Blog Archives

Three friends

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I seem to be losing people. In the last few months two childhood friends, both exact contemporaries of mine, have gone. Three years ago, it was my greatest childhood friend. All too early. I don’t wish to be maudlin, simply … Continue reading

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Language bridge

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Growing up in Scotland in the 1950s and 1960s, Scots was, unsurprisingly, the language I was most likely to hear when I set foot outside the family home. This was the Scots of rural Perthshire where we lived, one of … Continue reading

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In praise of failure

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When you write a book about someone you enter into a relationship with them, even if they are dead and the relationship is imaginary. It continues to exist after the book is published, the promotional work is done, and you … Continue reading

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In praise of praise

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Yesterday evening I met with my friend and colleague Richard Pelletier. We came together with the small group of four writers we’re currently supporting as they progress with personal writing projects. The meeting was online, not least because Richard lives … Continue reading

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Thinking in colour

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It was not until I was in my twenties that I realised that not everyone had colours for numbers, letters and some words. What I mean by that is that in my mind’s eye the number 3, for example, is … Continue reading

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Writ in Sand

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Two years ago I published a biography of my great-great uncle. He and I were born almost a century apart: he in 1852, I in 1949. We also arrived in South America almost a century apart, in 1870 and 1972 … Continue reading

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House party

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After an absence of several years I had forgotten that one of the challenges of writing this blog is that there are some weeks when I have no idea what I’m going to say. Generally there’s at least the germ … Continue reading

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Laughter-makers

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I find US politics morbidly compelling at the moment. I’ve been doing my best to steer clear of it, but some things just draw you in. The Portland frogs, for example. I love their bravado. I applaud them and their … Continue reading

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Witness Blanket

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I recently watched a clip of a Native American elder in a wheelchair being jostled by New York police during a protest against ICE. Speaking to a reporter he said that it pained him to be there in a moment … Continue reading

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Back in the water

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I’m back in a place I love. I haven’t been here for eight years and my first impression on arrival was how beautiful it is. I had forgotten. An hour north of Seville, tucked into the side of a wooded … Continue reading

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