Childhood domain bound, tracks below feet Domicile o’ inculcation, though birthplace possesses heart Half century crisis of identity, through yeti unable to embrace Self-induced purgatory, mind tormented for his folly If purgatory a halfway house, then has he departed? His final journey, destination redemption. Locomotive, what are loco man’s motives Tracks are not of tears,... Continue Reading →
The Forgettable Birthday Gift
I was reminded earlier that it's two years since 'that' journey. An ordeal that lives long in my son and my memory; a time where we witnessed hitherto unseen traits of malevolence from an ordinarily unassuming family member. A hair raising ten mile white knuckle ride, courtesy of uncharacteristic arbitrary driving by my pater (Mally), exacerbated by his even rarer display of road rage. Not that Mally... Continue Reading →
Pilgrimage to Strachan – Part Three
Two years ago, almost to the day, I embarked on a trip to the Scottish village where my surname originates. At the time, I wrote three narratives journaling my voyage, all of which I am in the process of editing. Below is an updated version chronicling the third and final part of that expedition....... I concluded the second part of my trilogy of yarns from my road trip to... Continue Reading →
Pilgrimage to Strachan – Part One
Two years ago, almost to the day, I embarked on a trip to the Scottish village where my surname originates. At the time, I wrote three narratives journaling my voyage, all of which I am in the process of editing. Below is an updated version chronicling the first part of that expedition....... Sitting by myself on the driveway in my trusty black Astra automobile, it... Continue Reading →
Loud Response to a Silent Auction Bid
Throwback to this time last year and a trip north to the cricket Test Match...... This is my first blog for a few days as I’ve been away in the north east of England. To clarify, it’s not the case you’re not allowed to write blogs in the area; so I'd hang fire with any plans to send... Continue Reading →
Peter Brown Called to Say…..
In The Beatles song 'The Ballad of John & Yoko', John Lennon penned the words "Peter Brown called to say you can make it ok. You can get married in Gibraltar near Spain." I thought of this lyric on Friday when someone also named Peter Brown called me on my landline. Unlike the late Liverpudlian, though, his motives weren't to plan my itinerary;... Continue Reading →
Omnibus Journey To Arx Celebris Fontibus
Recently, my wife and I took the No.36 Ripon bus from Leeds, journeying to the charming North Yorkshire spa town of Harrogate. For a public transport bus ride, it turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant experience. Amongst the accoutrements provided on this coach were WiFi and USB access; in addition to each stop being announced via auto message by BBC Look... Continue Reading →
Where There’s Muck There’s Brass
I picked my brother Ian up from Leeds rail station this morning. When I met up with him, he was in good spirits as he’d written some song lyrics on his journey south from Newcastle. My younger sibling hasn’t shared his musical poetry with me yet, although I can’t wait to hear his 2016 Christmas... Continue Reading →
A Flight of Fancy
As an integral part of their survival, some birds fly south in the winter. I know you knew that, but I added it to set up a fascinating second paragraph that will hook you with it's insight, erudition and pith....... No I'm not taking the pith! Yesterday, I flew south for the summer...... Well not... Continue Reading →