I was at a lecture last night, part of the Book Festival. All about Muriel Spark, her writing, and how it was informed, sometimes even dictated, by disembodied voices that surrounded her, chirruping. In her more sane moments she believed she was having full conversations with her alter ego within. Other times, when she was … Continue reading In My Head
The desk at which W.S. Graham wrote his poems has found a home in Edinburgh’s Poetry Library. His chair too, though the seat has been put away somewhere, “for the time being,”the man told me. More suitably described, I think, as a table, it looks like something from a farmyard kitchen as opposed to a study. It’s … Continue reading Wheesht
It’s year two of living alone, for the first time in 10 years or so. I had no nervousness about it. Not from the point of view of feeling vulnerable, or frightened by things that go bump in the night. Being on my own in a house has never bothered me. The main thing that … Continue reading Linked Together
‘80% of success is showing up’: so said Woody Allen. He admitted that sometimes it’s much easier to stay at home in bed, but if you want to achieve something – as obvious as it may sound – you’ve got to show up. The great artists, writers, musicians, scientists, sportspersons, dancers - all of them … Continue reading Showing Up
Here’s a conundrum that has been on my mind lately: should there be a level, a standard, a boundary when it comes to sharing? By which I mean, sharing personal experiences or reflections via the medium of writing. I suppose I have come to the conclusion that one’s boundaries are very individual, that they vary … Continue reading Bearing All
I’m off to lie in the sun (I hope) for a week. Flying this afternoon. And I’m humming The Beatles into myself. ‘Send me a postcard, Drop me a line, Stating point of view, Indicate precisely what you mean to say, Yours sincerely, Wasting away.” Remember? From the song, ‘When I’m 64’. Sending postcards has … Continue reading Drop Me A Postcard
