Having spent a career teaching English, I now live and write in the heart of the Scottish countryside. I have always wanted to write professionally and, having retired from teaching, this provided me with the late but longed for opportunity. So I grabbed it with both hands!It was the wild life which I watch daily from my study window which inspired me to write the stories under the heading 'The Colonel's Collection'. A friend and owner of a local independent bookshop, agreed to do the illustrations for me.The first two of these have now been published: The Colonel's Collection: No 1 - Introducing The Colonel and The Colonel's Collection: No 2 - The Colonel and Rosie (Red Squirrel).I now have two grandchildren and they enjoy listening to the stories. I hope that others will too.