According to an Ipsos-MORI poll, a large majority of people (79%) think that there is more swearing on television now than ten years ago. And here’s another poll-generated statistic: only 55% of people trust civil servants to tell the truth. I generally skim over such statistics, for, when I read claims about the pulse of … Continue reading Avert Your Eyes
I’m in transit. Three horrible words: the act or fact of passing through; passage or conveyance from one place to another, as of persons or goods. This morning I’m definitely falling into the ‘goods’ category. I feel less of a person and more of a sack with a heartbeat. I feel like a DHL package, stuck … Continue reading In Transit
The way through the forest to get to the cottage on Crosby Lake is definitely not a road, but it’s not quite a dirt track either. Whatever you might call it, it has ‘gateway to wilderness’ written all over it in the form of chipmunks scurrying across the path, the hindquarters of deer disappearing into … Continue reading Gratitude
Ordinarily, my days aren’t fast paced, and even though I think I live a slow life, I can feel the benefit of slowing down even further while I am on holiday. I’m still in Canada, now on Crosby Lake in Lanark County. I’m mesmerised by the woodpeckers I see from my early morning writing spot; … Continue reading A Good Life
Back in Edinburgh, I know someone who is partial to a little sculptural clipping in his garden. You know the sort of thing: clipping the privet into gently undulating waves, softening the usual straight lines and sharp angles of hedges and herbaceous borders. When I lived in York, in the North of England, the university … Continue reading Mother Earth
We’ve woken up to rain: short, sharp, and torrential. It won't stay for long, but it’s so lovely to hear. How quickly one changes one’s tune! How is it that Scottish rain on a dreich February day doesn't carry this musical and welcome sound? Because there is every possibility that it won’t cease until March or … Continue reading Rain, Heron, Loon
I bumped into S. on my morning walk to Life of Pie (Canadian salute to the wonderful Yann Martel) where I go for my morning coffee and to get online. “Of course,” S. nodded when I told her about my routine, “there’s no wifi where you’re staying.” No, there isn’t. And after the initial jitteriness of feeling … Continue reading My Secret Place
Last night it was 34 degrees at 6pm (feeling more like 40 with the humidex) as I walked through downtown Ottawa on my way to the opening night of Bluesfest. I arrived here two days after Canada Day, just missing out on the day of national pride. But, aside from waving the red and white … Continue reading Straight From The Heart
