Yuletide Ghosts

Yuletide preparations continue apace in chez Strachan. With nineteen more sleeps until St Nick breaks into my apartment with an immunity afforded from his benevolence, my pre-yuletide plans are well placed. Gifts are purchased, and arrangements to distribute the presents have been made. Additionally, a kind invite from friends to celebrate Christmas Day with them mean I’m... Continue Reading →

Giddy Up!

I spent part of Saturday morning freshening up the look and feel of my blogging website Strachan.blog . By reading this prose, a cosmetic change you are now party to. Is it any better? Well, I think so; but hey I am biased, so I’ll let you make your own mind up… Oh, you already... Continue Reading →

Suffering For My Art

A phalanx of baristas and customers seeking a caffeine hit surround me as I commence this missive. A south Leeds retail centre’s café affording me a domain to place my buttocks, rehydrate and stir whatever creative juice pool I can muster. After tweaking my back yesterday afternoon, this journaling accompanied by intermittent lumbar spasms. Stretching... Continue Reading →

The Picnic

Looking down, it felt like this working-class northern lad had arrived. His eyes drawn to a multicoloured hippy picnic blanket in front of him; the rug laden with a wonderful smorgasbord procured from a Fortnum & Mason festival stall.  His partner belying her usual similar lack of culture by swooning at the champagne feast. Her... Continue Reading →

Window Cleaner’s Secret

Recently, while endeavouring to locate some important document or other, I stumbled across a bunch of long forgotten short stories I’d written during creative writing course attended in 2015. Footnote - When saying stumble I mean inadvertently located; not I'd tripped over a pile of recklessly discarded A4 sheets. Anyhow, I accidentally located six or... Continue Reading →

Keen On Keane

“If only I don't bend and break, I'll meet you on the other side, I'll meet you in the light. If only I don't suffocate, I'll meet you in the morning when you wake.” Thoughts and emotions I heard relayed last Friday evening.  To clarify the above wasn’t delivered as a morbid goodnight message from my partner, Sarah. An audio... Continue Reading →

Literary Therapy

Sunlight sneaks through an adjacent window, kissing the upper petals of the white orchid adorning the features dusty sill.  On a nearby kitchen table perches a middle-aged man, laptop afore him. Erratic of mood, he scans his immediate indoor landscape. Blue eyes darting between a full-size sculpture of a horse’s head, a three-dimensional hanging scooter... Continue Reading →

Chev

I am a man of simple tastes. Give me sight of a beguiling smile, visions of a ‘Six bottles of wine for the price of Five’ sale sign, or the sound of a woman saying, “Ok, Gary, I’ll rescind my restraining order application!” and I’m in clover. For most of my adult life I barely procured... Continue Reading →

Birthday

Yesterday witnessed the birthday of one GJ Strachan from Wakefield parish. A low-key day celebration wise seeing the hirsute mischief maker attend an online writing group, embark on a shopping centre visit, along with an afternoon at the park with his beau, her grandson and dog.  My evening at home was quiet, watching YouTube clips... Continue Reading →

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