On This Day

Illustration by Jo...

Regeneration

Where are the people? An eerie silence across the land A strange quiet in the sky Signs of a stricken world weeping Struggling with a dark invisible threat Yet listen to the cackle of geese The cry of a soaring eagle, See the skirl of sq...

The Band

The street was empty, the sun bounced its hard light on empty pavements and sparkling windows. A noise in the distance resolved itself into music. A band. The music became clearer, recognisable, louder, ebullient. Doors opened, the house...

On This Day

I completed my first ever 1000 piece jigsaw! I had a stoke a year and a half ago and as part of my therapy, I decided to do jigsaws to assist getting my “fine tuning” back to some normality. It hasn’t really helpful (as is testamen...

On This Day

This day was going to be a fun day in the thrift shop. I had decided this before going into my shift. The thrift shop is the oldest charity shop in Scotland and it’s older than me! It was a fun day without trying. As it usually is. Man...

19/08/2022

On this day I woke on the floor of a tiny Edinburgh flat. I walked with an angel on my shoulder to a roundhouse full of creativity. Seats crafted from natural beauty, wood with years of grain becoming a place for us to rest our tired bon...

On This Day

I visited the first yurt of my life, hear some great reading by some even better authors, found out that cats are one of the few pets allowed into festivals, a smuggled little kitten with bright yellow eyes, I understand why they use the...

The Clouds Made Way

The clouds made way for our rapidly descending flight. I got my first glimpse of the Lothians, from the skies. As I made my way out of the airport, exhausted from hours of journeying, I realised there was still some distance to travel be...

I Looked Sideways

I looked sideways and saw him, an older man, with glasses on upside down head. With an interesting attachment in a bag, which was a little tabby cat who lay soundly asleep. The word mackerel came to mind, her markings resembling this spe...

Sitting, Not Too Comfortably

Sitting, not too comfortably on an unforgiving wooden bench in a mystical yurt hanging with pleasingly aromatic dried plants whose names had passed me by in my long ago gardening duties. This was my first time in a yurt, it had been a lo...

16 August 2022

On this day it was good to hear my story read aloud and I am sorry I was shy to read it. Also on this day I heard my favourite of all the Scotland’s stories, ‘Don’t Look Down’. So well read. Jim New...

Some Days Are The Same

Some days are the same, and you’ll never remember them. Today though is a special day as one of my best friends has come to see me from far away. As we’ve just discovered we’ve not seen each other for four years because of all BAD ...

Inside The Yurt

Inside the circular white yurt! There is the aroma of woodland scents. Leaves forming a shadowlike presence. This reminds me of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan 30 years ago. Going through borders helped by bribery even though we had legal docu...

The Train of Thought, 26/08/2022

The journey starts in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire (“slawit”). We load the car with bags, I pile in the back, competing for space with our two dogs who are on their way for their weekend holiday in Leeds with their grandparents. Then ...

On This Day

On this day, she’d planned to rise early, keeping company with the dawn chorus. But the dark kept the duvet tight around her, the pillow pulled over her head, shutting the world out. By the time the sun rose, its gentle fingertips find...

August 26th 2022

On this day I met my friend of many years, a friendship forged in a corridor with a shared kettle – student halls were pretty basic in 1979. Today is her birthday and in the damp drizzle of Edinburgh’s August we pick up where we left...

On This Day

On this day I woke up with my face on the floor. I thought I hear the crunchy thud after, but it must have been before, or somehow lost in time between my left cheek and the floorboards. I felt the harness against the bones first above m...

I Was Waist-Deep

I was waist-deep in the water of Loch Ness at Dores when it finally washed over me – I am getting a divorce. My body suddenly came back to me after a five year absence and it felt everything at once – the stones shifting under my fee...

On This Day

It is a very warm day for the end of August for Scotland. It’s also a very sad day as it’s the end of the Festival and it’s always sad. Everyone leaves and the city will be very empty without annoying tourists, theatre goers, stree...

On This Day

On this day I am looking forward to the future whilst reflecting on the past. Summer flew by as it always does but the memories I have made make it worth the speed. The excitement or the build up to summer has ended. Now we wait for the ...

I Was Told A Story

I was told a story today. A true story. A sad story. A very short story – only 3, maybe 4 sentences. Short in words but long in years, 3, maybe 4 generations. The story intrigued me, moved me, changed my understanding of one person. It...

Festivals

The sky was blue, It was very hot. People bustled about. We were in Pittenweem, at the Arts Festival. Seagulls screeched. Fishing boats la in the harbour. It’s an old fishing village in the East Neuk of Fife. I’d been coming here for...

This Morning

This morning I attended a book reading by the author Alexander McCall Smith. I have never read any of his books previously but as he is a well-known author I decided to go along. I must admit I do not really read many books written by ma...

On This Day

A month back I saw a cloud of small birds flying over my back garden. They were light brown and that’s all I knew. You can’t take bird pictures with a mobile phone, even though I tried. I had a cup of coffee and remembered. I’d bou...

They Say

They say the sun doesn’t shine too often in Scotland. On this day, it burned bright, the heat shimmering in the air giving that mystical look of a scene from a fantasy. I peer at the trees, almost expecting a visitation from our nation...

On This Day

On this day it is raining but the earth is full of promise, full of life. The sky weeps for the end of summer but the call of autumn returns. The promise of new beginnings hang in the air, like raindrops, paused in action. The new...

Proud Auntie

On this day, I am a very proud Auntie to Claire Wilson. Loved her story and oh so proud. Love Auntie Lorraine (Flo) xx...

On This Day

Children running around the back, not again, cut me some slack! Anonymous...

On This Day

On this day I was a proud son. Anonymous...

I Heard Some Writing

Heard some writing, spoken, which conveyed such emotions from the words of the authors. This had recurred similarly the previous day as one man spoke so movingly about the anniversary of his wife’s death. You could feel and hear his lo...

Willow

On this day I found out that my hamster was the best hamster in the world. She could be a little nibbly, but still the most wonderful of creatures. She is a superhero! And her name is willow. She is small and gray, white tummy, small rou...

An Unfinished Symphony

On this day… having read the Guardian over my bowl of porridge and a strong cup of tea, my stomach gurgled. Not with my diet but with the oft reported state of the world. The lack of decency within governments, not just our own ‘arti...

On This Day

On this day I woke up and discovered my first grey hair, Not long after my 30th birthday, prompted some despair. Then I remembered the privilege Of growing old, Of sharing memories, wisdom And increasingly becoming bold, To life’s...

In A Woodland Circle I Sit

In a woodland circle I sit, And listen. Surrounded by history I sit, And listen. With twitters and rustlings from children’s imagination, I sit And listen. Listen to memories. Listen to the joy of the touch of hands Listen to the exube...

Exercise

Up in the morning early, I’ve been decluttering my flat. Today 2 bookcases are arriving for my box room. Exciting. They fit perfectly. I heave bags of belongings from the spare bedroom And place them admiringly on the wooden shelves. L...

I’ll Give It A Try

I’ll give it a try To write a bit about my life Not feeling quite well As today I couldn’t wake up. But I made it to the Fringe After 3 years of living here. Thanks to another good soul That has guided me through the road… (Natush)...

On This Day

The weather changed to let us know to prepare for Autumn. It always whistles to let us know, towards the end of the Festival. The sun flirts its way east to west across each August sky, and dutifully pursues the companionship of the wind...

On This Day

The rain is falling softly on the trees, on the dark tarmac. Gray. Bright. I step out of the No. 42 on Forest Road, as the bus snakes its jagged way to Craigleith, the litter is blooming. My throat is itching with a bauble of phlegm, the...

Patriarchy Chicken With A Side Of Racism Chips

I remember a few years ago reading an article by Dr Charlotte Riley On a game called Patriarchy Chicken ‘Do not move out of the way for men’ It opened my eyes to how much I would try to not take up any space On a game called Patriarc...

A Geography of Rain

Saturday Night, Oxgangs Drive, Edinburgh, Winter 1970 Mum, did they win, or did they lose? Later that night. The sound of a taxi coming up the drive, I am wide awake now, taxi door slams shut. Footsteps coming up the stairs. The key turn...

Skyscraper Garden

Tilly woke gasping on her first morning in Hong Kong, worried the pollution had already crammed down into her lungs. She was buried alive, twelve flights above the ground, in a Tsuen Wan studio flat. Instead of buying a sim card and sort...

The Seal

I was walking home along the Clyde after the first day of a three day training course. I had done that exact training course less than a month earlier but an admin error and subsequent bureaucracy led to my having no choice but to repeat...

Ancient Isle

Orkney’s ancient civilisation has always reimagined itself, to forge a brighter future for the next generation… Born to the wintery archipelago in the North Sea, Orkney will always draw me back home. The wild landscapes change with a...

The Angel’s Share

The Angel’s Share is strong today. The smell of barley is heavy in the air, clinging to it in the same way the smell of rain lingers on tarmac. The river that feeds the distillery is running swiftly, swollen by weeks of rain, but today...

Clydebank, Lost in the Flames

“Breathe,” Lily told herself. “LILY!” Her mother screamed. Promptly snapping out of her daydream, Lily ran to catch up with her family, her small frame buckling under the weight of her suitcase. As she grasped her mothers hand sh...

5 x 2

Fair hair. The blue eyes of a northern tribe. From Western Scotland, perhaps, or Northern Ireland, the islands in between, or some Jutland inlet. A short, wiry build. Not a tall Nordic warrior. We wish! Compact, latent energy, a good eng...

An Unusual Party

November 1st was Meg Hart’s 11th birthday. The twins had had themselves a good Hallowe’en and decided to take her a party – a big bag of Cheesy Wotsits and a bottle of Cola. They didn’t tell their mum because they knew she’d sa...

The Cailleach

On this day, she abandons her bones in search of wood. In their den, they watch her go; the deer with his birch-like antlers, the fox with the frost-cracked orbital, the owl with her bones light like paper. Soon, soon they will cross. Ev...

Lost

There were lost pet posters on every lamp post … You would often see posters like this in other neighbourhoods, but never as many as this. It seems pets are going missing in Portobello on an industrial scale. Walking along the prom, I ...

Kindness

On this day,  cold and wintry, The train arrived late. Passengers hurried out. Her right leg disabled, She waited, struggled out, dragging a case behind her. The lift was broken, The stairs appeared forbidding, She stood, feeling helple...

Dawn Chorus

Rubbing my sleep-starved eyes I stretch my arm out to silence the monotonous tone of my alarm clock. I am eager to rise early and witness the new light. A gift from time’s forwarded, sixty-minute tick. Pyjama clad and double wrapped in...

Scotland versus England

On this day April 13th, 1946 Scotland played England in the football Victory International. The war had ended and part of the celebrations was a match between the oldest rivals in international football; 140,000 tickets were sold with 30...

An Edinburgh Sunday

It was a wet, windy Sunday in February 1955 and I was visiting my grandparents in Portobello. My Auntie was there too with her two children and as usual, the children were told to go through and leave the adults to have their blather. He...

25 October 2021

I wrote my sister from the hospital to ask if there was a history of high blood pressure in our family. I didn’t tell her that I was in the hospital, or that I was awaiting a scan. There was no point in worrying her, since everything w...

Portobello Beach – 22nd July 2020

Drawn out by the sunshine the socially distanced form a long stretched out queue outside the Beach House. They keep a safe distance, while worrying about the crowds and the unmasked. They cling to what to feels normal – The same aroma of...

17th February 2022

On this day a year ago, my true love went away. The end of five long years of care, she could no longer stay. I thought my life was over then, I was consumed by guilt But friendly folk were there to help, and my new life was built. We ha...

The Wee One

On this day I watch a plane fly across an empty sky. Not so many planes in our skies these days, after the pandemic you see. But it reminded me, brought me back to that day. Our plan to take the early evening flight from Borneo to Kuala ...

The Lonely Ghost

A translucent, pearly ghost leers close to the cliff edge, looking down at the rusty rocks and frothing waves below. She squeezes her lifeless eyes shut. Even if it were years ago, she can still remember. The feel of fingertips pressing ...

The Joy of Giving

On this day, We stood in the queue masked, one metre apart. Covid still lingered. You stood before me, bent over the trolley, Holding fast the handle. In it, a loaf of bread, a tin of something. Your fingers gnarled, Skin a parchment, Yo...

Isle of Muck

On this day 5 years ago, the first body was found. Since that day a body has been found every year. Everything changes each year, the victimology, the signature, the MO and COD. Before this, nothing had ever happened on Muck. If I solve ...

On This Day

On this day as I look down at Loch Lomond I wonder how he could jump, I wonder why he would leave me. As I look down again I let out a hysterical scream while I fall to the floor. I shout ‘’ how could you do this to me, how could you...

The Heist

It was a dull evening in the city of Edinburgh, the rain was rageful and streets were flooded. Paul was sitting in the warehouse waiting for the rest of the crew to arrive to finish the final planning for the jewellery store heist. The t...

On This Day

She goes to wake up little Allison. Her curly blonde hair laid out on the pillow. “Wake up Alli, time for school!”Allison rose out of her bed. Rhonda goes downstairs to make breakfast. Her eye bags were as dark as tar. She slams brea...

On This Day- A Highland Love Story

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK, I slowly walk toward the door, knowing who it might be backing aggressively on the door. I open the door and I see a seriously tall and old guy who was dressed incredibly smart giving me an intense death stare. “Ms A...

On this Day – Sister like Sister

Office doors opening and closing with “ding,dong,ding,dong….” noise. Anyways,my name is Lavender Ross Stirling, youngest daughter of Cameron Stirling.I have to someday inherit my dad’s company. I know what you are thinking. I’m t...

The Bunker

The year was 2522. I had arrived, it was the middle of the night but my surroundings were lit clearly by torches and flares lit by fellow survivors. It had only been nine hours since the government revealed the location of four out of fi...

On This Day

On this day, 6 years ago, my brother went missing in Loch Ness. They never found the body but I think I know why… It was Nessie, Nessie killed my brother. Ever since they gave up on him, I made it my mission to find Nessie and get my r...

Scotland’s Golden Generation

On this day in Scotland in 2026, Scotland beat Paraguay in the World Cup Final, the final score was 7-0 with Greg Taylor scoring all 7 goals. The man of the match was Scott McTominay because he got an assist. Scotland also won the Euros ...

Creative Writing 1/3/22

On this day in 2345 Scotland took over the world. It started off with Scotland taking over England and taking control of the rest of Britain. This is about a soldier who helped Scotland with taking over the world. I woke up on the 29th o...

On This Day 26 February 2022

It looks bright and sunny on the webcam. Blue sky and white clouds, sunny but cold I’m sure. I can see four towers two large, two small that rise above the other buildings. They are painted gold and the sun reflects brightly against th...

One Slip

‘A year ago today the death of King Alexander III was publicised’ I exclaimed. Every month each Scottish family was to remember the King. It could be reciting a prayer, having a special dinner. As we finish I walk over to the living ...

The Selkie Girl

On this day in 1967 a young family wakes up as their mother starts to make the fry-up.The day feels magical birds are chirping and as it is just a small coastal home that they live in the young boy asks his parents, “Dad please, please...

The Doll House Girl

It was Holly’s birthday and she opened her last gift, it was an antique doll house. Holly was so excited. One of her other favourite gifts was a tiny doll that was named annabelle. She would play with the dollhouse non stop. Holly’s pare...

Oui or No

The king stood on his Edinburgh Castle balcony and looked over his city, Edinburgh. He looked down over the rough and rocky drop. It was about 1000 feet. They were nearly in the new year. He had to make the decision to declare Scotland a...

On This Day

One day a little boy went down to a lake by himself. He saw something moving in the water so he decided to go into the water and see what it was. The water was as cold as ice, it was also very dirty as well. After a while of searching he...

The River’s Edge

I came prepared, my bathing suit on underneath my clothes. The air is brisk but warming steadily in the unseasonable sun. It’s the first day that gives a glimmer of hope for a summer still to come. The river is tucked away, accessible ...

Still Alive

On this day last year, I wrote the message and forced myself to click ‘Send’. With my heart trying to jump out through the throat, with my body refusing to breathe. Then I stood up, went to the kitchen and put the kettle on. I looked...

Maine 21/01/2022

Here I am a prisoner, with a view. My view is looking out on this drab corner of human existence. The weather and the time of year account for some of the drabness. It is early spring and the sun is making a half hearted effort. There ar...

Raise A Glass

“Hello! Come on in, today’s the day, we’re celebrating!” “Er…celebrating what, exactly?” “The dawn of a new era. The post-Covid world. The end of the dark days of lockdowns, masks and isolation. Scotland’s bright, new b...

Two Little Girls

On this day, Sunday February 26th at 13.15, my funny, sparkling, red haired granddaughter, Eve, shared the tears of another seven year old. A little girl in a far off land, with curly blond hair above wide, scared blue eyes, suddenly rem...

MERAPI AND MUSCA, ON THIS DAY, 22 02 22

I listened to the tracks on the album whilst watching the webcam. I didn’t initially put it on. Hearing the audio vhf radio transmitter, live transmission, its high pitch sound reminded me of a Matthew Herbert’s album. So I played it...

Five

On this day, I have a five year old; My hands find his legs are slimmed without that toddler squeeze, I can still lift him, hold him but not for so long – On this day, I have a five year old; No baby to lie with, face to face, eye to eye w...

The Kittiwakes

Every spring there comes a day when suddenly the kittiwakes are back. Squawking and chattering non-stop like second year students returning after summer break, greeting old friends, catching up on the gossip, bickering for the best nesti...

Right To Roam

9th February 2005, Land Reform Act We don’t want to break the law. We want to change it. This bill has been talked about since the 1890s but it was never allowed to get through. It’s almost the exact halfway point between the Winter ...

A Need For Change

I needed a pee at Dundee. But there was a barrier… On this day, Hamilton Accies had drawn away with Arbroath and now I was returning home from Angus, catching a bus at Dundee. At the shop, I asked, “What change do I need for the toil...

It Happened Just as the Clock Struck Midnight

My name is Ian, I am a Human Being. That was all, and it was enough – until it happened, just as the clock struck midnight. I suddenly knew – there I was looking down from above on myself, sleeping soundly on my very comfortable bed. For...

The Kirk

On this day, in 1697, Evil came to church. The accused witch’s bloodstained, grey skirt dragged over the worn oak doorstep as she was hustled into Greyfriars Kirk by two burly soldiers. Plain white plastered walls, roughly hewn pews, si...

Newborn

The arc that you traced across my chest With the length of your arm as we lay at rest From our breathtaking Introduction Skin to skin while everyone slept To and fro, your finger tips swept Arm stretched just shy Of my tired neck line Ju...

The Big Thing Thit’s Iverywhere

She said, “Ye ken, its yon big thing. The big thing thit’s iverywhere! Ye cannie see it close up. Ye wid ken it. I jist cannie mind what it’s cawed!” She sat for a moment thinking, trying tae recall what the big thing thit wis iv...

Apiphobia

On this day, beginning of the Edinburgh Festival 2019, the sun beat down – not a rain cloud in the sky, but, as always, she was looking forward to Autumn when she could venture outside without being chased by bees or wasps. Buzz, Buzz ...

Genderization

on this day oor granddaughter cam tae bide nae fur lang it was oan her way she wis a very tall lassie taller than when we last seen her ah dinnae ken how she grew that big but her faither is tall though her mither is wee ah asked her if ...

Beyond The Sea Wall

It was a blustery day – the kind of day when the sea gives up unwanted detritus from the slumbering deeps. A day when the wind blows the tops of the white horses onto the shore and the waves cast up strange dead creatures, old pieces of ...

On iss day bi Cedric e Flapper Skate

I woke up iss mornin feelin rare! Aye, I wis feelin rare cos I’m a fine example o a flapper skate, bit syne I thocht I’m rare in anither wye inna. Did ye ken I’m even mair endangered than thon giant pandas in China or e blae whales...

The Rising Whispers of Edinburgh’s Witches

The Flame of Remembrance There was a gentle flicker deep within her knowing, A flicker of a flame that had lain dormant for far too long. It sparked to life once again. Awakening an ancient knowing. That was fiercely focused and quietly ...

A Selkie’s Tale

The first time he sees one, it seems like a shadow hovers in the tail of his eye. It shimmers in the liminal space between evening and sunset. But he’s heard the stories; has walked on the shore every morning, looking, searching, gazin...

Her Hands

I had been in Edinburgh – “Auld Reikie” as the eighteenth-century poet Robert Fergusson referred to the city in his eponymous 300-line poem – for three months when, on a chilly but clear-skied December Saturday afternoon, I set out f...

On This Day

‘Let’s go for a walk,’ I heard on this day as I lay dozing in front of the fire. My ears pricked at the sound and, involuntarily, my tail twitched. ‘We can have a drink at the pub.’ My ears went down again. I’ve been on these...

Little Tartan Beauty

A Little tartan beauty Thats my Loganair flight Travelling between Glasgow Flying out of sight To Many destinations Morning noon and night That’s the little tartan beauty that’s right Campbeltown to Islay Tire to john o groats My little ...

On This Day

On This Day …. my plan became reality. On this day, thirty-odd years ago, the thought came to me. Not for the first time. A commuter, in the midst of a heaving, shoving throng of people pushing their way onto an already crowded tube trai...

On This Day

‘It, her, your sister,’ Gran said, ‘was like an Easter egg.’ ‘Eh?’ an eight-year-old Alex asked, perplexed. Fit to burst after his grandmother’s home-cooked Sunday lunch, he slumped back in the armchair opposite. ‘Never m...

On This Day

The beating heart of Scotland, watching its flowers amid the English roses, quickening with each surge, each setback, each addition to the score board, hard fought on the heavy, wet pitch – no longer so green, pounded by boots, running...

New Companions

I picked him because he was the only one at the Dog’s Trust that didn’t bark. He shared the kennel with a forward Jack Russell called Billy. But wee Baxter shook with fear, his stub of a tail shaking. His fur was matted, and they cou...

Glencoe

When I took you home, Though much as I remembered, Scotland wasn’t what you thought. It pursed its John Knox lips, The town from where I’d fled, And turned its back again.   Dusk fell fiercely As we motored further north And took the...

Neist Point and I

On this day, she feels the soles of her feet plant firmly into the dirt of the earth that birthed her. She sprouts up; strong, withstanding, resistant to the fiery elements of the nebulas glimmering in her mind. Her fingers stretch out, ...

Conversations Before Waking

Listen. Listen. This day could be just the same as any other. That would be safe, wouldn’t it? Comforting. Nothing startling or strange. Potentially boring, but I’m sure you could live with that. Oh, you claim it isn’t. You like yo...

Beatrix and the Skiers

  On this day, along with Beatrix my border collie, I headed to Glen Lyon to tackle Ben Lawers. Knowing there’d still be lots of snow up the mountains, I’d packed layers of clothes, crampons, ample food, Kendal Mint Cake and a flask ...

A Magical Day In The Trossachs

The announcement was made on 8/2/1979 that the ice on the Lake of Mentieth was 8″ thick, so a Bonspiel could be held next day. Neither my husband nor I are curlers, but we resolved to take our children to see the rare spectacle. The next...

Beautiful Bowmont

And Another Thing…

On this day Mother Nature could be had-up before any court in grave danger of facing a hefty lawsuit for at the very least inconsistency and at worst making the country pay for the fact she is in a grump of a mood and using the weather a...

The Wise Man

One day a man was carrying three items on his head and he wanted to cross a river in order to get to his destination. The items were a wolf, a hen, corn and one canoe. He knew he would only have one chance to carry one item after the oth...

Mandela in the Square

I came late to the cause of fighting the apartheid system in South Africa, I was the father of two young boys and that consumed most of my time. Once they were a little older my wife and I were able to become more involved. Leading up to...

The Day The Glasgow Polis Saluted Mandela

It was 9 October 1993, Glasgow, torrential rain. Thousands welcomed Nelson Mandela to George Square. A chance meeting with Lothian Region convener Keith Geddes and UNISON/NALGO general secretary Alan Jinkinson led to me being in the line...

Threads

The world feels like it’s falling apart at the seams today. War in Ukraine and it’s getting hotter, hotter, the bills are rising like the sea levels and the front door of my flat is rattling in the wind. It’s like the wood is strai...

Letifer (Binger O Daeth)

Hit wis a poor nicht, wir men wir aff, guid kens whaur. Hit wis black ootside, dan da wind wid rise, whistling under da eaves an sleety shooers slappin aff da windows. I coodna keep me towts on me makkin. So aff I guid ta bed, dir wisna ...

Aberdeen, The Dream

From the day I heard about Aberdeen University, it has always been a dream to attend. Imagining King’s Hall as my Hall of Residence, Imagining going for a lovely walk down Meston walk (st), having coffee at Kilua coffee shop, next, I wil...

Another Chance

On this day, I woke as always under the heavy black cloud of reality. My wife is suffering from cancer, and things are getting complicated. On this day, the soldiers of Russia marched into Ukraine. I listened to a Kievan woman on the rad...

Cultural Appropriation

On this day I am reading the Gaelic poem ‘Hallaig’ by Sorley MacLean. In this strange, dreamlike piece the poet takes us to a village emptied during the Highland Clearances and filled now with dead people glimpsed in the form of native t...

Hey

Kitesurfers on the water, High winds blow rainbow Sails at rapid speed, Painting the sky Cliodhna, Daughter of the sea. This New Year’s Eve, haud Hogmanay; Sparkling air by the seashore, sand like Silver dust tinsel; sea holly waves th...

I Heard the News Today

I heard the news today. I’m going to die. If I go out and touch your hand; or touch the place your hand has touched, then brush my fingers on my face… I’m going to die. I heard the news today. I’m going to die. It’s news I knew;...

Don’t Look Down

December the fourteenth, 2017. The date will never leave me. Although it was my third tour of Afghanistan in as many years with the Royal Scots Borderers, I didn’t realise at the time that it was to be my last. I’ll never forget what...

The Last Wish of Daniel McLevy

Three old men crossed the Royal Mile, busy as always at festival time. One last drink in the Royal Oak on Infirmary Street, Scott, Louis and Daniel. Daniel was dying, Daniel lived with schizophrenia, Daniel had one last wish, to meet aga...

Our Daily Bread

Nolan Scott Shirreff...

Sauchiehall Street

(wi’ apologies to Loch Lomond and Rabbie Burns) O, ye’ll tak’ the High Street, and I’ll tak’ the back lane, And I’ll be in Broonies afore you, For me and my best fieres will always meet again In the bonny, bonny bars of MacBr...

The Island of Worms

This day ten years ago we landed on that mysterious island. Josie had been moody, but when the boat dropped us off, she skipped gaily into a clump of dark bushes. “Did anyone live here?” she wondered. “I doubt it”, I said, “the...

9/12

Today an old woman heard me speak on the royal mile. She watched me suspiciously, examining me to see if I was real. You’re American, she said. I am. She put her hand in mine and said I hope you’ve found some comfort. With a kiss on the ...

A 13-Minute Walk on Google Maps

According to Google Maps, West Claremont Street is precisely 13 minutes’ walk from where I’m sitting in my desirable Edinburgh flat. 13 minutes? It’s 60 years and almost a lifetime away. You can’t even find ‘West Claremont Stre...

Scottish Humour

Live for the moment they say… good advice but not always possible. Try as you might, there will always be something to make you remember what’s been, or what’s to come. Take Facebook for example, most of us will take a quick glance (or l...

Portobello Beach in August

I sit on the beach wall and watch and listen Where are we actually going I’ve walked so far Surprisingly it’s hot enough on the beach to wear shorts The wee lad in shorts was the best actor and a t-shirt. You can’t wriggle out of a...

A Wicker World

On this day, I run no further. On this day, I can feel the heat upon my skin. On this day, I test positive. It was inevitable, no matter how far or how fast I ran it would always catch me. For we are only as strong as those by our sides,...

Hogmanay

Hogmanay just isn’t the same these days. If it wasn’t for the usual tv programmes, would we even know it was the last day of the year? Everything sounds too civilised on the streets of Southside Glasgow. Could be any normal Friday ni...

1. Flam’s O Alba & 2. Och

1. Flam’s o Alba Poetic Justice Rabbie by ma elbae, Burns in the ee Scryin fresh lit windae’s, seein’s time tae flee Flam’s thru oor fingers, aye ticklin lowe the taes New Daws summon new poems… an heres hou this ane gaes… De...

No Kid Sits Alone by Choice

My dog and I have several lunchtime walks and we see students sitting on park benches, perched on walls or goofing around near the soccer fields. There is one girl who is always alone. She is maybe fifteen years old and has a cobalt blue...

Me and My Black Friend Broomhouse 1960s

Hi Funmi, Hope I find you well. You may not have heard of Darren McGarvey he is famous in Scotland for writing a book called Poverty Safari it’s about social deprivation. He thinks he was brought up in the poor west of Scotland in 1984...

The Legacy of His Music

Today will mark 2 weeks since my beloved father died. On 1st February, Dad (James Douglas Composer) passed away peacefully. He would have been 90 this summer. Until he passed away, I had no idea that the end was coming but he is now at p...

Writing Prompt #2: Inventing Your Ghost

The phrase ‘On This Day’ got me thinking about ghosts. Those eternal, lingering, spectres are an excellent lens through which you can write about both time and place. So, wherever you are reading this stop and look around. Now, imagine a...

Writing Prompt #1: On This Day

The internet is a source of endless writing prompts which is constantly in flux. Searching is a little bit like panning for gold because you get a lot of silt but occasionally among your results, you’ll find a nugget of inspiration, an...