Author Archives: Bob Robb

Square sausage and shortbread

Many things around Scotland make me proud and frankly I adore square sausage. Who’s doesn’t. Square sausage and shortbread is a light hearted view of all things Scottish.

Its a f**** tattie scone

Bit of fun about the humble Tattie Scone . It’s a F***** Tattie Scone Lets start off the way we mean to go on It’s a tattie not a tottie, It’s a scone not a scone (scawn). Be proud of your language whatever it may be. It’s a tattie scone by Bob Robb 15 Jan 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

A walk towards the winter

A walk towards the winter is a collection of poems about the journey we all have in life, as we get into our winter chapters. Often people have such significant challenges to deal with that they end their life early, people die prematurely, and fail to embrace the golden years, yet many of us get to live a full and fulfilling life. A walk towards the winter discusses the difficult challenges we have and hopefully will allow conversations to begin before its too late. Embrace this space. Check out the Poetcast videos

that shade of blue

Bumped into two American dudes in Northumberland National Park earlier this month whilst walking the dog. They were deep in conversation about suicide, and I overheard an inspirational conversation about one guy who felt imprisoned whilst he was young within the family group, felt imprisoned whilst he was married and felt imprisoned when he became a father. He believed there was only one way out until he met the man he was deep in conversation with and in love with. that shade of blue by Bob Robb 27 Aug 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

Campsie Hills

Coping with the loss of someone or something you love is no doubt one of life’s biggest challenges. Acceptance: The healthiest option for our Wellbeing is for us is: to not ruminate, keep those memories and to face it. Saying goodbye for the last time: Campsie Hills by Bob Robb 12 Mar 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

A wee tear has passed

At a time of loss, negativity bias is in all of us, naturally. We are conditioned to focus on the negative elements of a loss. But there is no need to dwell on it, if you can. If you work hard, you can turn the trauma of loss upside down by focusing on all those […] by Bob Robb 29 Oct 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

and then winter comes

A bit like nature through the seasons, through our life, we evolve. We start as innocents, and then develop and prioritise our values, learn from our experiences and others we share chapters with and the environment we inhabit. Many are transitioning through that journey towards retirement, with apprehension. But why? by Bob Robb 26 Nov 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

A Short Life

Its is indeed a short life we have when compared to history behind us. All we can do is leave footprints for others to follow. Be simply the best you can be by Bob Robb 13 may 2022 or check out the Poetcast video

The accidental blether (a recipe for a memory)

We all have memories of moments that happened during this journey, the friends we gained and lost, the adventures we went on, the meetings for the first time and the meetings for the last time. Sometimes memories are all we have left. But memories will never go out of fashion, lets embrace them, we made […]

by Bob Robb 18th Nov 2022 or check out the Poetcast video

Embrace the wonder

We’ll all have good times and challenging times. Everyone that shines a light on your journey through life plays a part in shaping you. We learn from every experience whether good or bad and happy or sad. Some of the worst experiences I have had, have made me more resilient than those good experiences. I once got sacked from a dead end job, for attending a funeral. I was bitter at the time, but frankly, that businesses abysmal decision, provided me with a career opportunity. So if you can, tip yer hat to everyone that has made you, into you. Even the ar$h~~~~.

by Bob Robb 23rd December 2022 or check out the Poetcast video

Reflections of a pensive mind

At some point we all reflect in our life. We reflect on the good and bad, positive and negative, and happy and sad elements of our past that can help shape our future. I believe all of the above make us who we are and understanding this can help us all deal with our mental health challenges. Embrace this space.

I might draw, I might no

When not at work or engaged in your usual daily routine, try to be creative. Try to find a mindful pursuit which engages you and provides balance. Write, draw, run, walk, watch, paint, sing, bake, swim, puzzle or try some gardening. Being creative provides another focus, can nurture us in so many ways and takes up the space that rumination invades.

by Bob Robb 14 Jan 2022

Different Lens

Ever wondered what life would be through a Different Lens. If you had turned right/left/said hello/said goodbye one day, it could well be different Different Lens by Bob Robb 6 May 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

A Better Tide

Happy fulfilling relationships come to us all. You may have to crash through a few waves first, but its just water, so bide your time, you’ve got this. A happier you, moves you along the positive spectrum of your mental health continuum, and connects with other health benefits for you. A Better Tide by Bob Robb 22 Jan 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

Remember You

Sometimes we’re too busy supporting others. Try to remember yourself, it’ll help. Self care is essential to an improved wellbeing, Remember You by Bob Robb 8 Jan 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

These Drapes

We all reflect on who we are at various pivotal points in our life, be it when you get married, your 30th, have a child, get divorced, lose a loved one. At some point in your life, you will understand who you are and that hopefully you are comfortable in your own clothes. These Drapes by Bob Robb 30 Dec 2020 or check out the Poetcast video

the teacher that doesn’t teach

Advice doesn’t fall from trees. We shake it and make it at the University of Life. In life we learn so many things but not necessarily through qualifications. Through experience, knowledge and understanding we pass on advice and values to our children which hopefully gives them a better outlook and standing in life than we had. That’s our job. The teacher that doesn’t teach by Bob Robb 24 September 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

The boy who didn’t get a purple chopper

Growing up in the 60s, 70s and 80s in New Farm Loch, a housing scheme in Kilmarnock , when my parents relationship imploded was far from privileged and wasn’t easy. My mother struggled to hold the family together, whilst my father who was a miner struggled to leave the 1960s behind. On reflection, it was a difficult time for all who worked in heavy industry such as engineering, steel working, shipbuilding and mining and many never made it out of that misogynistic haze. Many children and parents witnessed domestic violence and abuse on a scale we’ll hopefully never see again. Many were impacted by those experiences.

I eventually noticed that I was clearly scarred and my formative years were definitely effected. The experience also misshaped my future expectations from this world, although my one strange regret at the time was not getting a purple chopper when half of the kids in the scheme had one. Maybe that is how kids deal with stuff.

Perspective helps us all on our daily journey through our mental health conundrum. This collection, often autobiographical and along the timeline of the events and the impacts occurring, hopefully provides the reader with an understanding of how we can scar others or be scarred ourselves. Being mindful about the past helps bring a sense of understanding of the journey we are all taking and can help us appreciate what we have in the present.

Remembering the past through a childs lens. Embrace this space.

Sunglasses

I guess I was 6 or 7 when I realised sunglasses don’t only block out the sun. In the 60s and 70’s they hid a multitude of emotional and real scars from domestic abuse. Travelling in a blue A1 double decker bus from Kilmarnock to Saltcoats every other summer was fun for kids but it wasn’t all about sunshine. Sunglasses by Bob Robb 9 Jul 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

Sanctuary

We should make sure our children are well balanced, safe and happy. Lets ensure we acknowledge them and how important they are to us as we struggle ourselves. As a kid, like many, I was bullied but found Sanctuary by Bob Robb 5 Feb 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

You asked for a tree

I used to spend hours and hours just being me, in less peopley woodlands which surrounded the loch (dry) near my home. Probably fairly introverted and hiding away from clear and present personal conflict and avoiding potential new conflict from school bullies. The entire woodland ecosystem plays a huge role in locking up carbon, including the living wood, roots, leaves, soils, rotting wood and its associated vegetation. All around the world more woodlands are needed to ensure the future has a future and people in the future can have the privilege’s we have. by Bob Robb 30 Sept 2022 or check out the Poetcast video

Shelter from the Storm

Its appalling that in the last recorded year, there were over 60,000 incidents of domestic abuse raised in Scotland, not just against women and 50 years after I witnessed abuse. My dear mother suffered from domestic abuse for a number of years through the 60s and 70s. But you can escape it. She did, in […]

by Bob Robb 1 Apr 2022 or check out the Poetcast video

Being Benny Rooney

This came to me shaped in a traumatic but nostalgic moment from the 70s, when I was at Primary school. I had an ever so brief period of being a Morton fan and invented fantasy football league a few years earlier (another time for that full story) to deal with my anxieties which grew as my parents toxic relationship imploded. We use various tools to support us on life’s journey. Mindfulness creativity can help focus on the present. Being Benny Rooney by Bob Robb 9 Apr 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

A two bar fire for a family of six

Be thankful for what you’ve achieved. Grown ups of a certain age, will remember two bar fires. Fighting your sister or brother to get near it. For long periods in the 70s and 80s, a two bar fire was all we had. With ice covered windows: extra duvets, crocheted covers, three pairs of socks and extra jaickets were how we built resilience to every winter. I am fairly sure that those times were the beginning of my resilience education. A Two bar fire for a family of six by Bob Robb 26 Feb 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

At the end of your street

I guess I should have known when we didn’t even have enough leftover wallpaper to cover my school jotters, that we were living near or on the breadline. And when I had to turn a v neck into a crew neck to go to the school disco as fashions changed, alarms bells should have rung but then again I was just beginning my teenage angst years . Poverty is still rife and embarrassing for the developed world. Waiting on a ‘Monday book’ to feed people is disgraceful, with the riches in this world. At the end of your street by Bob Robb 19 October 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

Oor Maw

Silly things remind us of our parents, when they are gone. For me its an old broken tattie masher amongst many other things. And not just one masher, we seemed to have a series of broken tattie mashers in our house. Focus on the happy times, it’s a choice, you can make. Oor maw lived on Tatties and Mince. Oor Maw by Bob Robb 15 Jun 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

1978

Do you remember TCP? Seemed to be a snake oil salesman’s cure for all and sundry, when I was growing up. And the smell! Apparently, originally it was the phenol which supported its magical cure abilities. Memories and the emotions linked to smells can increase your happy hormone levels and trigger positive feelings. I remember Christmas’s smelling of a Kay’s catalogue which kinda reminds me of humbler times. 1978 by Bob Robb 26 Mar 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

Imagine the Energy

I started full time work when I was 25, the month that a local mine (Barony, Ayrshire) closed. My father worked at the mine for most of his working life until retiring a few years after the miners strike of the mid 80s. He like many miners, steelworkers and others based in heavy industry were strewn aside. Imagine the Energy by Bob Robb 29 Jan 2021 or check out the Poetcast video

Underneath the bridge

When coming through those difficult teen years, we often have challenges and often make bad choices. I made my fair share. Kestrel Lager was one. When I was 15, 16, 17, I was a tare away. As were many of my friends. We weren’t really disrespectful to the adults, who passed us, whilst we had […]

by Bob Robb 4 Feb 2022 or check out the Poetcast video