Battle in Fife

We had been fighting the Taliban in Fife and were all exhausted.
The evening came around and we retired to some large sheds.
The Taliban leader put his men into one of the sheds, one with a large steel door.
Myself and my men stood outside our shed which was next door to theirs.
It was like putting toys back in their box at the end of the day.
I chatted to their leader who was a small, sturdily built guy with a moustache. He seemed amiable enough and banged on the steel door to keep noise from his men down, so he could hear me better. His men seemed to be making something which involved hammering sheets of armour plate.
He started to tell us of good walks in the St Andrews area. Then, without turning around, he said with the hint of exasperation associated with an irate schoolmaster,
"Brian, put that down!"
The shout was directed to one of my men who was behind him, and had idly picked up the Taliban leaders Kalashnikof rifle.
The leader then told us how the Island of Leuchars could be easily fortified, and was in fact, considering that option.
I thanked him for the information and said it was time we retired into our shed.
It had been a long and unlikely day.

Next Generation Flooring

I lived on the 2nd floor of a block of flats. On the ground floor lived Mr and Mrs C, the first floor being occupied by two gay men. I lived on the second floor with several floors above me, where various individuals lived. On the top floor lived a single woman.
The singular thing about the building was that it was hollow with no floors as such. People lived on balconies around the inner walls.
However floors did exist if you believed they did, but remaining invisible.
The trick was not to lose faith when half way across.
My dog, Max, ambled easily across if he so wished.
I was a lot less confident.
Sitting on a chair on my balcony I gazed down at the two gay men, on a settee, below me. No sign of Mr and Mrs C.
A movement above arrested my attention. Top flat woman had parked her 4 x 4 on her invisible flooring. She then racked up her belief system and, attaching herself to the vehicle's winch, lowered herself through all the floors towards me. I gulped a sort of 'good morning and well done' into some sort of incoherent sentence, and watched as she pressed a button on her remote control, which sent her spiralling up the way she had come.
Out of my reach . . .
The power of thought, it's all in the mind.

Three Soles

I had three breaded soles in my fridge, uncooked. I wanted to give them to Max the dog.
But, I took them to a church service where each person ate a meal whilst listening to the sermon. The three soles remained uncooked and uneaten on my table. The bearded preacher eyed them up.
I then sat outside the church, on the pavement, smoking a Hoyo de Monterrey. The three soles sat in the middle of the road. A man walked over them.
I walked to a nearby sea loch, aware that the soles were not far away. I saw an ugly grey oil tanker approach under the radio control of the uniformed leader of the Burma National Army, who stood on a concrete pedestal out to sea. He headed the tanker ashore at top speed where it churned out of the water and over a low headland, cutting a swathe through some trees and into another sea loch. He then berthed the tanker at some toilets on a pier.
I then thought it was time to go home and headed up to where my Dad had parked the car, which nimbly changed from a Morris 8 into a Volvo 760 as I adjusted to the time period. Still wrong.
My Mum then phoned my mobile saying that I should be elsewhere.
The three soles watched all this with interest.

The Pursuit

I am being chased through the streets of Perth by a man and woman, both known to me and both armed with revolvers. Not sure why they are after me, but must have done something to seriously bug them. People scatter in all directions.
I keep ahead of them, run through the shopping mall and into a shop. I hide under some duvets and they try to find me. Suddenly I am discovered. They aim to shoot. At that moment some friends arrive. The interuption allows me to kick the gun out of the man's hand. Real TV stuff.
I capture the man and the others capture the woman.
I take him to a nearby house where the owner offers us a cup of tea. We gratefully accept.
The captured man spits his out. "It's Earl Grey!" he roars.
I then take him, still with his arm up his back, to my house where I keep a choice of teas for just such an emergency.
Surely the pursuit wasn't just about my preference for Earl Grey? It sets me thinking . .
The journey to the police will have to wait.

Kitchen Clay

I come through to my kitchen in the middle of the night and think that Max the dog has done a turd on the floor.
I head towards it but realise that it can't be what I had assumed as it is several feet high. Scale wrong again.
It is in fact a large lump of potter's clay.
Next it is on my kitchen worktop. Luckily it is of very solid construction.
The clay glares in my direction waiting for me to mold it into something.
Obviously it can't stay where it is and I wonder what to do . .
No change there then.

Holiday Time

Having a few days holiday with youngest son C.
We walk past new crags that have replaced Perth cemetery. Look pretty steep and inaccessable.
We head towards Perth's new beach. We meet a well known blog man and his wife. I tell them we are going to the new ferry terminal. Lot of changes it seems.
C and I walk across the busy beach towards the ferry.
At its far end we climb a very steep, rocky slope, a tad dangerous. I arrive at the top and reach down to give C a hand just as a massive steel door closes behind him.
We surprisingly find ourselves aboard a CalMac ferry bound for the Isle of Lewis.
The Purser greets us and we pay him £1.40 for the crossing which includes dinner.
Seems excellent value.

Weapons of the Mind

Last night I was walking around a town.
I was aware that people could throw invisible balls of 'mind energy' at me, or each other.
I also had the capability of throwing such stuff.
The problem was: If I believed in the whole idea, these balls of energy could really hurt or kill me. However if I did not believe in the idea they were harmless, but I also could not defend myself against them by counter attack using the same weapons.
I therefore walked around meeting people unsure whether to believe in the weapon or not.
It turned into a bit of a nightmare as I thought some of the people were in the house with me when I awoke in darkness. However, luckily, I was still asleep.
Of course all this has some basis in how people interact. If you believe someone is directing negative 'stuff' towards you, you will be effected and vice versa.
An offensive weapon of the mind.

No Place Like Home

Looking for a place to stay. It is late evening, getting dark. A house, a hotel, anything would do.
I see a group of buildings in the distance. A warm, fuzzy group of lights.
I approach the place eagerly.
The buildings and lights remain fuzzy. Even walking closer makes no difference.
I am right up at the buildings and still the outlines are all blurred.
Is it my eyesight? Probably not as other things are in focus.
Entering a building seems impossible. The doors and walls are all a hazy blur, can't distinguish the difference.
I feel shut out. No safe place. Only the night.
Do me good to rough it.

The Bicycle Race

I was about to set off on a bicycle race to Land's End. From where I'm not sure, presumably John O' Groats.
My chain had come off and I got my hands covered in oil trying to put it back.
Only a few minutes to go, then we are off.
I wonder about what will happen at the end of the day. Where will I sleep? What will I eat? What about a change of underwear?
I realise more preparation would not have gone amiss.
Have I got time to pack a rucksack with a few things?
The others all seem unconcerned, dressed in sleek lycra or something.
Bang! We are off!
Too late to do anything.
I pedal away and hope for the best.

Pedestrian Crossing

Odd little dream. It was at the pedestrian crossing at the West end of Princess Street, Edinburgh.
Pedestrians who were intent on crossing the road were given a yellow reflecting jacket by a policeman. They were then directed across the road to be met by another policeman at the far side, who relieved them of the jacket.
The process continued with the next pedestrian etc.
Did fluorescent jackets actually fluoresce, or merely reflect?

Men From Mars

I was wading through an ocean of clear liquid. More dense than water and around 2 feet deep.
The liquid went over the top of the wellies I was wearing.
I thought I was on Mars but there was no red sky.
I reached down into the water and picked up a small elongated bent stone. It looked black but it had clear ends and was totally translucent crystal throughout its length.
Other crystals littered the sea bed.
I saw three people sitting on a tiny island. They were not quite human.
I handed the crystal to one of them, who examined it with interest and passed it to the others.
Somehow it was what they were waiting for.
I moved on towards a group of other people, also in the liquid, then woke up.

Face the Clock

Last night I saw a series of images in which I was in different places in a huge room. Each place corresponded to the position of the hours on a clock.

When in a certain position I would do what I normally did at that time.

As time moved on to the 4pm position, I would move to the 4pm place in the room and so on.

I remember being reluctant to move from the morning to the afternoon and from afternoon to the evening. Never got as far as evening to night. . .

Perhaps about the march of time through life to death at midnight?

No Escape

Woody the cockatiel had escaped out of the back door. I ran out after him to find my back garden was no more. In its place was a narrow peninsula leading out into a swamp. I saw Woody flying out over a stretch of steaming water. He was being pursued by wooden birds of terrifying, but colourful, appearance.

I called for Woody. He was having second thoughts about his new freedom. He swung round and headed towards me. He landed on my arm. The wooden birds screeched angrily around my head.

I ran towards my back door. It was gone. In its place was a round hole in some weird vegetation.

I turned towards the new developments all around me.

Obviously they had to be faced.

The Meaning of Life

I was in an outdoor class. I argued over the use of a certain four letter word. I said I would check it in a dictionary. The nearest dictionary was on a shelf attached near the top of a stone pole which itself was on the top of a small rocky hill.
I climbed up the hill and came to a narrow ravine running horizontally across my path. The summit and pole were not far away but the place was incredibly exposed and scary.
I thought about jumping the ravine but couldn't bring myself to attempt the leap. A railway seemed to rumble along far away at the bottom, below a thin glass roof.
I looked at the stone pole and noted that a rusty vertical ladder was attached to its side and led to the shelf.
A risky jump, a scramble up some loose rock, a steep pull up the ladder and a final long reach was all that lay between me and finding meaning.
Some risks have, perhaps, to be taken.

Religion, Women and Football.

Last night I was sitting in the congregation of a large church.
Not a usual occurence.
Just before the sermon all the men got up and walked out. Excellent I thought, leave me with all the women.
But, I was noticed, and some of the men 'ushered' me out as well.
Apparently we were all going to watch a football match on a large screen.
Not liking football I sat at the very back where I couldn't see the screen.
I spoke to a large, fit looking guy next to me and said that we were all right here, right at the very back, out of sight and sound of the screen.
He glared at me and said that he was the projectionist and also starred in the film.
Football and Religion, if its not one or both, its the other, that's leaving out the women altogether.

The Summit

Climbing a hill in the mist. A huge, rocky and steep hill, perhaps more of a mountain. Nearing the summit. I am aware that someone is climbing up the same hill from the other side.
The mist is more than just a cloud of water droplets, it is an actual barrier that needs to be fought through. Tangible.
Trepidation mounts as the summit approaches.
What will we say to each other?
Whatever. It will be an important meeting.