I am a retired primary school teacher, widow of just over thirteen years, have three children, six grandchildren and a small but beautiful support system of extended family and friends all of whom used their unique talents to help me rediscover my own.

I was a student of art while at secondary school, achieving a Higher grade pass with the hope of developing my talent at Glasgow School of Art. Unfortunately this was not allowed as my parents had other plans for me and so I pursued my further education at Craiglockhart College of Education in Edinburgh from where I graduated with both the Teaching and the Art Prize (1961) this date should help you work out my approximate age…and by the way I was VERY young when I started my teacher training! Passion for art took a back seat during my married life and teaching career but now plays a major role in my coming to terms with loss. I find that my subject matter is extremely varied: portraits, still life, abstract, land and seascapes – I’ll try anything!

My work is greatly influenced by poetry, music and nature.

A song taught to me by my father, sparked off a fascination with trees which I find to be both intriguing and frightening. Shape and variety offer a wide scope of subject matter.
Woodland has been and is very pertinent to my present situation as I can feel equally at peace and yet sometimes frighteningly alone and confused.

Thirteen years on, I acknowledge that through writing and painting, I have helped myself on the long journey ‘out of the woods’. The last six years have been extremely ‘moving’ ( em…literally! ). I am now settled ( I think ) at my fourth address, my art has taken a bit of a back seat and now that I have had time to ‘draw’ breath and assess these last few years I find that I have a great deal to get off my ( linen ) chest!…

…Now, you may be wondering why ‘Fox on a Soapbox’….well, I have recently learned that the sound made by a fox is called a scream. I feel now at my great age that I could scream about many things. Since I find writing to be therapeutic I have decided to find my voice via blogging. I have always been quietly intolerant of hypocrisy, disloyalty, injustice and betrayal…now I would like to tell the world how I feel.

My patience has run out with people who manipulate and bully, who are dishonest and deceitful and have forgotten the meaning of the word ‘faithful’. I make no apologies in advance for speaking my truth but it may give the reader some pause for thought. It has taken me thirteen years to arrive at this point and I know Hugh would approve.

My life now is about quality not quantity

Lest you think my life has become a constant ‘grumpfest’, I have to say you could not be further from the truth. Hopefully this will manifest itself in my ramblings….