Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
"Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." Philosophical words of wisdom from late US writer Hunter S Thompson, advocating his belief in the necessity to undertake projects with pride, tenacity with aspirations it's produced 'right first time'. Prose expressing the importance of not settling for a completed job that's unfit for purpose. In a far... Continue Reading →
If the Dulux paint chart is to believed, in recent days the sky has been a 'striking cyan' colour. That being said, Crown paints beg to differ with their stock list indicating the celestial dome above us is more 'splashing around' blue. I'll let the two UK paint giants argue whose chromatic descriptive is most... Continue Reading →
Today's the eighth birthday my diminutive wife has celebrated since her November 2010 prognosis, at the age of 44, indicating her condition would make it unlikely she'd celebrate many more 11th Junes.... Obviously, I'm paraphrasing as medical professionals would never use language as insensitive to a patient - The message though was the same. As... Continue Reading →
Tuesday 22nd May- Today's itinerary includes a visit to a Leeds oncology unit for my wife's monthly treatment, along with an out of town shopping centre sojourn for mater's weekly comestibles. From my perspective, this roughly translates to me spending an hour writing in a hospital waiting room. Followed by attempts to further bolster my... Continue Reading →
Monday 14th May - There's an old adage that 'No good deed goes unpunished'. Yesterday afternoon it was a folklore teaching I was rudely reminded of by my 'good' buddy karma, in cahoots with his rancid sidekick cancer. Following undertaking five hours voluntary work for MacMillan Cancer Support, I returned home to witness the 'reward'... Continue Reading →
Yesterday morning I received a surprise when arriving at the breakfast table to be greeted with a smile and a cordial “Hello!” from my diminutive other half. The surprise wasn’t the cordiality of Karen’s greeting, moreover the fact we had a kitchen table. We didn’t have one when I retired to bed the previous evening!... Continue Reading →
I was up and out of Strachan Towers by 6am this morning - My mission should I wish to accept it (which I did) to attend the Wakefield Hospice 10k run. I hasten to add this wasn't as a participant, my days of middle distance running now firmly behind me. Now only distant memories untidily... Continue Reading →
Tomorrow morning I'll be partaking in a voluntary collection for Marie Curie cancer care. My presence a small contribution towards the raising of funds during the organisation's March Daffodil Appeal campaign. I experience a great deal of satisfaction being a foot soldier in the battalions fundraising the fight on numerous fronts against cancer. An odious,... Continue Reading →
I'm penning today's narrative in a waiting area of a Leeds hospital's Bexley Wing. A consequence of accompanying my wife Karen during her four weekly receipt of oncological treatment. As I aimlessly type seeking inspiration for a 500+ worded monologue, Karen is sitting patiently poring through her current read. Due to the angle she's holding... Continue Reading →