ISSUE 25 WINTER / SPRING 2015 FREE THE EILDON TREE NEW WRITING FROM THE SCOTTISH BORDERS & BEYOND THE EILDON TREE Issue 25. Winter / Spring 2015 3 CONTENTS GUIDELINES 3 THEATRE WHERE TO FIND YOUR FREE COPY OF THE EILDON TREE. cannot guarantee inclusion in the magazine. Please note we are The Editorial Team and Arts Development, Scottish unable to return any review publications. EDITORIAL 4 Gertrude – Carol Norris 29 Borders Council thank all venues and outlets for their support in promoting The Eildon Tree. The Editors and Arts Development Scottish Borders POETRY FILM AND VIDEO Council are not responsible for the individual views and Scottish Borders Council Libraries opinions expressed by reviewers and contributors. The Eildon Two Fourteens – Michael Davis 5 The persistence of memory – Iona McGregor 29 Borders College Tree is available from all Scottish Borders Council libraries and Scottish Borders Council High Schools a wide range of local outlets throughout the Scottish Borders. Niall of the Nine Hostages Dreams – Ann Egan BOOK REVIEWS 30 u3a Groups The Eildon Tree can also be downloaded: wasps Artist Studios, Selkirk www.scotborders.gov/life/educationandlearning/arts The Modern Paterfamilias – Philip Hutton 6 COMMUNITY Forest Bookstore, Selkirk Masons Bookstore, Melrose The opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect The Old Gamese – Philip Hutton Kelso Writers Group 38 Main Street Trading Company, St Boswells Council policy or practice in the arts. Langlee Complex, Galashiels A Fine Couple – Kathleen Mansfield Seven Books Seven Authors Event at Heart Of Hawick, Tower Mill Damascus Drum, Hawick The Armada Box – Bridget Khursheed Borders Book Festival 40 GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING WORK TO EILDON TREE Gardens of Peace – Colin Will 7 SCOTTS TREASURE'S 41 Submissions of new writing are invited for inclusion in the next issue of Eildon Tree – Spring-Summer 2015. The FICTION SCHOOLS 47 ST Submissions Deadline is 31 MARCH 2015. The Middle Age – Jane Pearn BIOGRAPHIES 48 Poems, short stories and non-fiction articles of local and national literary interest, as well as short novel extracts, are What the Sixties were like in the West all welcome for consideration. of Scotland – David McVey 8 • A maximum of 4 poems, stories or articles up to 2,500 words, single spacing. St Andrews, Spring 1982– Jennifer McRobbie 10 • Electronic format: Arial pt 12, single line spacing, unjustified margin. In Baltistan – 'Little Tibet' – Sue Hewitt 11 • Book titles and quotes should be italicised, but without speech and quotation marks, unless specified in the Hired Goons – Thomas Clark 12 text quoted. • Include a brief biography, maximum 40 words. Hail the Conquering Heroes– Thomas Clark 14 • Please do not resubmit work which has been seen previously by the Editors ARTICLES • For an informal chat please contact Arts Development Tel: 01750 726400 Seeking out Sin – Melrose in the Eighteenth • Teachers submitting work on behalf of pupils should contact Arts Development for further guidance. Century – Peter Hoad 16 HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR WORK Eildon Tree Article – Reader In By post: The Eildon Tree, Arts Development, St Mary’s Mill, Selkirk, td7 5ew Residence – Tom Murray 18 By email: [email protected] EVENTS (Please note: All work should be sent to Arts Development and not to individual Editors) Referendum at the Drum– Sara Clark 19 THE PROCESS SARA CLARK JULIAN COLTON IONA MCGREGOR CAROL NORRIS Celebrating 15 years of the • Your work will be sent to the Editors for consideration. Acceptance and inclusion in the magazine is at their EDITORIAL TEAM EildonTree– Sara Clark 20 discretion. Sara Clark, Julian Colton, Iona McGregor, Carol Norris (mbe) • You will be notified when a decision has been made. BEST KEPT SECRET 21 Please be patient, we receive many submissions. PUBLISHING TEAM • If your submission is accepted for publication you will Joy Dunsmore, Cluny Nixon INTERVIEW WITH MARGARET SKEA 22 be sent a copy of the work to proof-read before print. • All contributors will receive a copy of the magazine GRAPHIC DESIGN INTERVIEW WITH ELISE ALDEN 25 • If your submission is not accepted on this occasion, Lillias.co.uk please do not be deterred from submitting alternative Listening for Voices – CABN Peer Support 27 work in the future. – Jules Horne PUBLICATIONS SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW Publishers and authors may submit publications for review. We do endeavour to review as many as books as possible but THE EILDON TREE 4 EDITORIAL Issue 25. Winter / Spring 2015 5 EDITORIAL Measured by any yardstick, 2014 was an epic, momentous IAIN MACAULAY Of saucy adventures he did boast TWO FOURTEENS year for Scotland: The Year of Homecoming, a hugely successful Close encounters up the Doctor’s back close. Commonwealth games in Glasgow, The Ryder Cup hosted by Yer man MacAulay came to Arts Service To Jean-Paul it was such a must Flags waving, cloudless skies, Gleneagles, Hibs and Hearts both relegated. Oh, and just the circa ‘97 To take a lady to see the Prisoners’ Bush Khaki, tartan, / small matter of a Referendum on Nationhood decided just days From somewhere up in the misty Scottish Isles To show her his plans of going to Trust. A wall of smiling faces. POETRY before the writing of this editorial. Whether you thought the and Northern Ireland. And now, Iain, as you retire, if you dare The Queen opens the Games, debate and associated events the most politically energising Such schemes that were hatched in St Mary’s Sit with the old men on the bench in Selkirk Square The King issues the call experience of your life or if you believed it to be socially divisive, and Selkirk Deli Watch the world come and go For volunteers. there’s no denying it had people talking, even arguing, in a way Over sixty cups of sixty different types of With Messrs Nichol and Gunn, dogs Dulcie and Oreo “People Make Glasgow”. that’s not been witnessed in Scottish social and political life for coffee: And yes, you’ll stifle half a frown “Kitchener Needs You”. many a year. Who would have thought it – politics: the new cool? Don’t wish to be mean, remember the doomed As down the steps skips the belated Ian Brown. Young men stand in line So whether you backed the winners or losers it’s perhaps wise not Expresso machine? Iain, it’s now your great lot “As swimmers into cleanness leaping”; to be too happy in victory or too downcast in defeat. Life goes on. More success with the Writer-in-Residence To stare up at the statue of Sir Walter Scott. Diving off starting blocks Though many folk, many of whom are creative practitioners, said scheme Oh Iain, one last thing – Like bullets striking water. they didn’t know what they would do with themselves once it was Goodness me, a magazine called The Eildon Have you brought your guitar, are you really, really, going Teams line up, ready for the off, all over such was the attention and emotional energy invested in Tree to sing? Bayonets fixed, mouths turned dry. the proceedings. Well, one thing they might want to do now is A Banksian factory facility – strangely called This is the epic story of what MacAulay did, our man, yer Falling before hurdles of barbed wire; write something over the coming winter months for The Eildon Wasps – man Eyes disbelieving Tree. The magazine is for everyone, so channel that energy and An ‘eclectic mix’ of artists, artisans, scruffs and Light as a feather, man, never mind the weather, man Until the Anthems play. enthusiasm and get writing. toffs. To us you’ll always be……. Emotions break the face, Late into the night Iain was always delighted Business Manager (Transformation) Man. Vacant eyes, enduring image. Someone who has a lot of youthful energy is The Eildon Tree’s To agonise over pictures pixelated So to Iain let’s all raise a full glass James Denny, synchronised diving silver medal; newest editorial recruit Sara Clark. A writer of great promise she Stare at the What’s On and ET proof screen Iain it’s really been quite a blast – Sláinte! James Denny, Kings Own Scottish Borderers, killed at Ypres. is already making her mark on the Borders writing scene as an Digest events in the airy local Arts scene The boxer stands his ground. Bring it on! organiser of events including our inspiring Eildon Tree 15 open Juggle numbers, squeeze facts and figures, “With our backs to the wall…” Bring it on! mic birthday celebration at The Damascus Drum in Hawick quite the wizard Julian Colton And the crowd sings “Flower of Scotland”; in September. A person with a lot of imagination we’re fully Wrote long reports and projections, googled Ross Murdoch, swimmer, gold medal; expecting Sara to bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to the diagrams As the piper stirs the pool. Eildon Tree editorial table. Watch this space. Used big words like ‘loosely connected Ross Murdoch, private, killed the Somme. archipelagos’ and ‘synapses’ “The Devons held this trench… Fifteen years of The Eildon Tree. Who would have thought Not sure even he knew what they meant ‘Plymouth’s Tom Daley wins gold’ it? It doesn’t seem like yesterday since Iain MacAulay arrived But in one banner headline misspelt …the Devons hold it still.” in the South of Scotland to take up the reins of the SBC Arts ‘development’ Charlie Flynn, boxer, lightweight gold medal; Development Section at St Mary’s Mill. One of his first and finest No problem, but that was his own department. Whilst in a thousand foreign fields, initiatives was the creation of a Borders Writer-in-Residence Oh, the things that MacAulay did – Charles Flynn, private, Royal Scots, killed Arras, post- a position ably filled by Tom Bryan, whose presence gave exclamation! Fading through the mist, birth to our glorious magazine.