A few years ago, the BBC made a series of programmes called, What Do Artists Do All Day? Jack Vettriano, Scottish painter, was the subject of one. Sitting in his semmit vest humming Blue Velvet whist making tiny marks on the canvas, he turns to the camera: “I’m usually painting by 5am, steal a march … Continue reading Work Work Chop Chop Busy Busy Bang Bang
Step 1: Have a cup of tea and two slices of malted sourdough with crunchy peanut butter (not too much, pretend there are only scrapings left in the jar) and thinly sliced banana. I will eat and drink slowly whilst chewing my food for longer than seems necessary, for this not benefits not only my … Continue reading Overcoming Writer’s Block: Four Steps
It doesn’t take a sledgehammer to crack a nut – the only person I ever heard say that was my grandfather when he thought someone was doing a job ill-matched to their skills and ability. His words came back to me this week as I read Michael Viney’s, ‘A Year’s Turning’ – a book that … Continue reading A Person of Your Education
From my seat at the café window, tucked into the bend in a side street off Leith Walk, I have an uninterrupted view onto the main thoroughfare. The Walk has double lanes of traffic, cycle paths, and a broad pavement. It’s a route through which most Edinburgh residents, at some stage of the year, will … Continue reading Digging
Fifteen years ago, when International Women’s Day had a lower profile than it has now, I attended a lunch where Anita Roddick of The Body Shop was guest speaker. I remember her as being dynamic and funny; she delivered extemporaneous stories, talked without a script, and effortlessly held the attention of her audience. It was … Continue reading Winning Women
I’m finding it hard to let go of the weekend. It was such a lovely one, pink whipped morning skies and trails of orange cloud by evening; the evening (when measured by the availability of light) being 3.30pm. Neither my mind nor body have quite made it to Monday and I’m hankering to be back … Continue reading Pigs Might Fly
“What do you do?” It’s one of the go-to questions, asked when meeting someone for the first time in order to find out about their work. We ask it to discover who they are, what makes them tick, what their significance in the world is. For occupation, it seems - erroneously or otherwise - is linked … Continue reading Legacy
Well done, you’ve made it - it’s Friday. How has your week been? I hope you are not feeling too weary, that you’ve not been run ragged with the ravages of your job. If you work at a university, you might have been striking yesterday, or sneaking in through the back door for fear of … Continue reading Run Ragged
My Edinburgh Press 