Random Thoughts

The other day, we (some staff, volunteers and service users of Mary Seacole House, Liverpool) went on a day trip to Llangollen. This wasn't the first time I accompanied them on a day trip. In fact, this must have been the third or fourth time I am going on a trip with the group since February 2022. Whenever I go on a trip with the group, it fills me with endless joy. It is not just the fact that I love travelling, but the fact that these trips give me an opportunity to know the people around me better.   For most service users, these trips are new experiences. Many of them don't get an opportunity to travel out of Liverpool. They spend all the time cooped up in the hotels/hostel after returning from classes/activities organised by MSH. And if someone gets an opportunity, they don't usually have the money or resource to fund their trip. For almost all of them, these trips are avenues of escape from the harsh realities of life. It is something to look forward to and remind...

A year and a half ago, I was pretty content with my writing gigs, sketching & drawing, and doing things I thought made me happy. As the world returned to normalcy, I slowly emerged from the stress and misery I felt during the pandemic. Although my work and hobbies had kept me going through those dark days of social isolation and loneliness, a strange feeling of void continued to nag me all the while. Each day found me struggling to find any sense or purpose to what I did – life was becoming more and more mechanical. Even the things I enjoyed the most in the past, drawing and writing, started to feel more like a boring task I had to complete. No matter what I did, I found myself getting frustrated and unhappy. At that time, I was living in a self-imposed bubble, and had minimal contact with people outside my family as I didn't feel like talking to or meeting with friends or socializing in any way. Of course, I enjoyed the trips with my family , and perhaps that was the only thin...

In this episode of Amazing Scotland series, we invite you to join us on this scenic drive to Isle Skye from Edinburgh. There are several routes to Isle of Syke from Edinburgh. We have travelled through some of those highlands roads during our previous visits. This time, we decided to take the most scenic routes of them all which will take us through Cairngorms National Park and Snow Road. You can see the video of our trip here (if you liked what you saw, please subscribe the channel and show your support) The 90 mile stretch of Snow Road is said to be an amazing sight in the winter. We read that it is no less beautiful during the summer as well. As we are never tired of beautiful sights, we jumped at the opportunity to see new sights and explore new routes. You'll see that our decision was right. As we left Edinburgh behind, we were treated with some amazing scenery - it was literally feast for our eyes and soul. We couldn't have asked for more (except, perhaps a better weat...

If someone asks us 'what to see in Edinburgh Scotland', we would say 'Royal Mile without any hesitation. Well, you want to know why, check out the earlier blog here . Here is the second part of the Vlog where you can enjoy these sights on our YouTube Channel Wanderscapes. Don't forget to subscribe and show your support while you are there. In this second part, we continue from where we left off last week- we bring sights from the Edinburgh Castle (https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/). Although we didn't go inside this time due to the pandemic situation, we had been inside a couple of times and so we know what's inside. Edinburgh Castle If you are in Edinburgh and go in, make sure your time your visit to see the daily gun shot which happens precisely at 1 PM. This happens daily, except on Sundays, Christmas and Easter. The other attractions include the Scottish Crown Jewels - the crown, sceptre and sword used during the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots. There ar...

Royall Mile Walk Part #1 - Edinburgh - Amazing Scotland  Ok, so before anything, let me lay down the cards - this is a travelogue based on our trip to Scotland. We are making a vlog series of it. So, if  you would rather watch it than read it here, click here  to watch on our YouTube channel, Wanderscapes  (and while you are there, consider subscribing to the channel too)  Royal Mile Now, this is the second episode of our Amazing Scotland Series. We have just reached Edinburgh. In this blog, I tell you about some of the must see sights of Edinburgh. In the video, you'll get a glimpse of Holyrood Palace and Scottish Parliament before we go on one of the amazing walks through the city. Since this blog is about Royal Mile, I don't intend to go into the details of the palace and parliament.  Holyrood Palace - Front View Royal Mile is a one mile stretch of road extending from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace. It is a collection of five streets - Castlehill, ...

Update on Weeks 8, 9,10 As it is obvious from the lack of posts here, not much reading happened during these weeks. All I read was a bit from Ivory Throne, which is progressing painfully slow. So, there is not much to write about on the reading front. I had been busy with other things like my Vlog (Wanderscapes ), which turned one recently, my drawing pursuits, writing and more. Sadly, reading has taken a back seat in all this. But I hope to bounce back in a week or so. Until then, keep reading and discovering joy of letters... Cheers! 

This week also saw me reading less than I had wanted to. A lot was happening around me and the week was one wherein I couldn't do everything I set out to...  However, the good news is that I finished reading Heads You Win and did speed reading of another book too. Here's a quick round-up: Heads You Win – Jeffrey Archer So, this was a typical story by Archer - the underdog making it big in life against all odds. If I remember correctly, all his protagonists are ordinary people who rise above others and become extraordinary. What makes Heads You Win is the parallel narrative, which he seems to handle quite easily. The same character with different lives in two different countries. After reading Archer's short stories, which by the way I rate higher than his novels, I am not surprised he can tell the two stories convincingly. If he had to come up with a few more versions, I am sure he would have done that with much elan. It was nice to follow Alex and S...