Tell us 4 important facts about yourself: I grew up on the Kings Road in Chelsea in the 1950s and 60s I lived in France for 15 years before returning to Scotland in 2018 I am proud to be a granny and great granny to 14 children I am scared of heights, but I climbed … Continue reading Quick & Quirky Questions with Sara Baker
In this edition of our QQQs we are joined by Kay Ritchie who took part in the Living Our Dying competition and her poem was highly commended by the judges. Kay’s life might be that of the steel ball in a pinball machine, sent in different directions with every strike. She grew up in Glasgow and Edinburgh, … Continue reading Quick & Quirky Questions with Kay Ritchie
Throughout August we asked you to send in your flash entries about cats, Edinburgh, or allotments. The twist being this had to be photo instead of a piece of poetry or prose. We loved looking through all your photos! There could only be one winner though and we’re pleased to announce Sara Baker, aged 72, was … Continue reading Cats/Edinburgh/Allotments – Winning Entry
We’re now almost halfway through September and we find ourselves in Pension Awareness Week, running from the 12th to the 16th of the month. With the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the public response to the events of the last week dominating the deadlines, it’d be no surprise if this particular theme had completely … Continue reading Money Matters ?
In this edition of our QQQs we have June Webster who took part in the Living Our Dying competition and her poem was highly commended by the judges. Tell us 4 important facts about yourself: I lived in Italy for twelve years and loved every minute. I had four amazing children – three girls and … Continue reading Quick & Quirky Questions with June Webster
Our journey through the calendar year brings us anniversaries, events, important milestones and themed monthly celebrations in honour of worthy and vital issues. We find ourselves now in Autumn – a season traditionally associated with advancing years and one which inspired our name, Autumn Voices. It’s also September, a month often connected with growing older. … Continue reading Food For Thought
This letter is a reply to Orlando who gave advice on getting around a taped up cat flap! Mr Orlando, How dare you disclose a lady’s age (not even mentioning it’s in cat years) for all to see. Regarding your advice, I took it several months ago and found another single gent next door who … Continue reading A reply from Peroni
Cat writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cosy series, the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries, featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She also … Continue reading A Cat Writer’s Journey
Mary has just turned 70 and wrote a lovely piece about her play in Edinburgh and we thought we should probe a little bit more and ask her some of our infamous QQQ’s. Tell us 4 important facts about yourself: I listen to my insides I am funny I am fiercely protective of my beliefs … Continue reading Quick & Quirky Questions with Mary Goggin
When I told my publicist that it was my 70th birthday on 12th August during my run at the Edinburgh Fringe she said two things. Firstly, that it was known in Scotland as the glorious 12th and secondly how on earth had I managed to reach this age with the life that I have led? Well, it appears, in … Continue reading An Edinburgh elder: Mary Goggin, Runaway Princess at 70
Throughout July we asked you to send in your flash entries about water. It turned out to be a very popular topic with lots of entrants to wade through! There could only be one winner though and we’re pleased to announce Eleanor Fordyce, aged 74 from Angus, swept us away with her poem, “Seafarer”. She … Continue reading The Water – Winning Entry
Have you seen Ethel & Ernest, the animation of Raymond Briggs’s book of the same name? Briggs’s semi-autobiographical graphic novel Ethel & Ernest was first published in 1998 and the film based on it is an emotional journey about him and his parents, and the relationships between them until 1971 when his parents both died. … Continue reading What are you plotting?
You may have noticed that we like cats around here. Our resident cat, Orlando, regularly makes an appearance on the blog and last week he was helping a fellow feline get in the back door! Orlando was given the makeover treatmeant in a competition to draw him. That competition was won by Louis Dunn and … Continue reading International Cats Day
Jane Campbell grew up in Zambia and Cape Town and read English at Oxford. She has worked as a Group Analyst, teaching and training and lecturing internationally, for nearly forty years. She lives in Bermuda and Oxford, England. She published her debut short story collection, Cat Brushing, at the age of 80. Tell us 4 … Continue reading Quick & Quirky Questions with Jane Campbell
*no Nessies were harmed during the making of this film. As our sea and water activities-filled July comes to an end, we have one more thing to share with you before we float into August (see what we did there?) We’ve recently learned of a beautiful film made about a group of swimmers who meet … Continue reading Swimming with the Loch Ness Monster
