Lately, I’ve regularly been accompanied with a background narration from an audio book. A literary entertainment medium which I’ve found solves the erratic concentration levels I experience when physically reading a hardback or paperback tome. Predominantly streamed while I’m driving, this method of audio delivery fuels seedling aspirations I’ve held for a few months of narrating excerpts of my writing via podcasts. Thus far, they’re notions that’ve not evolved any […]
Today sees my last day on the North Yorkshire break hastily instigated a week ago in a bid to escape the relentless stress consequential of living at my mum’s abode. Anxiety levels heightened by our increasingly fraught relationship, which’d reached a plateau where yours truly genuinely feared, if unaddressed, I’d undergo another heart attack. That being said, I suspect spending four nights in a Thirsk cottage writing on my laptop, […]
It’s Sunday morning and I’ve taken temporary residence in my new ‘go to’ writing domain; Costa coffee at the White Rose Shopping Centre (WRSC), Leeds. A caffeine infused environment which provides me with inspiration, an Americano with milk, along with a less distracting background noise than home – Casa Strachan, where my paragraphs are frequently interrupted by a maternal request to undertake some chore or other. It’s just gone 10am […]
I treat these narratives as a sort of diary. The existential journal of a random middle aged northern man’s ups and downs. Capricious meanderings based on truth, but given a light hearted fictional spin to ameliorate days which in all reality are predominantly pretty drab. Ordinarily, I attempt to avoid my diary becoming the type containing the sentimental prose sang about in the song ‘Diary’ by 1970’s band Bread; which included the following […]
This is the first narrative I’ve had the opportunity to pen for a few days. The hours ordinarily spend getting my daily literary fix instead taken up preparing for readings I’ve committed to perform next week in Bedfordshire. Consequently, as opposed to writing a blog on Wednesday and Thursday, yours truly spent several hours editing monologues I plan to deliver to a Barton-le-Clay ladies group next Tuesday. This ‘gig’ an […]
The post flight back jet lag following my return from Toronto, early Friday morning, has kicked in big style. Today’s plateau of fatigue evoking memories of the tiredness I experienced when working nightshifts in my 20’s/30’s. I truly hated working the week of nights rostered into numerous rotating shift patterns endured while working three decades in the IT operations and service management. An inability to sleep more than three hours […]
The final week of my Canadian odyssey has coincided with this vast and beautiful nations Thanksgiving. A time when it’s populous give thanks for a plentiful Fall harvest, gratitude at living in this beautiful country, along with honouring unofficial king William Shatner. As an Englishman I’m unsure if I’m allowed to take part in these submissions of gratitude. If so though, after a challenging year where I’ve experienced two life […]
