The Eleventh Hour

    On the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month  every year, we observe a two minutes silence to commemorate past, present, British and Commonwealth service  personnel who have fought and died for us in wars and ongoing conflicts throughout the world. The date and time is significant in our history because this day in 1918 was the day that signalled the end of the 1st World War hostilities, the day that is known as Armistice Day. 

    Our shopping malls, homes, offices will grind to a temporary halt when the clock strikes eleven. Two minutes isn't a long time to pause our busy schedules and pay our respects to the individuals who have laid down their lives for us all to live in peace and freedom. It's also a time that silence can speak louder than words.

   The poppy symbolises remembrance for us at this time and yesterday cenotaphs and war memorials throughout the UK had wreaths of the blood red flower placed upon them. The flower inspired Lt. Colonel John McCrae to write "In Flanders Fields" in 1915, when he saw it  growing wildly on the graves of his fellow soldiers who lost their lives in the 1st World War. This symbol will always have deep meaning for us all who want to remember the fallen. May they R.I.P.

The Image of Winter



A misty Linlithgow Loch

    I'm never too excited about the onset of winter. Short daylight hours, long dark nights and the biting cold winds instantly come to the forefront of my mind.  However, the sudden changes in the landscape in the northern hemisphere at this time of year, has in the past stimulated the minds of many writers.

Frosty trees

    Robert Burns writes about the leafless bower in his poem titled, A Winter Night. John Keats tells us of how his face feels the winter wind in his poem, The Winter Winds and Robert Louis Stevenson describes the frost on the trees, houses, hills and lakes being like the frosting on a wedding cake in his poem called, Winter-Time.

    When I was out walking the other day I couldn't ignore the beauty that the early stages of winter has already bestowed upon us. The look of the leaves as they turn a russet colour, the mist as it dropped over the loch, the frosted countryside and the sound of the winter geese flying over, quickly outweighed the negatives that were trying to take root. Without a doubt, winter will carry on inspiring writers to write about it, forever and a day.

    Are you inspired by the seasons in your part of the world? Please tell us your thoughts.

   

Life's Challenges

 

    We all face challenges in our lives, but for some of us life throws difficulties that are lifelong . This week in Scotland it's, Dyslexia Awareness Week and dyslexia is one such difficulty. Although geographically this campaign  which is taking place between November 4th and November the 11th may not be something that you can take part in, it is a problem I'm sure you will care about.

    This condition does not discriminate by creed, colour, or religion, but unfortunately humans do. Despite being of normal intelligence, sufferers can find themselves being judged, even bullied by others because their oral and reading skills appear to be impaired. They may indeed be discriminated against because their numeracy and organisational skills don't meet the expectations of their peers. Therefore low self esteem and depression can also be a problem.

    If diagnosed early in a child, the child can be assisted in gaining the important skills that help them communicate with others freely and confidently, Some may require continued support on reaching adulthood, as having continuing problems in literacy and numeracy skills may make it harder to gain employment. It is imperative that parents, carers and teachers recognise the symptoms early, if the obstacles that have been put in the child's way are to be tackled efficiently and effectively.

    There are organisations throughout the world such as Dyslexia Scotland and if you want to find out more about the condition and its symptoms their websites are the best place to start.

The Country I Call Home

    

Ganavan, near Oban. Looking towards the island of  Lismore

    Lonely Planet named Scotland as one of thee top places to visit in 2014. Grabbing third place in their Top 10, with Brazil taking the top spot and Antartica second.

    2014 is going to be an awesome year for Scotland as Glasgow is hosting the Commonwealth Games, with the opening ceremony kicking the event off on July 23rd. The batton arrived in Australia yesterday on the start of its long journey.

    I feel blessed to have been born here, in this beautiful part of the United Kingdom. To give you a little taste of what my country has to offer I've included more photographs than usual. Because today, pictures speak louder than any descriptive I could use to convey the natural beauty of the country I call home.

     NORTH 

Lossiemouth, Moray sits on the mouth of the River Lossie

Fort George, Ardersier north east of Inverness.
The sight covers an area equivalent to 40 soccer pitches. 

Views over the Moray Firth from one of  Fort George's bastions

 

   CENTRAL

Wallace Monument, Stirling
 

EAST



Edinburgh Castle (Spookiest place in UK) and Princes Street Gardens



WEST

Ganavan Beach, near Oban 

 

Oban Bay on the banks of the Firth of Lorn 

McCaig's Tower ( a folly) overlooking Oban Harbour

 

www.historic-scotland.gov.uk     www.nts.org.uk   www.nationalwallacemonument.com  www.oban.org.uk  www.visitscotland.com  www.glasgow2014.com

More than a Little Distracted

   

    Sometimes I get distracted from my writing and my mind decides to go for a stroll. I try to be disciplined, but on occasions my brain decides to rebel and refuses to be reined back in. Friday was one of those days and remaining focused was not an easy task.

    When I got up in the morning I was full of good intentions. So what went wrong? I didn't bank on the power company turning up for the second day in a row and deciding that my driveway could be used as a parking lot at 7:15am. That's what. I should have known then and there, that I would have been better going back to bed and having a duvet day.

     But as I had been unable to do anything constructively the day before, I didn't take heed of the little voice nagging from deep down inside my gut saying, "Go back to bed, go back to bed. You won't be writing today."

    Initially I read through the last chapter of my WIP, in the hope that I would regain my focus. However my brain wasn't playing ball. Sitting in front of my PC was no use, my thoughts were not clear. In fact they were all over the place, definitely not where they should be and as transparent as a pool of muddy water.

    The weather was horrendous outside, so going for a walk to blow the cobwebs away was out of the question. I finally had to abandon my work for the day and settle down with a book which I started to read recently by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, titled The Prisoner of Heaven .

    Was my day wasted? No, because I became absorbed in Zafon's world and what a wonderful world to become lost in. Later that evening my muddy pool of a brain cleared and words once again flowed freely like the deep blue ocean. Happy Days.

   

   

The Day the Lights Went Out

   

    Most mornings I get up at around 6:30am and after a quick caffeine fix I'm at my desk for 7:00am. I rarely deviate from my routine. I check my emails, Twitter and finally I read through some newspaper headlines. Then it's time to hit the shower, get dressed and have breakfast. Normally I'm back in front of my PC by 8:15am and ready to get down to more serious work.

    But yesterday the electricity company were having to carry out some essential repairs in our village and I had been notified that my home was going to be without power from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.

    So as soon as I got up I had a quick cup of coffee and jumped into the shower. Getting dressed hastily, in fear that the power would go off prematurely, or one of the workers would need access to my property before I was at least presentable.

    I had some emergency measures in place such as a portable gas heater, camping stove, storm lamp and a thermos filled with hot water. All of which I was glad of, as the weather outside was bracing to say the least. But no heat, light, food or hot beverage could make up for what I pined for and that was the Internet. I had my tablet charged up, however there was no broadband available and my life had been thrown into turmoil and disarray.

    I was able to type this up on my tablet in preparation for posting today, however all the little things that start kick my brain in the morning were sorely missed. It was a long day as the power wasn't back on until 6:00pm last evening and I can't help but feel that someone stole my day from me, the day the lights went out.

Taking Things for Granted

    When the autumnal sun came streaming through the windows of my home yesterday morning, I couldn't wait to get outside and inhale the cold crisp air. So after a hearty breakfast my partner and I set off in the car and parked up at a local beauty spot called the Helix Park.
   
    We decided not to walk through the park but to walk along the pedestrian and cycle path on the banks of the adjoining Forth and Clyde canal. The cyclists ting, tinged the bells on their bicycles as they passed by us and the dog walkers greeted us with a "Hello," or "Good morning." We all had something in common and that was, we wanted to enjoy the morning sunshine.

 

     The blackbirds and robins were gorging on the plump and vibrant coloured fruits of the wild blackberry, raspberry and rose hip bushes that edge the path.

 

 

    Splashes coming from the water caught our attention and an adult swan posed for a picture before he carried on munching through the plankton. Another splash and the air bubbles rising to the surface of the murky waters drew our eyes to the thick reeds on the opposite bank. We laughed when a water fowl appeared with a small silver fish in his beak, which he/she proceeded to toss in the air before consuming it.
 

 

    Finally we reached the canal basin and sea lock, where the moored barges and boats groaned as their hulls bobbed on the water. I was sure they were trying to tell me the story of their last voyage, or their voyages to come. However their voices faded when my eyes fell upon the wondrous sight of the two Kelpies, the mythical marvels that each stand 100 feet high and dominate this once industrial landscape.

 

    Once the camera was put back into it's protective casing, we about turned and started to make our way back to the car. We didn't say much as we took in more images and sounds that memories are made of. But these types of memories, made up of both sights and sounds are not possible for all of us.

    Communicating with the dog walkers, or stepping aside to allow the cyclists to ride by, for some of us is impossible without help. 356,000 people are deafblind in the UK and face every day difficulties. For them taking in the beauty of the world we live in is not so simple as jumping into a car. deafblind.org.uk