Gary Strachan – "Write" Said Fred
Whimsical observations from deep within an erratic mind
In the past year or so, I’ve often taken advantage of the ordinarily genial hospitality found in our UK hotels. My hosts ranging on the luxury spectrum from four/five star establishments to the budget hostelries where Lenny Henry dosses (on TV commercials anyway). One thing I've identified in these lodgings, regardless of where they sit in the quality range, is there's always one bedroom... Continue Reading →
This week I commenced re-writing a tome I originally penned in spring 2010. Having read the opening chapter for the first time in years, it was clear if this work was ever going to get past the dust gathering stage these 360+ pages would have to be extensively re-vamped. Despite containing light-hearted, moving and poignant ideas, it was apparent to me the... Continue Reading →
With phone jammed firmly to her ear, my wife is currently informing her twin sister she's commenced shopping for Christmas gifts. By the sound of it my spouse has secured a few really good bargains to bequeath to our broods under the guise of St Nick. So if you're reading this and you receive a... Continue Reading →
It's 09.28 on Friday 3rd November. Sitting at the dining room table of my East Leeds domicile, I'm snacking on the remnants of Haribo gummy sweets from Halloween, washed down by chilled West Yorkshire tap water. On the red armchair to my right, lolling unceremoniously adjacent to a cream cushion emblazoned with words 'happiness', is my laptop... Continue Reading →
Week commencing 30th October is going to be a tough week for my family. A few days of build up to my father's funeral on Wednesday, followed by the aftermath when his passing will no doubt finally hit us like a freight train. Incidentally, I initially misspelt freight as fraught in the previous sentence, which on reflection... Continue Reading →
Fourteen years ago today, the supersonic aircraft Concorde said an emotional farewell, when it flew its final commercial flight. The iconic aeroplane's journey from New York to London, which landed at Heathrow airport at 4.05 pm, was laden with celebrities and the bloke who looked after the dartboard on quiz show Bullseye. The immediately identifiable... Continue Reading →
As well as feeding off the therapeutic qualities of offloading my epiphanies, I try use these daily narratives as a diary. A literary journal of this current existential rollercoaster ride; an unwanted journey that I sometimes wish I'd failed the height restriction meaning I'd have been stopped from climbing aboard. To be clear, I don't expect never to have things go wrong... Continue Reading →
On the day my parents married I hadn't yet joined this mortal coil; consequently, I'm unable to provide first hand experiences of that day. However, through engaging with people who were there that day, I understand the service and reception went something like this:- On this day 57 years ago a young man from Farnley... Continue Reading →
As I peer north westerly out of living room window in the direction of neighbouring West Ardsley, I'm greeted by a cloudless blue East Ardsley sky. I'm currently in situ at my parents home in the village west of Wakefield, about to embark on another day where the hog remains on terra firma. This recrudescing routine involves writing... Continue Reading →