Feelings of homesickness

As I age, a strong desire to feel a sense of place is growing ever stronger.
Having grown up in a migrant workers estate in Nineteen Seventies Coventry, I do feel a sense of affection for the city. Yet always tempered with a sense of detachment and remoteness.
Now forty Eight years old, I yearn to commit to live and grow old in a place with some weight to its character.
This is Glen Etive, just down from the battle site in my story.  

Scottish independence

This last year, I have been busy writing.
I have fleshed out the body of a novella, which I am still working on, and finished a long, short story.
And the good news is that it is available to buy on kindle.
So if anyone is up for a bit of resurrected vendetta and live action roll-play, based upon the Scottish independence argument, then have a read.
My Dad has just read it and gave it ten out of ten, he could hear the poem Scots Wahey playing in the back of his mind as he read.

Moving to Greece, or Scotland !

This time, last year we camped and swam near this lubricious spring fed quarry in north Cornwall.
Today we were stuck in the Midlands, so we headed west, had lunch in Hay on Wye. Then we walked around the old bookshops, quite a few have closed down since we were last there.
Well.. then we drove down through the Golden valley towards a swim at Backney common near Ross on Wye. The car park gates were locked, as were some of the access gates down to the river.
Lots of PRIVATE signs up and people out shooting in the surrounding fields.We met some locals, who told us that the common has been sold.
We drove around a bit, looking for paths down to the Wye. We could see it! flowing alongside the fenced off fields.
Even more signs saying ACCESS TO FISHERIES ONLY!..
So I am ashamed to admit that we gave up and drove home. Ended up having a dip in our big paddler in the garden.
I did tear a few of the private signs down, low level anarchy stuff..

Happiness is the way

I had a lazy evening last night.
We watched gardeners world, and he talked a lot about composting, which is one of the most weirdly rewarding of my pastimes.
I drank some wine and then we watched The grand Budapest hotel.
What a magnificent film!
This photograph illustrates everything that is scruffily magnificent about Greece.