Student Journalism: Just Another Story

February 15, 2013 By in Nostalgia, Scotland Tags: , , , , , , , 22 Comments

You know how some writers shove a manuscript in the back of a drawer, convinced that it’s worthless drivel, then return to it years later and discover that it’s actually bloody brilliant and it secures them a six figure advance with a major publisher…

Well…

I’ve just had the opposite happen. I’ve spent the last ten or so years convinced that my student journalism days were golden, that I had spent my time at university effortlessly churning our several charming and original pieces of writing every week; from hilarious reviews to insightful interviews and ground-breaking news stories.

Sadly, when I recently unearthed a box full of old Student papers and peeled apart the curling, yellowing pages to read my first attempts at a writing career, it turned out that they were nearly all crap.

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Live in the Now February

February 11, 2013 By in Family Tags: , , , , , 20 Comments

February already!

It’s not my favourite month, to be honest. It’s such a tease.

One day you can walk through the park without even a jacket, admiring the snowdrops and daffodils that are poking their heads through the earth, and lifting your face to feel the warmth of the sun. It can really feel like spring is within touching distance. The next day it’s back to hat, gloves and scarf, and you walk through that same park cursing the slap of wind and rain on your cheeks. As I type this morning, there are several inches of snow on the ground, and those poor daffodils must be wishing they could tuck back down into the soil. Continue reading →

A Glimpse into the 1920s

February 8, 2013 By in Family, Nostalgia Tags: , , , , , , , 40 Comments

old leather bound album

What a lovely thing I found yesterday!

When one of my great aunts died, at least ten years ago, but probably closer to fifteen, I remember spending some time helping my mum sort through her belongings. I picked up two very old autograph books, which had belonged to my great uncle as a boy, and asked if I could keep them.

I came across them again yesterday when I was sorting through boxes, and I had forgotten how absolutely beautiful they are. Both are leather-bound, with ‘Album; embossed on the outside in gold lettering. One is dated 1918, and the other seems to have entries dating from 1924-1926.

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A Postcard from Ghana

February 7, 2013 By in Activism, Guest Posts Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , 13 Comments

Comic Relief 2013 Red Nose Day

Comic Relief hasn’t really been on my radar for the last few years.

I loved it when I was a kid – the anticipation every two years of finding out what the red nose was going to look like (my favourite remains the fluffy one), the daft fundraising events that people would do at school, the evening of television with all sorts of celebs being silly, all my favourite boybands doing novelty songs – but I have to admit that more recently Red Nose Day has passed by without me really noticing.

Not so this year. This year marks 25 years of Red Nose Day, and a great celebration of all the good work that has taken place since 1988. Continue reading →