Tuesday, May 03, 2005
A Change Is As Good As A Rest
An overcast morning greeted the early risers after another night of heavy, spring rain. It's still very mild and humid outside so the midges in the evening are causing havoc. The weather has brought out the cherry blossom in the Links and there seems to be millions of birds gathering in our back garden. That might have something to do with all the feed-balls Laura has left hanging around but I've also seen several cats lurking in our evergreen bush watching the wee tweeties. Could be bloodshed soon.
The General Election is two days away and I have to say this campaign has been pretty much a damp, predictable squib. A lot of it has come down to trust and Blair's lack of it since Iraq. But while Michael Howard calls Blair a liar, he seems to forget people in Scotland have long memories particularly over the Tories and their Poll Tax blunder, which was his idea back in the 80's. The only parties that seem to be capitalising are the Nationals and Lib Dems in the marginal seats.
I've still not had my polling card in yet so I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even be voting. I'll give them a call because I think you can still vote without a card if you have passport and utility bill and I will still be registered under my old flat.
After work a trip to Morrison's was in order - our first big shop since we moved in. I've found if I don't go Gail seems to forget the small necessities I need, such as coffee, marmalade and cooking sauces.
I've been putting so much into Hunting Jack lately; from writing to thinking to planning - I decided to give it a break for a couple of nights. There are some things in the tie-up that aren't what I want and so I will let them fuse in my head until the flash comes.
I started work on the literary figures article; except it looks like it is going to end up as 'articles'. After sifting through the research I have dug out I started work on the first of the series of Scottish writers, Robert Louis Stevenson in Edinburgh. I also plan to do similar articles on Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, William McIlvanney, Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin and possibly Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I wrote until the final episode of 'Hustle' came on; a programme firmly planted in the roots of escapism, but it's fun to watch. The plots are fantastic although a lot of them are left with holes for the imagination to figure out and the dialogue is a tad on the dodgy side at times. There are some knee-slapping moments when they glance at the camera during a cheeky scam and not only reel in the character they are conning, but the viewer too. It's sexy and sleek and the soundtrack is worth it for the watching alone.
My brain felt over-run with writing from the last couple of weeks and so I stopped and climbed into bed to watch television. There's no point in going over the top because I need to be fresh enough soon to write the remainder of the story and make it good. There is also a lot of writing in the pipeline. Changing to non-fiction for the night was good and it was a positive move because I am writing about a writer I have always gained much inspiration from.
The General Election is two days away and I have to say this campaign has been pretty much a damp, predictable squib. A lot of it has come down to trust and Blair's lack of it since Iraq. But while Michael Howard calls Blair a liar, he seems to forget people in Scotland have long memories particularly over the Tories and their Poll Tax blunder, which was his idea back in the 80's. The only parties that seem to be capitalising are the Nationals and Lib Dems in the marginal seats.
I've still not had my polling card in yet so I'm beginning to wonder if I'll even be voting. I'll give them a call because I think you can still vote without a card if you have passport and utility bill and I will still be registered under my old flat.
After work a trip to Morrison's was in order - our first big shop since we moved in. I've found if I don't go Gail seems to forget the small necessities I need, such as coffee, marmalade and cooking sauces.
I've been putting so much into Hunting Jack lately; from writing to thinking to planning - I decided to give it a break for a couple of nights. There are some things in the tie-up that aren't what I want and so I will let them fuse in my head until the flash comes.
I started work on the literary figures article; except it looks like it is going to end up as 'articles'. After sifting through the research I have dug out I started work on the first of the series of Scottish writers, Robert Louis Stevenson in Edinburgh. I also plan to do similar articles on Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott, William McIlvanney, Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin and possibly Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
I wrote until the final episode of 'Hustle' came on; a programme firmly planted in the roots of escapism, but it's fun to watch. The plots are fantastic although a lot of them are left with holes for the imagination to figure out and the dialogue is a tad on the dodgy side at times. There are some knee-slapping moments when they glance at the camera during a cheeky scam and not only reel in the character they are conning, but the viewer too. It's sexy and sleek and the soundtrack is worth it for the watching alone.
My brain felt over-run with writing from the last couple of weeks and so I stopped and climbed into bed to watch television. There's no point in going over the top because I need to be fresh enough soon to write the remainder of the story and make it good. There is also a lot of writing in the pipeline. Changing to non-fiction for the night was good and it was a positive move because I am writing about a writer I have always gained much inspiration from.
Colin 10:50 am
3 Comments:
Sneaky little kitties! I can see them prowling about, looking for the unwary and foolish.
My cat, recently booted outside because of my allergies, has already killed one bird this spring. I'm sure it won't be the last.
My cat, recently booted outside because of my allergies, has already killed one bird this spring. I'm sure it won't be the last.
I saw a special on PBS on Britain/Scotland/Wales politics last night - absolutely fascinating. (Plus it's fun to watch politics when you aren't emotionally involved - which for me knocks out all US politics!) They showed an interesting guy from a party I think was called Respect - is that right? He had some good points, but his history seemed a bit questionable. They also showed TV ads from various parties - they were very well done, and seemed much more civilized than ours. I also liked the restrictions on political ads, and the presses' commitment to impartiality. They mentioned a "Legalize Cannabis" party in Wales - but didn't show their ad. Have to admit I was curious - I kept having amusing visions of an ad with Welshmen passing around a bong. Good luck to your candidates!
Your vision of Welshmen and bongs isn't as far from reality as you might think ;-)