As a child growing up in the 1970’s, my aspirations for adulthood were to mirror my then hero Allan Clarke. A fledgling dream to lead Leeds United’s (LUFC) strike force to domestic and European honours, like Clarke, clad in Puma football boots and gleaming number 8 sock tags. Unfortunately, they were existential desires that were never fulfilled. As the aging process took it’s natural course, I learned you need more […]
My wife has just informed me that our washing machine is “On it’s way out.” From this announcement, delivered in her distinctive County Durham lilt, I’m assuming she opines the appliance’s working life is coming to an end……. My spouse isn’t informing yours truly the washer is heading into town for a coffee with his good friend Arthur the refrigerator. Before I go on, I wanted to clarify that obviously […]
In our English sun scorched brown and pleasant land, summer 2018 is starting to feel a bit like summer 2012 was amongst the whole of the Great Britain. As I write, growing euphoria ensues. It’s catalyst the exploits of the English football team that yesterday saw them progress to the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. The possibility of becoming world champions creating national excitement akin to the […]
Today’s the eighth birthday my diminutive wife has celebrated since her November 2010 prognosis, at the age of 44, indicating her condition would make it unlikely she’d celebrate many more 11th Junes…. Obviously, I’m paraphrasing as medical professionals would never use language as insensitive to a patient – The message though was the same. As a consequence of the incurable nature of her rancid canker, she can’t ultimately reign victorious […]
I feel the earth move under my feet I feel the sky tumbling down I feel my heart start trembling Whenever you’re around A poetic verse from the pen of American song/writer Carole King. A divulgent proclamation starting her 1971 hit named after the first pentad of the lyric. Lexilogical meanderings overtly expressing to her beau the positive affect of his presence. Unashamedly romantic prose unlikely to feature in TV […]
Tuesday 29th May – This morning, I’ve revamped the look and feel of my website https://strachan.blog – A fiddly task where customising the site to my aesthetic requirements isn’t ordinarily achieved without significant trial and error. I liken the process to that of attempting to ‘wind up’ my adult children. That a strategy of antagonising them until they ‘bite’ at my mischievous jibes. Like the process for procuring the website […]
On this day in mid-1960’s Kirskstall, Leeds my younger brother Ian made his appearance into the world. Born at home, our kid arrived shortly after the conclusion of the second Cassius Clay vs Sonny Liston fight. With Clay (latterly Muhammed Ali) winning by first round KO, Ian didn’t turn up on time to witness Liston being struck to the canvas by the Louisville Lip. Although I suspect, as a new-born […]
