Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
You can say what you want about us Brits, but no one can take away our ingrained capacity to nail pomp, circumstance and royal celebration. A point gloriously highlighted over a weekend witnessing two days of festivities to mark King Charles III's coronation. As expected the ceremony which saw our new monarch crowned was undertaken... Continue Reading →
I have had a buddy from Gateshead stopping at my Wakefield apartment for the past two days. A cohort of mine since working together at the National Coal Board head office in the early 1980's, he (also named Gary) taught me a huge amount about inappropriate humour; including the limerick starting 'The was a young... Continue Reading →
The wind is darned gusty this morning; this inclement weather so blustery that during my short walk from apartment building door to the car a gust seized my cap and hairpiece. The pair last seen hurtling over the horizon in a north easterly direction towards Castleford... An episode made even stranger by the fact I... Continue Reading →
I'd not intended to put pen to paper today, or should that font to virtual paper? However, as I've an hour to kill before the bus transporting me to Fuerteventura airport arrives, I thought I'd utilise the time productively... Well, if writing these unreliable essays can be classed as productive. GJ Strachan's last night in... Continue Reading →
As dusk fell, with heavy precipitation turning my slim fit jeans into a second skin, I entered the camper van to jokingly asking Sarah if she had an industrial size shoe horn. A utensil I'd identified as a useful accessory to ease me outta my sodden denims. My partner and I had just spent an... Continue Reading →
"The black pudding's black today, mother!... Even the white bits are black!" An observation made by Eric Olthwaithe (played by Michael Palin) in the 1970's TV comedy series Ripping Yarns; a collection of separate whimsical tales written by Palin and fellow Python Terry Jones. Footnote - For the uninitiated, when writing Python above I'm of... Continue Reading →
They say prevailing outside temperatures are currently mid-30's Celsius here in Blighty. I've gotta say, though, it feels more like the steady 190C my oven blasts out when cooking corned beef hash...... Or, coming to think of it, any other dish which requires cooking at 190C! The calefaction produced by solar rays today and yesterday... Continue Reading →
Sitting at the dining table seeking inspiration for today's literary bonhomie, I've my two canine buddies Zella and Deano hovering close-by; their mission to secure scraps from the lunch table. Their pitiful sad eyed look bringing to mind a bowl in hand Oliver Twist when seeking a second scrape of gruel from Mr Bumble. As... Continue Reading →
I'm alfresco as I ascribe my prose this sunny Monday morn. Amongst the immediate landscape nemesia, marigolds, a patio rose, begonias and forget me nots bequeathing yours truly chromatic views. Aesthetics which calm the soul and augment my already burgeoning amour for Mother Nature. With the clan home, bought by my parents in 1989, changing... Continue Reading →