 1970s song Sara's Smile meandered evocatively around my neurological corridors. These locutions floated around my mind, gently blown along by a metaphorical zephyr. Calming and soothing my soul, evoking thoughts of my beau Sarah. Sure, unlike Daryl Hall's girlfriend Sara, my Ossett squeeze... Continue Reading →
Last weekend saw my inaugural visit to a music festival. It has only took six decades but the wait was well worth it, even the ninety minutes it took to get from the venue entrance to my camper van pitch. If there is a sun god, he also had tickets to the musical clambake. His... Continue Reading →
Thirty-three years ago today I became a father for the first time. This major life event consequential of son and heir Jonathon joined the cast of this reality show called life. A rollercoaster of a gig my boy has thus far weathered relatively well. Arriving at this stage of the aging process as an engaging... Continue Reading →
The first known batch of Scotch whisky was recorded on this day in 1495; the first distillation accredited to a Tironensian monk named John Cor. The man of pray a servant in King James IV’s court at Lindores Abbey, Fife. For the uninitiated, the Tironensian Order was a medieval monastic order named after the location of the mother abbey in France (Tiron Abbey), which... Continue Reading →
The latest prompt for my writing group's essay topic is ‘first date’. A suggestion which made me hark back to the inaugural social meeting between my current beau Sarah and me in 2022. A wintertime liaison where we toured a smattering of upmarket Leeds city centre watering holes… Well, the ones she wasn’t barred from... Continue Reading →