Mary Oliver - Tranquilo Creative

Cherish the past, adorn the present, construct for the future.

Clough Williams-Ellis

Tranquilo Creative

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Do you ever have days when your words just won’t

Do you ever have days when your words just won’t spill out on to the page? I know that I do.

Why not try writing in a different genre from what you usually would - if you normally write non-fiction or memoir, why not give fiction or poetry a go? I have found that changing things up a little has helped my writing a lot. Here’s a wee work of fiction that I wrote and, as today is #WorldStorytellingDay I thought I would share it with you all. I hope you enjoy it.

. . .

The path well-worn lower down had somehow petered out. I stumbled onwards and upwards through the thick heather-clad hillside to reach the top of the hill. At the top I was rewarded by the stunning sunset views out over the rolling Aberdeenshire countryside. I found myself up here a lot these days. I felt safe here. High on the hill, amongst the ancient grey stones - placed here 4,000 years ago by some ancient civilisation. It was as if I could almost feel their prescence, still, after all this time. I sat on the huge whinstone recumbent stone, as I always did, and watched as the moon began to rise high in the night sky.

Behind me, a cock-pheasant flushed from the long grass by something unseen. It's loud, excited call - cuck, cuck - startling me from my reverie. Was there someone there? Don't be silly I told myself, you're all alone here in this world. No-one here likes you - you're just some weirdo that the rest of the kids make fun of. No-one would even notice if you weren't here anymore. I felt the trickle of the lone tear on my cheek. Yes, I thought. No-one would miss me . . .

I heard a rustle behind me. Turning around quickly, I caught the tail of a long skirt, darting behind one of the stones. Och, you're just imagining things! Another rustle, this time closer. I felt the panic begin to rise in my chest, my heart beating so loud it sounded like a ceremonial drumbeat. There's nothing there. I turn back to admire my view, and there she is standing in front of me, eyeing me up and down.

"You're a funny looking thing!" she says, her voice is light and tinkling, like the jingle of tiny bells.

Continued in comments . . .

I found a feather lying on the pavement this morni

I found a feather lying on the pavement this morning - seeing a feather is often followed by a message from your ancestors . . .

I thought long and hard about what that message could possibly be, and with today being #InternationalWomensDay, I guess it is to always #LearnFromThePast and #FollowYourHeart.

These are sentiments which have been passed down through the generations of strong women whom I’ve been lucky enough to have had in my life.

The first photo shows my Great Great Granny, Betsy Shepherd (who lived to 107!); my Great Granny, Charlotte Gilbert; my Granny, Charlotte Reid; my Mum, Charlotte Beaton; my sister, Ann, and myself.

The second photo is my Granny, Jessie Beaton, who always encouraged me to be creative #DoWhatYouLove.

I just want to thank all of them so much for being an inspiration and strong influence on me growing up - you have all played a part in shaping the strong woman that I am today.

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“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we raise them. May we be them.”

#MyTranquiloLifestyle #MyTranquiloLife #MyCreativeLife #MyHeritage #AQuietStyle #WritingDream #FollowYourPath

So, we did a thing . . . We’ve finally gotten a

Hello friends, how can it possibly be the last wee

Hello friends, how can it possibly be the last week of January already?

Despite this month seeming to have 6184 days*, I did actually manage to squeeze in a wee micro-adventure back to Turriff where I grew up. Anyway, whilst re-acquainting myself with my old haunts, I happened upon the statue of this infamous local character, The Turra Coo, and I thought you might be interested in a wee story . . .

The year was 1913, and local farmer, Mr Robert Paterson of Lendrum, had refused to pay the recently introduced National Insurance Stamp for his employees. He was charged under the National Insurance Act and fined to pay £15 plus arrears. He eventually paid the fine, but not the arrears - resulting in the Sheriff’s Officer being ordered to seize property to the value of £7 from the farm - he “poinded” the only piece of easily moveable property - Paterson’s white milk cow. The cow was to be sold at auction to pay the debt, but both of the Marts in Turriff were in support of Paterson’s decision and refused to handle the sale, meaning an external auctioneer had to be brought in.

On 9th December 1913, a large crowd gathered in The Square to witness the auction. Well, it turns out there was a bit of a “stramash” (an uproar) and the cow escaped from her handler. She was later found hiding in the barn of a nearby farm and taken to Aberdeen where she was eventually sold. However, the local community rallied together and managed to buy the cow back for Mr Paterson.

In January 1914, the cow was handed back to the Patersons at a very public event - it is thought around 4,000 people were in attendance! The cow herself, was paraded through the streets of Turriff, bedecked in ribbons and garlands of flowers and with the slogan “Free! Divn’t ye wish that ye were me” painted on her side!

After her brief stint as a local celebrity, the cow lived out her days quietly at Lendrum farm. After that a roaring trade was done in Turra Coo souvenirs, and in 2010 she was finally immortalised in bronze, and can now be found in the town centre, where Main Street and High Street converge - known locally as “Coo Corner”.

Happy New Year! | Feliz Año Nuevo! | Bliadhna M

Happy New Year! | Feliz Año Nuevo! | Bliadhna Mhath Ùr

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Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2023!🥂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Kay xx

#NewYearNewBeginnings #NewYearGoals #NewYearVibes #BreathingSpace #MyTranquiloLifestyle #MyCreativeLife #AQuietStyle #LivingASlowLife #FollowYourPath #WritingDream #WritingLife

Happy New Year! | Feliz Año Nuevo! | Bliadhna M

Happy New Year! | Feliz Año Nuevo! | Bliadhna Mhath Ùr

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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Wishing you all a very happy and healthy 2023!🥂⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Kay xx

#NewYearNewBeginnings #NewYearGoals #NewYearVibes #BreathingSpace #MyTranquiloLifestyle #MyCreativeLife #AQuietStyle #LivingASlowLife #FollowYourPath #WritingDream #WritingLife

Olive

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