Peebles, Moffat & haggis

Hi
In this post we will be carrying on with our tour of Scotland. For several weeks now we have been travelling around Dumfries and Galloway looking at the area's attractions. Now we are going to move inland across the other side of the M74 to a place called Peebles.

The photo on the right shows a typical view of the countryside in the area.
Peebles isn't a place that many people other than locals are acquainted with. It's quite a large border town, but being between the main roads that lead to either Glasgow or Edinburgh it is seldom found by accident.

We decided to give Peebles a try because it was closer than going to the highlands and it was a inland which would be a refreshing change from the seaside. I suppose it is quite strange that even when we get older we still tend to drift towards the coast for our holidays. It's a bit crazy when you think about it. The sea is too cold to swim in, and sand is only good for kids and ruining your sandwiches. And what's more, if you like to have a good look around the area when you are on holiday, the sea itself restricts movement by about 50 percent. So an inland holiday may not have amusement arcades, rock shops and candyfloss, but you will get 360 degree access to the surrounding area.

The journey to Peebles was simple, we went straight up the M6 and got off at Moffat, which is another border town that is often missed by those travelling north. It has wide streets some lovely pubs and hotels. We had our lunch in one of these and the plaid carpet put us in the right mood for the first day of our holiday. In fact I got right into the spirit of things by ordering a plate of haggis. I would like to say I enjoyed it, but it left me a little disappointed because it was on the bland side. I had expected it to taste a bit like faggots because I thought it was made from all the bits that nobody wanted for their Sunday dinner. I don't know what was in the haggis I had, perhaps it was best Aberdeen Angus steak. Whatever it was, it wasn't what I expected.


After Moffat we carried on up north and followed the majestic river tweed (Photo on the left) all the way to Peebles.We only stopped once more to take a look around a glass showroom in Tweedsmuir, where we purchased a nice paperweight. Eventually we reached Peebles and drove through the centre of town to find our caravan site. We were staying in a static caravan because there wasn't a large choice of self-catering accommodation in the area, especially for holiday makers with a dog. If that wasn't bad enough, I was a smoker, so our choices were restricted even further.

Anyway, we thought the caravan would be fine, because if you've followed us this far, you will know that we don't spend much time in the accommodation. Having said that, it seems we were allocated the worst caravan on the site. There was nothing wrong with the caravan itself, but its position was grim.

The big leylandi hedge at the bedroom end of the caravan failed to dampen the noise from the A703. Now I don't mind a bit of road noise, which is just as well because I live within yodelling distance of the M6. What made this so bad was that on the other side of the Leylandi hedge was a big white sign with a black diagonal line through it. This is one of the best signs the motorist ever sees because it means that they can put their foot down. And put their foot down they did, every driver just as they passed our caravan jammed their foot on the accelerator as if they were being chased by the Loch Ness Monster.

My wife and I would lie there every night listening as each car came out of town with its engine purring like a kitten. As it got closer we would count down to that moment when the driver's stamped his foot on the juice.

Like all bad things in life you don't learn to like these things, but you do find a
way to tolerate them and by the end of the week we hardly knew the road was there.

I think I'll leave you with another photo of the Borders countyside and take a break before we seriously set about Peebles and its environs. If you want any more information about me, my writing services and books, or would just like to read some of my short stories. Click here
Details about print and Kindle versions of my Fishing book are available on the above website. However, should you like an e-book in a different format Please click here

Proofreading Advice

Hi all,
I just thought I'd let those of you who are interested in writing know that I've added some advice on proofreading to my website.

The cost of engaging somebody to do your proofreading can prove to be expensive. You may also be apprehensive about contacting a stranger, just in case you get roped into something you hadn't bargained for.

Well, I have low rates and some even better special offers for those who have purchased my book, Writing: How to get Started as a Freelance writer, Plus a Guide to Self-Publishing and POD. Click here to see more information about my book.

If you do want somebody to proofread your document, be it just a couple of pages or a whole novel, just send me an e-mail and I'll give you an outline of my proofreading service and quote you a price. Simple and easy, if I don't hear from you again I'll assume you aren't interested and I won't e-mail you again.

Right, that's enough of the advertising because the whole purpose of this post was to tell you about my proofreading tips. If you are hell bent on doing your own proofreading and would like a few tips on the subject you will find some on my website, Click here. They are in PDF format so they can easily be downloaded or printed off. I wish you luck and hope you find them useful.

Red Squirrels

Hi all,
If you've been travelling with me around Dumfries and Galloway I hope I've opened your eyes to the beauty of the area. The fact that it's known as "Scotland's best kept secret" says a lot about it, but still fails to do it justice.

In this post I will tell you about the last day of our holiday on the Isle of Whithorn. In previous posts about Dumfries and Galloway, you will perhaps recall that we've visited a number of gardens including: Threave, Ardwell House, Galloway house, Logan Botanical, Dunskey, Glasserton and Glenwhan. They were all different and all had a charm of their own.

You may have gathered by now that my wife and I like gardens, so it will come as no surprise if I tell you that on our last day we visited one of the best known and biggest gardens in Southern Scotland. Castle Kennedy Gardens sits magnificently just off the A75 before Stranraer. This is a very large garden, but don't go with the expectations of seeing vast herbaceous borders because you could be disappointed. There are some herbaceous borders, but these are mostly confined to the walled garden that surround the old castle ruin. For me this was the best area of the garden. The rest of the landscape is taken up by pools small lakes and magnificent areas of grass. When one walks down from the walled garden to the pond at the bottom of the grassed slope, one gets a real appreciation of how magnificent this garden is.

Although this was the biggest garden we visited, it wasn't the best in terms of catering. There was a cafe, but not what we were expecting to find in such fantastic surroundings. It was a while ago when we visited so perhaps it's been upgraded by now.

Despite the cafe, Castle Kennedy will always have a special place in my heart. While I was waiting in the car park for my wife to use the facilities a red squirrel trotted out of the bushes and stared at me for a nano second, but before I could get my camera up to my eye it scampered off back into the bushes.

To some people this might no be so remarkable, but I was over fifty years old and it was the first red squirrel I'd ever seen. My wife was so envious when I told her about it because she'd never seen one either. I think I was surprised about the red squirrel because all my life I'd been under the impression that the greys had all but wiped them out. Now I understand that there are quite a few places in Britain where the red squirrel still thrives. Besides those in Scotland, there are colonies on Brownsea Island in Dorset, some more in the lake district, some on Anglesey and yet more near Liverpool of all places.

After our long stroll around Castle Kennedy, we got some fish and chips in Stanraer and ate them over looking the harbour, where we could watch the ferries leaving for Ireland. After that we had a very pleasant drive around the North Rhinn. We followed the Banks of Loch Ryan where we saw the hulk of a beached warship that was sadly rusting away. Then we went over the top and followed the almost deserted roads to Black Head Lighthouse where we were able to park the car and have a spectacular view over a rugged bit of coast.

Sadly, another holiday came to an end much too quickly, but that's life. Next time we visit Scotland we will be in my favourite area and I'm looking forward to telling you about it and showing off some beautiful photos.

If you want to find out more about me, my books or my writing services, please Click here to visit my website.

Bossyboots

Hi all,

After self publishing my second book, Writing: How to get Started as a Freelance Writer Plus a Guide to Self-Publishing & POD, I decided to concentrate on my novel, Bossyboots.

I composed a synopsis, my bio and an introductory letter and then polished up the first three chapters until I could see my own face in them. Following that I went through the Writers' and Artists' Year Book and made a list of all the agents who might have a glimmer of interest in what I'd written.

During the next two weeks I sent out the material they'd requested and got on with titivating the rest of Bossyboots. Those of you who've gone through the process of editing a book that runs to 300 pages, will know that this is a task of enormous proportions.

Anyway, this week I managed to complete the job and took a moment to reflect on what to do next. I had nurtured a tiny ember of hope that by the time I'd finished editing Bossyboots, I may have received a telegram from an excited agent asking me to forward the rest of my manuscript with all haste. However, I regret to say that this was not forthcoming and the fire has almost gone out. I still have a few replies to come, but I don't hold out much hope.

If you do happen to be a savvy agent and you are reading this, it's time for you to take action and make a name for yourself. Opportunities like this don't come by very often so don't miss out on another one.

The publishing industry is changing at a rapid rate so getting a publisher to take on a book is becoming more difficult, so it's not surprising that agents don't want to take on anymore clients. They must be finding it very hard to sell the work of those they have already got on their list, so what chance the debut novelist with so many manuscripts awash in the system.

In a way this is good news, because I have my own publishing imprint, I can keep 100%control over my book. Getting it to market will be a lot quicker too.So I've decided to self-publish Bossyboots and I have ordered a proof copy from my printer so that I can proof read it again. I've decided it will be easier to proofread a hard copy of the book rather than try to do it on screen again. With the book I can read it anywhere and highlight the mistakes as I go along.

One of my favourite parts of the self publishing process is in creating a cover. I always use Photoshop Elements because it is simple to use yet gives fantastic results. If you look at the cover of Boosyboots, at the top of this post, you can have your own opinion, but I'm quite proud of my efforts.
By the way, if you do have any comments to make about the cover, please let me have them, any feedback is always useful.

If you would like more information about my books or my writing services,please click here.
In my next writing post Bossyboots will be close to being published, so I will give you an insight into what it's all about. At some point I will also offer a free download.

Bream Tench and Blanched Maggots

Hi, Autumn is with us again, doesn't this picture make you want to get your rods out.
In this post I'm going to carry on with the process of revealing my top ten favourite fish. So far I've covered the eel, which due to its sliminess and hook swallowing capability, came in at number 10. Spot number nine was taken up by the big girls blouse of the freshwater fish world, this is the thickest of all fish and is of course, the Pike.

This week we will start at number eight, a place that is filled by the humble bream. This fish ought to be called old snotty because it doesn't half put some mucus on your line. It is hard to describe the bream's fighting capability because it has about as much fight as a jelly. In fact the bream has only one redeeming factor and if it wasn't for that it wouldn't appear in my top ten at all. The reason it is in my top ten is because they are relatively easy to catch. They will take a wide range of baits and there is no need to worry about fishing the right depth for this fish. All you have to do is make sure your bait is nailed to the bottom. The first shot should also be just on the bottom and about nine inches from the hook. Plumbing the depth is very important when fishing for bream and more can be seen about that in my angling book. Click here to see details
Another thing that I discuss in the book is the need to make sure that you get rid of all the slime off your line after catching a bream. I know it's a bit mucky and it could turn your stomach if you are half way through a bacon butty, but get rid of the slime, because you won't get another bite until you do. Fish might not be the most intelligent creatures on the planet but they do have instincts and if they see a long string of their mate's mucus strung between bb shot and a lump of sweetcorn, they are apt to give it the cold shoulder.

Anyway, as long as you keep your line clean the bream is easily caught and comes to the net very easily. And that is why it's one of my favourite fish. I have won many matches in my fishing career and the bream has played a major part in a lot of them. In fact there is only one other fish that has consistently contributed to the number of competitions I've won. That fish, and you might be surprised what it is, comes in a number two so you will have to wait a few posts to find out what it is.

The Tench is the next fish in my top ten. Like the bream this fish also has a problem with slime, but not quite so bad. I have a soft spot for the tench because it's a good looking fish and a lovely shade of green, unlike the bream the tench can put up a very good fight.

On the downside, they definitely seen to like the early morning approach and are probably one of the first fish to decide that breakfast is over and they'll go and sleep for the rest of the day somewhere under a big patch of weeds. They don't bother with lunch and won't be seen again until they come out for a bit of light supper.

So that's why the tench only comes in at number seven. It is good for the pleasure angler and I've had some good tench sessions, but it's a fish that has never contributed to helping me win an angling competition. This is probably because most competitions start after the tench has had its fill and gone back to bed.

For the record, and perhaps it doesn't seem so good nowadays, but back in the early seventies I caught my best ever tench. It was a specimen of 5lb 4oz and was considered such a specimen at the time that it was reported in our local newspaper.

I know a tench of that size wouldn't get a mention now but at that time any tench over 4lb was considered a very good fish. Anyway I caught the fish at a venue called Copmere, which is just north of Stafford. At the time the fishing rights were with GEC angling club, but I think it is now in private hands.

It was at Copmere, that one of my regular fishing companions introduced me to the joys of blanched maggots. I would hasten to say that it was also the last time I used blanched maggots and hope I never come within sniffing distance of one again. You can find out more about the blanched maggot escapade in my book.

In my next fishing post we'll take a look at number six a fish with attitude.

Dunskey Gardens

Hi all,
There is no doubt about it, the south western corner of Scotland has some spectacular gardens. In this blog I have previously described visits to Logan Botanical gardens and the wild splendour of Ardwell House. We have been to Glenwhan and seen what beauty can be wrought from virtually nothing..The garden we are visiting today, Dunskey, may not be as well known as some of the gardens in the area and that's a shame because it's one of my favourites. This garden has got it all; the usual flower beds and ornamental ponds etc, but it has so much more
I'm sure we can all appreciate well planted herbaceous borders and specimen plants and it is heavenly to walk about taking in the scents and admiring the planting combinations.
However, when you've taken all that in, Dunskey has something extra to offer, especially for those who visit during May. Beyond the lovely garden you will find a pathway that leads to two, small scenic lochs. Between the two you will find a path that meanders through the most delightful bluebell walk I have ever trodden.

The second loch, complete with boathouse, is in a glorious setting that is enhanced by the careful intervention of a top class gardener. I would recommend any visitor to Logan, Ardwell, Glenwhan and Castle Kennedy, to take a look at Dunskey because it is wonderful.

I think that being less well known adds to it's charm because it hasn't been commercialised at all. Whene my wife and I walked this garden, we must've been there for the best part of two hours and we never saw another soul. Peace and quiet in perfect surroundings, what more could anybody want?

Dunskey gardens is never far from my thoughts. In fact I was so impressed that I use one of the photos for the desktop background on my computer. So now, whenever I switch it on, I'm transported back to paradise.
For more information about me, my books or writing services, Click here

Good News

Hi all
Finally the distribution gremlim has been put to the sword and my book is now available. "Writing: How to get Started as a Freelance Writer Plus a Guide to Self-Publishing & POD" can be purchased in paperback from most on-line retailers for only £7.99. If you go to Amazon via my website (link at the bottom of this post) you will find that it also includes delivery, which makes it a bit of a bargain.

However, I know many people don't like to spend more than a fiver on anything so here is some more good news. A kindle version of the book is now on sale at Amazon for the really low price of £4.20. For a book that is packed with so much information, that has got to be good news.

Here's just a reminder of what the book is about. The first part is aimed at those who you want to take up freelance writing. They may not know how to get started, or even worse, they may be showered with so many opportunities and ideas that they can't see the wood for the trees.

The writing game is awash with so many ideas that many a would-be writer just gets drowned before they find dry land. My book shows the best way to get started and move on to become established. I don't like blowing my own trumpet, or using well worn cliches, but I've been there and done it. I wasted more time than I care to remember chasing false hopes. The truth of the matter is, too many opportunities were waved in front of this gullible face and like a hungry fool I snapped at most of them. My book helps you avoid the traps and concentrate on areas that can bring success.

The first part of the book is dedicated to making sure the would be freelance writer doesn't waste precious time. It provides a clear strategy that will lead to publication and just as importantly, getting paid. Somebody said, "Only fools write for nothing" and I reckon they were right.

The second part of the book takes a look at the options that revolve around self-publishing. When most people think about self-publishing they think of vanity publishing and that's a mistake. Don't let anybody try to convince you that self-publishing is for failed authors with enourmous egos, because it isn't.

More good news; times have changed and self-publishing can be not only self-satifying, but also a lucrative enterprise for a lot of good authors. Let's face it, there are lots of brilliant authors out there all banging away on their keyoards day and night, but only a few get a tradditional publishing deal. Publishers want to make money so they are conservative about taking on new writers, which means the debut novelist has little chance of being spotted.

Anyway, regardless of how good your writing, getting a publishing contract is not going to happen for most writers, so this brings us back to self-publishing. My book examines 6 different models that any would be author could try. These range from handing your manuscript over to a company who will do everything for the author at one end of the spectrum, to the other end, where the author takes his book files to an independant printer. It also discusses in some detail the opportunites that are offered by internet companies like Createspace, Blurb and Lulu. These companies and others like them will allow the author to produce and publish a book for less than £10 so that can't be bad can it. Obviously, there are pros and cons and a lot will depend on the authors own circumstances and expectations, but it can be done and it is easier than you think and my book will show you the way. I have done it twice and you can see the results on my website.
Anyway, I'll leave you with the link. Goto my website
I also aplogise if this post seems like an out and out plug for my book, but I know many people who read this blog are intrested in writing. Those of you who are waiting patiently for the next post about my tour of Scotland will be pleased to know that it will be out in a couple of days.