Freedom From The Mundane » Books

Solitary Refinement

colingalbraith — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 07:38:23 +0000

Image: Ninrnimesh

I had a much more productive and pleasant trip up town yesterday morning. Just like the day before, I was up early but this time I took the chance of a quiet house to enjoy a slow breakfast in the garden and catch up with the latest news and my email. After enough time had passed, I woke up my daughter and took her into Edinburgh with me.

We headed out to Corstorphine and nipped into PC World; no purchases made because they never had what I wanted despite their website advertising they did. No problem, though, as I was going to Pets At Home next door to them regardless, in order to stock up on rabbit supplies. They had a couple of lovely wee critters in; two jet black mini-lops you just wanted to take away there and then.

From there we went into the nearby Tesco and bought a magazine and newspaper each then nipped into Costa Coffee for pastries and coffee/hot chocolate. Most enjoyable.

Back home I had the house all to myself for the day and took advantage of it by writing in the living room on my Netbook. It made a nice change from the confines of my office (I do enjoy having the ability to retreat and close the door) but the change of scenery was nice.

The family returned home at 6pm for dinner that I’d cooked up: home-made chicken curry with rice. They all then left me to my own devices for the night; Gail to her studio to work on yesterday’s wedding pictures, and my daughter to a sleepover. Normally I would have moaned a bit about being left alone again so soon, but with the World Cup Final between Holland and Spain on the telly, I wasn’t going to complain about an uncontested TV set with which I to watch the game undisturbed.

I’d tipped Holland to win before the competition kicked off, and as regular readers will know I quite like the Dutch, so I was behind them all the way. Unfortunately they never played like themselves and they dragged the game into a kicking match. The referee did well to keep order as long as he did and resist sending players off in favour of making it a better contest for the fans. That could last only so long, though, and after a 0-0 draw Holland lost a player in extra time, with Spain scoring a great winner near the end.

Not the most satisfying end to a month long celebration of the cream of world football but I suppose I have St. Mirren Park to look forward to next season to make up for it.

Peace and out!

Generation-X Of Clothes

colingalbraith — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 08:47:30 +0000

Image: OK Nation

I went into Edinburgh in the rain yesterday. Well, not so much rain, more of a dank drizzle that my Harrington absorbed like a sponge. My intention was simple: buy some holiday clothes, checkout a couple of recommended books and grab a coffee. Nothing is ever that simple, though.

Ever wondered why middle-aged men dress like twats? Either they wear clothes that speak of days gone by or they are too old and sensible for them to make any sense. The answer is simple, as I discovered yesterday: there is nowhere for middle-aged men to buy clothes, especially ones to wear on holiday.

The first thing I feel I should do is define middle-age. If it’s half way through one’s life expectancy then at 36 I suppose I can say I’m right on the button. Or is it, as most people seem to think, the latter stages say between mid-40s to being an OAP? It’s a conundrum and more relevant to my argument as you might think.

I’m 36 and whether that makes me middle-aged or not, I feel like Generation-X when it comes to clothes. Nobody caters for me; you either have to be 20 to suit the styles on offer or be prepared to buy your clothes from BHS or Matalan and end up looking like your Dad. Either that or just be a woman, they seem to have plenty to choose from.

Us mid-30 blokes have grown old before our time because we’ve been missed and forgotten by the designers and outlets. We’ve no role models to look up to and say, “hey, I want to look like that.” We’ve no style ideas of our own. It’s not our fault we end up looking to M&S or Slaters for t-shirts! It’s not my fault that I get excited at a new pair of slippers (although my Homey’s really are something very special).

I left M&S feeling dejected and hopeless, my plan to get it all done myself this year left in tatters. I’d called my wife fromthe t-shirt department of the men’s section and felt like a prat as I told her nothing looked right at all. There I was, walking around the t-shirts with my mobile to my ear as middle-aged men followed their wives around as they picked out clothes for them that just didn’t suit. That will be me later this week. Oh joy.

Following that humiliation I decided to head to the bookshop to look up Devon’s recommended books. None of them were in but I was able to order AMERICA LIBRE and should have it in time for going away. Back home I looked out more potential books to take on holiday. In no particular order:

THE PLAGUE by Albert Camus
FLESHMARKET CLOSE by Ian Rankin
THE ISLAND – Victoria Hyslop
THE PAPERS OF TONY VEITCH by William McIlvanney
MAN IN THE DARK by Paul Auster

I spent my afternoon doing a bit of cleaning and tidying. I took some time to do some longhand writing and make some notes—even found myself sketching into my Moleskine at one point! Then I ordered pizza and watched a film with daughter in the evening.

A fitting end to this middle-aged bloke’s life. For info, I wore jeans, a Madness t-shirt and Harrington jacket through. What does that tell you about my clothing comfort zone?

Peace and out!

I Fancy Holland

colingalbraith — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 11:31:28 +0000

Image: Jan Ramroth

I found myself on the bus going through Edinburgh at the unfeasibly early time of 6:30am yesterday morning. I was to spend the day working in an unfamiliar building on the other side of Edinburgh and it was one of my longest working spells in many a day. 12 hours without a lunch meant by the time I got back on the bus at the west end I was already half asleep.

I got home and lay down for an hour, my thumping headache worsening by the minute. When I got up Gail had left me some fresh pasta and chicken to heat up for dinner, which I wolfed down with a pint of water and a Neurofen.

Feeling better but without enough spunk in me to write, I decided to read instead. I finished the Work anthology I won from The Scotsman and carried on with McDermid’s tale set in the Lakes. Devon gave me some great tips for books to consider while I’m on holiday (thanks!) so I checked them out online and they’re available in the UK. I’ll be passing the bookshop tomorrow morning so will check them out even closer. I want to take around 5 novels to Portugal with me. If any more are needed I’ll go searching while I’m there.

I’ve picked out some new writing competitions I want to enter, which will also give me prompts to write while I’m away. A couple are flash fiction, one slightly longer and one a themed poetry competition that is being run locally. The prize is a performance (and money) but it’s the performance side I fancy more.

It promises to be a cracking weekend. I have loads to do with my final weekend before I go away and, of course, the Word Cup 3rd/4th Place Play Off is on Saturday with the Final between Holland and Spain on Sunday. Before the competition kicked off I tipped Holland to win it and so far I’m on course. I wish I’d put cash on them at the bookies!

I like Holland and I like the people. I remember when Gail took me to Amsterdam (the other side of Amsterdam away from lads’ weekends—the cultural side) we both came away saying we could easily live there. If I was able to write full time I wouldn’t say no if the idea ever became serious. It’s the perfect writing city; laid back or intense where it needs to be, artistically inspiring, rich in ideas and promotes an openness and frankness to life that appeals to me. Plus they have some of the best watering holes and cake shops around.

Time to be getting on. Have a great Friday.

Peace and out!

Rooney Dropped By HarperCollins

colingalbraith — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 09:00:04 +0000

Image: BBC Online

This week seems to be dragging in no matter how busy I am. One would think if I am extra busy then the week will fly past extra quick. But no, it just plods along lifting its head every now and then to see how far it’s got.

I’m taking part both as a competitor and as a sponsor in the upcoming Poetry Superhighway Poetry Competition. I’m offering up 1 signed copy of FRINGE FANTASTIC but also in my role as an editor, I’m pleased to say the Ranfurly Review will once again be offering a showcase interview with one of the competing poets. Click here for the full list of sponsors.

Back to work on GREENER IS THE GRASS after the day job – a few good solid hours into the evening.

Booktrade.info mentioned Wayne Rooney’s staggering £5m deal with HarperCollins in 2006, to produce five volumes of autobiography over the course of his career (his agent said it would be “like the Star Wars series”). One of the tomes was to be a diary of the England lads’ glorious 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa. However, with Rooney currently sunbathing in Barbados without a single goal to his name, the book has been quietly shelved. Full story at The Independent.

The Huffington Post had a fascinating article on the top 11 most surprising books ever banned. I read it over lunch yesterday and was surprised both by the number of children’s books and the appearance of the poor old dictionary among them.

Peace and out!

To Kill A Mocking Bird Is Still Relevant Today

colingalbraith — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:27:21 +0000

Image: Mike Baird

My tickets for the Edinburgh Book Festival arrived yesterday, all 35 of them. Holding the bundle in my hand brought it home just how busy August is going to be. And of course, there’s still one very special event I’m hoping to be attending, news of which I should hear soon after July 16th.

The day job was slow, which I hate. I can feel the pressure building when I’m not moving fast enough and with the boss off on his holidays it can lead to hassle up front. Thinks seem to be slow all over, though, as vast numbers start to head off towards sunnier climes, leaving the office barren and rumbling along. It will soon be my turn and it can’t come quick enough now.

I had an excellent writing session last night. I put GREENER to the side for the evening to work on some ideas I’d had over the weekend and it ended up consuming me. I’ll have to get a new notebook for going away now, though, because all my work went into the brand new one I’d bought. I couldn’t resist the sheen, smell and feel of the paper.

I spent some time catching up on all the blogs I read regularly since I’ve not had a chance over the past couple of days. Wish I hadn’t. One of them left me feeling shocked and angry at the unbelievable selfishness and self-absorbed nature of the writing. Not often does my jaw physically hang and I feel sick from reading peoples’ comments, but this was just disgusting drivel and I’ve now lost a large chunk of respect for someone I considered a friend.

I watched a fascinating documentary celebrating the 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Writer, Andrew Smith (I think that was his name), headed back to the writer’s hometown and tracked her life. He came across an amazing array of people, from the most poisonous bigots to the most wonderful, open-minded people.

It amazes me how the KKK can even survive these days judging by the ridiculousness look of their gowns alone, never mind their hate-filled views. We think we have it bad over here with bigotry but that lot in the American south really do take some beating. Wish someone would as well.

What it did highlight for me is how relevant Lee’s book still is today and always will be. It’s a shame she’s never spoken about it since but her final words on the matter seem very apt somehow: “I said all I wanted to say; why write more?”

The programme was then followed up by the classic movie adaption of the book with Gregory Peck. I shouldn’t have watched it because I’m knackered today as a result but it was worth it.

Peace and out!

Pit Stop

colingalbraith — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:41:12 +0000

Image: TRF1

I started to feel quite run down towards the end of last week and after my last blog post on Saturday felt really quite rubbish. So I downed tools and took a pit stop, a little time out for myself. I figured a day and a half downtime and cut off from the Internet would be better than several days off through illness. And it did the trick—I’m feeling much better. All I needed was some time off resting and moseying about.

There was a lot happening around the house to keep me otherwise occupied: demolition of a side porch never used and that had been blocked off by concrete after some building work. The conservatory is now more usable and the living room has a higher capacity. All good stuff.

I managed to get some fairly decent reading sessions down, though, and have begun thinking about what books I want to take on my summer holiday, which is just around the corner. I’ve got a Rankin and an Auster that are itching at the bit, but I reckon I’ll have the space and time for two more. Or maybe four.

I’m really looking forward to going away. Two weeks of doing absolutely nothing, relaxing and putting my feet up under a warm sun and with all the food and drink I can eat. Awesome; it can’t come quick enough.

Of course, it’s not that I won’t be writing while I’m gone, I’ve bought a special pad for the journey; a brand new moleskin has found it’s way into my possession and will be dedicated purely towards the Portugal trip.

Gail’s studio opened for business and she’s had her first few clients in through the door. It’s an exciting time for everyone with all that’s going on down at Gail Galbraith Photography. If you didn’t already know, she’s offering offering portrait shoots for £25 (knocked down from £40) if you book before 31st August 2010 and you use the word “Leith” in your query. For that you get a 1 hour session in her new studio in Leith, 1 free 8×6 print, an online gallery to show off to friends and family and where images can be purchase direct from, and all images from the shoot on a free low-resolution CD. (Subject to max of 4 people per session; each additional person is £5 each). You can contact Gail at gail@gailgalbraith.co.uk and view her website at: www.gailgalbraith.co.uk.

Finally, have you ever wondered how Sweet Georgia Brown might sound if played by a skiffle band and tractor? Well, here it is:

Peace and out!

June Review Of Work

colingalbraith — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 07:00:11 +0000

Image: Weekly Reader

Looking back, June was a great month. May had been good and I had been wanting to build on it, so when carrying out my GDR review of the past 30 days I was delighted with the results of both the amount of work I’ve got through, the quality of my submissions, the changes made to my routine and of those unexpected things that popped up along the way, of which there were a few.

So here’s my review. As you can see by the length of it’s been a stonking month. It started off small—I’d deliberately laid out a thin set of plans—but as the month wore on I seemed to become more motivated. Long may that continue!

Fiction
* Complete first rewrite of GATECRASH – done; carry into next year for completion.
* Polish final draft of GREENER IS THE GRASS – IP; final target end of July.
* Write at least one new short/flash story – done.
* Catch up on short/flash story backlog – IP; final target end of July to complete.
* Re-submit any rejected/recalled short stories – done; new submission tracking system now in place.
* Submit to selected fiction/poetry competitions – several poetry and short stories entered.
* Rewrote PAINT for a submission.
* Highly polished A POINT OF VIEW for application.

Poetry
* Write at least one poem per week – 5/5 done.
* Catch up on backlog – IP; final target end of July to complete.

Editing
* Publish June ‘10 issue – done.
* Announce hiatus – abandoned.
* Update site to reflect – abandoned.
* Stay on top of submissions to get ahead – IP; issue 12 – full; issue 13 – 50%; issue 14 – 10%

Freelance
* Get some local gigs to review for NotW – Supergrass gig covered but not for newspaper.
* Keep all websites updated and relevant – minor updates; new news page; new splash designed; new anthology added.
* Wrote Six Nations preview article including paid advertisement.
* Edited photographer’s advertising copy for new campaign.

Reading & Learning
* The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid (48%) – IP
* Work anthology – complete.
* The Kenneth William Diaries by Russell Davies (38%) – IP
* Suggs and the City by Suggs (2%) – left just now.

Things That Turned Up
* Attended author event with Yann Martel at the Traverse Theatre.
* Made some technically interesting improvements for photography client’s website.
* Edinburgh Book Festival/UNESCO reading opportunity application sent in.
* All events wanted for EBF in August I managed to get.
* STELLA released on Kindle.

Submissions Made
6 poems sent out – 1 sold
18 shorts sent out – 2 rejections

Outstanding
Short stories – 16
Poetry – 5

Successes
* THE FINAL NAIL poem bought by Every Day Poets. Publication pending.
* MIDDLE AGE poem was included in Poetry Rivals Anthology 2009.

Failures
None. This has been a great couple of months. I am on a ROLL, DUDE!

Till tomorrow. Peace and out!

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Available until 30th June only: buy any of my poetry books from my website or the Books page on this blog, and qualify for free ground shipping up to the value of £25 if you enter FREEGROUND305 when checking out. Available through Lulu.com only.

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Gail Galbraith Photography is offering portrait shoots for £25 (knocked down from £40) if you book before 31st August 2010 and you use the word “Leith” in your query. For that you get a 1 hour session in her new studio in Leith, 1 free 8×6 print, an online gallery to show off to friends and family and where images can be purchase direct from, and all images from the shoot on a free low-resolution CD. (Subject to max of 4 people per session; each additional person is £5 each). You can contact Gail at gail@gailgalbraith.co.uk and view her website at: www.gailgalbraith.co.uk

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Bachelor Boy

colingalbraith — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 08:14:42 +0000

Image: SELL

Yesterday morning was all about one thing: the ticket launch for this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival. As you can see if you scroll down to yesterday’s post, I got all the tickets I was looking for. Will Self with Donald S Murray on the 30th was a late addition, and I also have Louise Rennison on the 18th in the RBS Main Theatre to add to the list. That’s a teen event for my daughter.

Having been up so damn early to get the tickets and with the house empty by the time I’d got them, I went back to bed for a lie down. I figured I’d have a more productive day if I could concentrate on but one thing, which at the time and despite trying, I just couldn’t.

An extra couple of hours did me the world of good and I was able to get back into the swing of things. I took care of some tidying up then got down to work on GREENER IS THE GRASS.

I’ve realised that there needs to be a new start to the book. While it’s quite dramatic having an earthquake kick things off, the book is actually a slow rise to the exciting stuff; there needs to be more of a hook into the story not just an exciting, unrelated beginning. I’ll keep running through the proofing while I figure out how to handle the new chapter 1.

Wife and daughter headed off late afternoon to see Pink at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which left me with an empty house for entire evening on a Saturday night. Cue bachelor day re-visitation. I put on a couple of DVDs (48 Hours and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll), ordered an Indian takeaway (lamb madras with all the trimmings) and cracked open a couple of cool beers from the fridge.

Good luck to England in today’s 2nd Round World Cup match against Germany. I fear for them but hopefully they can pull together some of that great British spirit and finally get a result against the Germans after years of penalty misses and all sorts of nearly-made-its.

Right now, I’m off up town for my constitutional.

Frieden und heraus!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SPECIAL OFFER * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Available until 30th June only: buy any of my poetry books from my website or the Books page on this blog, and qualify for free ground shipping up to the value of £25 if you enter FREEGROUND305 when checking out. Available through Lulu.com only.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * SPECIAL OFFER * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

STELLA is also available now to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy priced $5.29.

All Go For The Edinburgh Book Festival

colingalbraith — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 09:41:04 +0000

Image: EBF

Tickets for this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival went on sale this morning. In fact, as I type this I’ve just closed down my browser after waiting patiently for a session, then tentatively working my through the Book Fest site to order all my tickets.

The phone lines have never provided me any luck and I saw a picture of the massive queue outside the EICC so that’s just a no go. Technology works for me in this case and I got everything I wanted, except for a couple where the events are missing from the site. This year I’ll be in the RBS Main Tent a total of 15 times, the Scottish Power Tent 6 times, Pepper’s Theatre 6 times, the Writer’s Retreat 5 times, the Spiegeltent once, and if all goes well, spend some time in the ‘yurt’, which is the author’s green room.

Here’s my schedule:

Saturday 14th
Philip Pullman at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Fast-changing Britain at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Allan Brown at: PEPPERS THEATRE

Sunday 15th
Ten at Ten (15th) WRITERS’ RETREAT
Carol Ann Duffy at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Gary Younge at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE
Philip Ball at: PEPPERS THEATRE

Tuesday 17th
Tony Black & Gillian Galbraith at: PEPPERS THEATRE

Wednesday 18th
Alan Bissett & Lars Husum at: PEPPERS THEATRE

Thursday 19th
Ian Rankin at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Candia McWilliam at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE

Friday 20th
The James Tait Black Memorial Prize at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Alan Warner at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE

Saturday 21st
Ten at Ten at: WRITERS’ RETREAT
A C Grayling at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Heather Brooke at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE
Lydia Davis at: WRITERS’ RETREAT

Sunday 22nd
Ten at Ten (22nd) at: WRITERS’ RETREAT
Roy Hattersley at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Ken MacLeod & Adam Roberts at: PEPPERS THEATRE

Monday 23rd
Tom Bingham at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Has the Novel Reached Crisis Point? at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE
Garry Trudeau in conversation with Steve Bell at: RBS MAIN THEATRE

Tuesday 24th
Seamus Heaney On: at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Alexander McCall Smith in conversation with Andrew Sachs at: RBS MAIN THEATRE

Wednesday 25th
Mark Billingham at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Jackie Kay at: RBS MAIN THEATRE

Sunday 29th
Joyce Carol Oates at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Katharine Hibbert & Sheena Iyengar at: PEPPERS THEATRE

Monday 30th
Ten at Ten (30th) at: WRITERS’ RETREAT
Louise Welsh at: HIGHLAND PARK SPIEGELTENT
Antonia Fraser in conversation with Ian Rankin at: RBS MAIN THEATRE
Donald S Murray & Will Self at: SCOTTISHPOWER STUDIO THEATRE

I wanted to make sure I was there on the opening day and the very last day. The only days I won’t be there at all are on my anniversary, one day I am at a wedding and two evenings when I have tickets to go and see some gigs: Limp Bizkit and Modest Mouse. Other than that it’s a full wrap. There may be more as late events get added while the festival is running. I can’t wait!

Yesterday was really all about the day job in the end so nothing worth covering there. Today is all about catching up on paperwork, a bit of tidying up and then down to the page. I think I should be able to get the proofing done on GREENER and I want to get my application to the Book Festival’s new writer slots sent off.

Vrede en uit!

STELLA is also available now to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy priced $5.29.

Reasons To Be Cheerful Part 2

colingalbraith — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:37:32 +0000

Image: David Goehring

I’ve decided what I’ll submit to the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust’s programme for reading slots at this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival. I wanted it to be something punchy, engaging and would prove a good advert.

I had two stories immediately in mind. I was cut between LETTING GO, a sad story about two old men gone fishing, one of whom is struggling to get over his wife’s death. It’s good and fits the length requirements but it’s possibly that little bit too sad and slow moving. My other idea was A POINT OF VIEW, the sharply emotional story of a guy being sacked from a job he never really liked anyway. It’s fast paced, intense and engaging from the start. Above all it reads well aloud and is solidly in my own voice.

I went with the latter and spent the last two nights polishing it up. I’m going to give it some vocal try outs this weekend just to be sure.

I’ve also been working on GREENER IS THE GRASS, moving through the manuscript while remembering some of the tips I picked up from Stephen King’s On Writing. Nothing complicated, just things I never used to look out for specifically, like adverbs, themes and concentrating more on what the readers sees. It’s getting there.

I’ve had no more submissions back but I do have some ideas for new markets. New Writing Scotland has opened for subs to their next anthology. They should expect something from me very soon.

The sun has finally given in to cloud over the past couple of days but it’s still as warm as a brothel’s boiler room. Scotland in June and several days of sunshine means we are already talking about droughts and possibly hosepipe bans. Meanwhile, in the highlands, there is still snow lying on the ground. What a contradictory place we live.

Speaking of the sun, I think I forgot to mention we booked our family holiday last week. We’re flying off to the Algarve in a few weeks for some relaxation of intense proportions. The whole family needs this; it needs to be a good one.

I’ve got a busy weekend coming up: Edinburgh Book Festival tickets go on sale at 9am tomorrow, so tonight I’ll be finalising the events, workshops and debates I want to attend. I also have to start getting some new clothes in for going away—I’ll need a bunch of new thongs and vest tops, maybe some new hats and definitely lots of sun cream.

Wife and daughter are heading to Glasgow for the day tomorrow and won’t be back until late. Cue much unbroken writing during the day for me, with some spells out playing with Pippin in the garden. Tomorrow night I’m planning an Indian take out; something hot like Madras, along with a good film and some really cold beer.

Shalom!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * SPECIAL OFFER * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Available until 30th June only: buy any of my poetry books from my website or the Books page on this blog, and qualify for free ground shipping up to the value of £25 if you enter FREEGROUND305 when checking out. Available through Lulu.com only.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * SPECIAL OFFER * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Reasons To Be Cheerful

colingalbraith — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:04:06 +0000

Image: Elegant Chic

Yesterday was the 14th anniversary of my first ever Madness gig at a London venue. I’d seen them before by then, but travelling to London to see the Magnificent 7 on their home turf is like going to see Scotland playing at Hampden Park—it has an extra special something.

The occasion was the third installment of Madness’ successful Madstock festival; loads of bands and beer throughout the day topped off with a massive dollop of Madness in the evening. 40,000 Madness fans descended on Finsbury Park in North London that day, 22nd June 1996, and it lived up to everything I’d been told.

That day was also significant in that England were playing Spain in the quarter finals of Euro ’96. The match ended in a draw and went to penalties, at which point I remember the gig being halted so they could play the radio broadcast over the massive speakers at the side of the stage. England won and it was party time (thought they went out a few days later in the semi final to Germany), which was very surreal being one of only a handful of Scots among a very large and drunk crowd. Only one week earlier, a certain Paul Gascoigne had scored the goal of the tournament to help beat Scotland 2-0 at Wembley.

Although yesterday turned into a pretty long day (10 hrs working time and then travelling) I had some good news waiting for me when I got in to boost my sapping energy. Every Day Poets has accepted my poem THE FINAL NAIL to be published at some point in the future. EDP is a popular site that sends out a poem each day to its subscribers, which usually provides me with some good lunchtime reading most days. Therefore, I’m delighted they took the poem, which is a new one by my standards and one that came as a direct result of my new approach to writing poems last year.

Remarkably, THE FINAL NAIL will be the first poem I’ve had published that isn’t part of a chapbook since December 2007! I’ll post the date when it’s due to go out as soon as I have it.

At the same time EDP turned down SCOTLAND NEGLECTED. I’d totally missed the fact the poem was already published in Circadian Poems, which I think was caused by my transference to a new submission system. I simply missed it.

Interestingly, though, they provide rare and valuable feedback of the editors’ comments as the poem gets passed around for reading with the acceptance/rejection. One said: “I came away wanting to hear something more about Scotland, instead of just comments on all the Irish stuff that gets the attention – the poem does the very thing it complains about. That’s a problem because if that were all I knew of Scotland it would leave me thinking “So?” instead of wanting to pin on a sprig of heather and celebrate St. Andrew’s Day.”

This criticism is precisely what the poems is about. The reader is supposed to come away wanting to know more about Scotland because the poem is a complaint that Scotland is forgotten among the Scottish fascination with Ireland. The poem is meant to reflect the fact that people in Scotland are happier celebrating St. Patrick’s Day than bothering to do anything at all for St. Andrew’s Day.

In a survey (at the time of writing) a large percentage of Scots thought St. Andrew’s Day was on January 25th, which is actually Rabbie Burns Day and measurably more popular. Why do we not do the same on November 30th?

Therefore, paradoxically, the reason the poem was rejected by this particular editor is the precise reason the poem was written and what it was meant to achieve. C’est la vie.

Applications are being invited by the Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust for new writers to have the chance to read at this year’s Edinburgh Book Festival. There are slots open daily at 4pm for 10-minute readings for writers who fit the bill. I’m going to apply. I’m still at the “do I write a new piece or send in a good one I already have” stage but I have a few weeks to get my application ready.

England play in their vital World Cup match today. I won’t get to see it unless I spend the afternoon in the canteen so that isn’t going to happen. I’ll have to settle with the sporadic updates from the Internet and then the highlights later tonight.

Later, I’ll be working on the same thing I did last night: GREENER IS THE GRASS. Originally that was only a working title but while working through the story on paper I have seen the theme does actually exist so I’m going to keep it. It works quite well.

There’s a special offer running on my books at the moment. If you head over to my website (or the BOOKS page on this blog) and purchase any of them, when you are directed to Lulu simply enter the code FREEGROUND305 to get free ground shipping up to the value of £25. Offer ends 30th June.

STELLA is also available now to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy priced $5.29.

That’s all for me just now. Peace out!

Edinburgh’s Shame Part 2

colingalbraith — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:52:39 +0000

Image: BBC

Margo Macdonald is at it again. She’s talking sense when all around her are going mad. Again. She’s the first MSP to come out with a case for scrapping the Edinburgh Trams farce altogether, citing the council’s plans to borrow a further £55 million and sack Bilfinger Berger, as well as the possibility of the total cost ending up nearer £600 million as her justification.

Margo told the BBC: “Because of the economic downturn, lots of big projects are being closed down. I think we wouldn’t lose as much face as was once feared if we had to say that we have spent too much on the trams and we will have too much to spend in the future before they would make any money for us. I think we might conceivably see the project come to an end.”

She’s right. She usually is. Common sense and logic course through Margo like a river in spate and one is left rueing that there aren’t more people like her serving in the Scottish “Parliament”. Of course, Edinburgh could be left with another “Edinburgh’s Shame” but that’s not surprising given Edinburgh Council’s historic lack of ability to pull through with anything worthwhile. The ET project is just the tip of the iceberg; their numerous attempts at improving traffic and public transport in Edinburgh have all fallen short with sometimes comical but always costly turnarounds. Remember the pelican crossings they put in all along George Street then took away the following weekend?

So the Trams project so far looks like this: Leith Walk is still a mess with numerous businesses having folded because of the 2 and a half year programme of roadworks. The same goes for the west end around Haymarket. Princes Street has tracks that appear from nowhere at one end then disappear at the other—a hazard to cyclists is about the only purpose they offer up. And the only stretch of, as yet unlaid track that is going to server any purpose, might be between the airport and Haymarket—IF they can rumble up another £55 million.

And so history repeats itself. When Edinburgh tried to build the National Monument on top of Calton Hill in 1816 they ran out of money then too. Now it lies unfinished and is more commonly known as “Edinburgh’s Shame”. I think Edinburgh Council’s intention is to destroy the face of Edinburgh, not preserve or improve it. Edinburgh wouldn’t look the same without the acropolis now, though I wonder if we shall still feel the same about unused tram lines in 100 years time.

Half way through yesterday afternoon I remembered I was supposed to be leaving for a dentist appointment. Thankfully I had no unstoppable commitments so was able to shoot off from work slightly early to get my little pearlies checked out. A clean bill of health was delivered and there’s no need to go back until December. I put it down to milk and lots of it.

Back home I finally got round to rewriting and polishing my review of the recent Supergrass gig at the Glasgow Barrowlands. You can read it at the Man in the East.

I also wrote up a new article for my Six Nations Rugby Spotlight, the reason being I needed to get next year’s fixtures published early and to include a paid advertisement in the copy. Nice.

With the rest of the family out at the theatre (Rocky Horror Picture Show—not my thing) and with it being way too hot to do much else in my office (even the tropical fish were coming lying on the surface to try and cool down) I took my work outside.

I worked on proofing GREENER IS THE GRASS and gave the Edinburgh Book Festival programme of events a more thorough going over. I’ve always boasted about how each year at the book fest I’ve gotten involved in new things and used my time to expand, grow and recharge, and so although my initial skim was a bit of a disappointment I still expect this year to be the same provided I apply myself right.

My approach is therefore this: I’m going to push myself into new areas and ideas. There’s still a lack of any decent workshops around (once you’ve done them they never actually change and they lack substance with the 90 minutes they have), so I’ve circled a few debates, lectures and sessions with authors who are “thinkers” ahead of being writers. I’m fighting to fit everything in but once I’ve got all my tickets (released Saturday) I’ll post my vision through my selected events.

STELLA is also available now to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy priced $5.29.

That’s all for me just now. Peace out!

All Work And No Play And All That Jazz

colingalbraith — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:48:34 +0000

Image: Spice London

Yesterday was a blast. I spent some of the morning up in town doing some shopping for my parent’s visit later in the day, which naturally included a stop off in the coffee shop and a read of the paper. When I got home I sat in the sunny paradise of my back garden for the rest of the morning and read a book. It was bliss.

My parent’s arrived around lunchtime and we spent most of our time sitting it in the garden soaking up the sun, alcohol and some wide ranging chit chat. I’d spent the whole of Saturday getting the house cleaned up and tidy for their arrival only to spend most of the time sitting in the garden—go figure, eh?

Later, we enjoyed a wholesome roast beef dinner (cooked on my Dad’s request—kind of) and followed that up with fresh coffee and a choice of lime cheesecake or trifle. Lovely jubbly. I was totally stuffed and am still struggling to walk if the truth be told.

We got really lucky with the weather over the weekend. It was great being able to enjoy the garden for the day but it made the house cleaning on Saturday a bit of a droll affair. There was much panting and sweating as I worked the rooms. The house needed it, though, and having it look so clean is quite satisfying now it’s all done.

Yesterday was Father’s Day here in the UK. My daughter gave me a crime novel by a new writer she’s found for me along with a massive block of Galaxy chocolate. I’ll enjoy that over a film some night. To my own dad I gave a vocal card of a cheeky monkey, and I had planned to take him out to the aquarium centre in Tranent so he could select my new stock of tropical fish, but after he’d had a couple of beers he was too tired to go. Another time.

Despite using Factor 30 lotion all day yesterday, I’ve still managed to get burnt. Not my head this time, it was protected by a cap, but I have a large V shape on my neck and chest where my shirt was lying open. Against my blue work shirt it makes for quite a patriotic display of British colours.

I hardly spent any time on the internet over the whole weekend until last night. It felt good to be away from it for a few hours and not feel bothered about email checking or anything like that. There’s a certain freedom to be gained from gong into my workspace and closing the door, but equally, after a while, there’s a certain amount of freedom also to be gained from closing the door and not entering.

And so another new week is here. Yesterday was good for me because I got to spend time with my folks as well as my own family. I think Gail badly needed the rest, too, and soaking up the sun and wine in the garden on a sunny is the perfect tonic for recharging the batteries. All work and no play and all that jazz.

I am having a good month with my workload—my GDRs are turning over nicely—and I intend to have met another two, maybe three monthly goals by the end of the week. GDRs, for those of you who have been reading this blog unaware of the acronym, stands for Goals, Dreams and Resolutions. It’s an expanded form of the traditional New Year’s resolution list with the aim of providing consistent targets and desires within your working life, in my case writing, which can also be used as motivation and for looking to see how far you’ve come. It was designed by Devon Ellington and I recommend it to loads of people. I recommend it to you.

STELLA is also available now to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy priced $5.29.

That’s all for me just now. Peace out!

On The Slide

colingalbraith — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:20:14 +0000

Image: Donald MacLeod

Long day yesterday, which by the end of it I’d to deteriorated into fatigue induced sickness. Nothing serious, mind you, just that I felt sicker the more the day the wore on until I had to admit defeat and collapse into my bed by 9.30pm. Not like me, but hey-ho.

The day job dragged but only because it was a Friday and the sun was shining. Then to my absolute delight the boss, in a rare display of anarchy, decided to take the team to the pub for lunch. We headed to Clark’s and sank a couple of gloriously cool and fresh lagers before returning to the office in the knowledge the afternoon really was going to drag now—it was unavoidable after that.

After work, there was nothing for it but to head back to Clark’s and continue where I left off, which is when I started to lag, talk less, and long for some food and then sleep. Sleep, sleep, sleep. I watched the first half of the England versus Algeria World Cup match—enough to knock anyone out through boredom—then jumped into a cab and headed home for some cheese on toast.

I felt like shit after I munched that lot down and crashed out. I never woke until 10am this morning. Something tells me I needed it like a Sloth needs a wide branch.

Today won’t see much writing, I’m afraid. My parents arrive tomorrow and so there is much to do around the house to get it respectable again.

My hard copy of the Edinburgh Book Festival programme arrived so I’ll be able to start filtering through it and decided what events I want to attend this year. I don’t think there will be as many author events so I might take a closer look at the workshops again and see if they’ve revamped then enough to be worth going.

STELLA is also available now to purchase from Kindle. Click here to buy a copy priced $5.29.

That’s all for me just now. Peace out!