Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
On this day in mid-1960's my younger brother Ian made his inaugural appearance into the world. Born at our Leeds home, our kid arrived shortly after, in their second World Heavyweight Championship fight Cassius Clay had knocked out Sonny Liston. With Clay (latterly Muhammed Ali) winning by first round KO, Ian didn't arrive in time to... Continue Reading →
This weeks topic prompt for a writing group I attend on a bi-weekly basis was 'ceremony'. A suggestion leading me to write/read out the following tongue-in-cheek narrative:- Ceremony – by Gary Strachan Today, with our thoughts on ceremonies, I’ve decided to revisit the day 35 years ago when I walked down the aisle of a County... Continue Reading →
Last weekend I spent two nights at a campervan festival on the English/Welsh border. The almost constant sunshine, an enchanting Chester landscape and good company contributed to existing in forty eight hours of outdoor ambrosia. Re-reading the above paragraph, it has struck me that I'd no need to prefix Welsh with the word English. After... Continue Reading →
Zella, my partner Sarah's adorable German Shepherd, looks back forlornly at me as I crank up todays creative literary engine. I've gotta say, I'm unsure why the sable haired beauty looks so despondent. After all, she's had a walk, during which she enjoyed herself chasing and retrieving sticks; the furry canine's also had her morning... Continue Reading →
A few years back I wrote a blog about baroque period composer Johann Sebastian Bach... Or should that be a few years Bach, not back?... No, no, I was right first time. Within that fictional essay I somehow managed to divert from the original narrative topic of the UK’s 1715 Riot Act. Instead segwaying onto... Continue Reading →
Something struck me during my stay at a North Yorkshire campsite during the weekend. This scheduled tarry taken in the campervan my West Yorkshire beau Sarah and me use to explore little corners of this green and pleasant land. I suppose camping in a van, especially one modernised to provide comforts of home such as... Continue Reading →
Yesterday morning an unexpected audible ping greeted my arrival into the living room. Conscious it was Valentines Day, I poetically romanticised this soundscape maybe Cupid's bow string shooting an arrow in my direction - This episode playing out as a gesture of amour from a love struck beau. It was not long, though, before yours... Continue Reading →
Scene - Friday afternoon in an east Leeds coffee shop. A middle-aged man of erratic mind enjoys a catch up over a cappuccino with an uncle in his dotage. Perched on stools on stools in the company of local coffee patrons and three baristas, what follows are excerpts from the duo's post-noon verbal exchanges. "Things... Continue Reading →
It's the bane of any dog owners life, but like it or not is a task they've to grin and bear on a daily basis... Well, it is the down side for the one's who have the decency to pick up after their canine. Gathering up a pooches poop won't sit within even the most... Continue Reading →