Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
I’m a bit late to the party with this, but I didn’t want to let the 100th anniversary of Frank Sinatra’s birth pass without a tribute to ‘Old Blue Eyes’. Last Saturday (12th December) would have seen the late Hoboken born singer/actor become a centurion. That’s 100 years old by the way, not a low... Continue Reading →
I'm writing this blog on a train from Leeds to Newcastle. Looking out of the window I've so far been greeted with a monochrome vision of heavy rain, clouds and a woman, who's just missed the train, running along the platform at York shouting "Come back you b*****ds!" I'm travelling to Newcastle to meet up... Continue Reading →
Last night I watched two Sky Arts recordings of live concerts by multi million album selling bands. They were both performed by British groups in two historic and cosmopolitan European capital cities. This isn't a riddle by the way, I'm just building up the suspense! The gigs were filled with brilliantly executed songs, accompanied by... Continue Reading →
This morning I put my Christmas tree up. I wouldn’t say ‘It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas’ as penned by lyricist Meredith Willson in 1951, but a decorated tree, along with the smell of pine and cinnamon, have definitely made the house feel more festive. I find something strangely therapeutic about decorating a... Continue Reading →
We have another visit to St James’ Hospital tomorrow, for Karen’s third appointment of the week. There is a saying that “Good things come in threes.” To plagiarize the irascible waster Jim Royle (in the comedy The Royle Family), I would add the suffix of “My arse!” to that sentence. They also say that “Good... Continue Reading →
I wrote yesterday of the first part of a trip I undertook with friends in the Yorkshire Dales at the weekend. It was a tale of inclement weather, trekking, camaraderie, wine gums and the skillful use of the word juxtaposition in paragraph eleven. Today I intend to try paint a picture of the remainder of... Continue Reading →
I spent my weekend over in the Yorkshire Dales. It involved great company, a longish walk in extreme weather, a convivial Saturday evening, which included a hearty Xmas meal and being royally entertained by a folk group. I met my cousin Steve, his wife Gemma and friends (Kerry, Mark, Mandy, Bob, Stu and Theresa) in... Continue Reading →
I’ve just dropped Karen off for her penultimate ‘Hope’ session at the MacMillan Cancer Centre, St James Hospital in Leeds. This is a course centring on coping with the psychological element of living with her rancid, unwanted yet immovable intruder.………… That’s cancer by the way, not me! …………… The course for that is on a... Continue Reading →
Well we’re into December, we can start opening our advent calendars, put our Christmas trees up without repercussions from the Christmas tree police and people will soon be caroling (hopefully not, though, bringing their cacophonous din to my door!). I've nothing against carol singers per se! Listening to carols sung by a melodic choir can... Continue Reading →