Janet Gogerty's Blog: Sandscript - Posts Tagged "holiday"
Sandscript Goes North
I was glad to be travelling on holiday around Scotland as the referendum took place; an event that had claimed attention well beyond these shores, as it began to look as if the YES vote would win.
Like many families we are a mixture of English and Scottish and goodness knows what else further back, but as none of us live in Scotland we had no vote.
Would Scottish residents vote yes to breakaway from the United Kingdom? Judging by what we saw, Yes... blue and white YES banners and Saltires were everywhere, while NO Thanks in purple was seen only in wheat fields or discretely in windows. In Glasgow and Dundee there was a buzz in the air, on Scottish television the sixteen year olds given a vote, for the first time ever, were enthusiastic. YES deserved victory for effort, I admired them, but united we stand, divided we fall and I hoped No would be the answer.
A record turnout of 85% voters was an achievement in itself. It was soon obvious that No had won in a close race, but Glasgow and Dundee were the two cities to vote Yes and it was sad to see heartbroken campaigners in tears on television.
But Scotland has always been a unique country in its own right and always will be.
As for our holiday; varied weather, wonderful scenery, lovely accents and lots of interesting people to meet. Strangely, the locals we chatted to in the most remote places were often not Scottish at all.
In a remote cottage I got more of my current novel written and plenty of inspiration for future settings.
Like many families we are a mixture of English and Scottish and goodness knows what else further back, but as none of us live in Scotland we had no vote.
Would Scottish residents vote yes to breakaway from the United Kingdom? Judging by what we saw, Yes... blue and white YES banners and Saltires were everywhere, while NO Thanks in purple was seen only in wheat fields or discretely in windows. In Glasgow and Dundee there was a buzz in the air, on Scottish television the sixteen year olds given a vote, for the first time ever, were enthusiastic. YES deserved victory for effort, I admired them, but united we stand, divided we fall and I hoped No would be the answer.
A record turnout of 85% voters was an achievement in itself. It was soon obvious that No had won in a close race, but Glasgow and Dundee were the two cities to vote Yes and it was sad to see heartbroken campaigners in tears on television.
But Scotland has always been a unique country in its own right and always will be.
As for our holiday; varied weather, wonderful scenery, lovely accents and lots of interesting people to meet. Strangely, the locals we chatted to in the most remote places were often not Scottish at all.
In a remote cottage I got more of my current novel written and plenty of inspiration for future settings.
Sandscript Packs Up
Lists; obsessive compulsive disorder or good organisation? Whichever is true, the CLM, compulsive list maker, goes into overdrive when a holiday is looming. At first there is one list; cases out of loft, car serviced, catch up with e-mails, pay bills and give neighbours address of destination in case house blows up.
Then the lists multiply; To Do, To Pack down to the final list by the front door: cases, coats, walking boots, buy petrol, lock back door, handbag, bleach down toilet…
For the keen gardener the lead up to a holiday is even more fraught; a dedicated gardener would not go on holiday till January. In September flowers are still blooming, tomatoes are ripe and the grass is growing. Will it be dry so the lawn stays in check, but the flowers wilt or will it rain continuously and the weeds take over?
If there is a photographer in the family the frenetic activity escalates; cameras, lenses, batteries, battery chargers, card readers and clockwork lap top, useless for Wi Fi, but handy for storing a few thousand digital images; all have to be assembled.
But this is nothing compared to the holiday preparation of an author. Packing notepads of various sizes and a few pens is not enough. I have been busy working my way through reams of scribble for my current novel. I like writing in long hand first, but I can’t actually read my writing, hence the need to quickly transfer from microscrap paper and macrosoft brain to Microsoft Word. Then edit and put on several memory sticks in case a burglar steals my computer, or worse, the whole house blows up while we are away.
In the meantime there is work to do in the ether; refreshing my website so it looks as if I have visited it recently and am not dead, blogs to write….
Back to packing…. Our collection of equipment to take is not complete without the various communication gadgets passed round the family or bought cheaply from Pete-at-work. Two Smart phones and two tablets because the lap top can’t be trusted to find the Internet and phone screens are too tiny to enjoy Facebook.
Finally clothes, September weather? Same as for an English holiday at any time of the year, take everything.
We’re only going 180 miles, away for 25 days maximum. Some staying with relatives involved, handy for laundry, shops nearby, so it’s hardly an expedition, but I need to treat it as such so that I will be prepared to enjoy getting away from it all.
Visit my website to see what's on in September; stories, pictures and all sorts. www.ccsidewriter.co.uk
Then the lists multiply; To Do, To Pack down to the final list by the front door: cases, coats, walking boots, buy petrol, lock back door, handbag, bleach down toilet…
For the keen gardener the lead up to a holiday is even more fraught; a dedicated gardener would not go on holiday till January. In September flowers are still blooming, tomatoes are ripe and the grass is growing. Will it be dry so the lawn stays in check, but the flowers wilt or will it rain continuously and the weeds take over?
If there is a photographer in the family the frenetic activity escalates; cameras, lenses, batteries, battery chargers, card readers and clockwork lap top, useless for Wi Fi, but handy for storing a few thousand digital images; all have to be assembled.
But this is nothing compared to the holiday preparation of an author. Packing notepads of various sizes and a few pens is not enough. I have been busy working my way through reams of scribble for my current novel. I like writing in long hand first, but I can’t actually read my writing, hence the need to quickly transfer from microscrap paper and macrosoft brain to Microsoft Word. Then edit and put on several memory sticks in case a burglar steals my computer, or worse, the whole house blows up while we are away.
In the meantime there is work to do in the ether; refreshing my website so it looks as if I have visited it recently and am not dead, blogs to write….
Back to packing…. Our collection of equipment to take is not complete without the various communication gadgets passed round the family or bought cheaply from Pete-at-work. Two Smart phones and two tablets because the lap top can’t be trusted to find the Internet and phone screens are too tiny to enjoy Facebook.
Finally clothes, September weather? Same as for an English holiday at any time of the year, take everything.
We’re only going 180 miles, away for 25 days maximum. Some staying with relatives involved, handy for laundry, shops nearby, so it’s hardly an expedition, but I need to treat it as such so that I will be prepared to enjoy getting away from it all.
Visit my website to see what's on in September; stories, pictures and all sorts. www.ccsidewriter.co.uk
Sandscript
I like to write first drafts with pen and paper; at home, in busy cafes, in the garden, at our beach hut... even sitting in a sea front car park waiting for the rain to stop I get my note book out. We
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