A commitment of fifteen minutes a day combined with today’s prompt, ‘three most important songs in my life’. All by free writing, just emptying the mind onto the page. I thought to myself, easier said than done.

Yet, just typing the words, three most important songs in my life, gave me an immediate idea, well, three really.

Three songs, first, ‘The Campbells are Coming’, played on the bagpipes of course, then, ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’, performed by Eric Idle of Monty Python fame and finally, ‘Waltzing Matilda’, Australia’s unofficial National Anthem, penned by our bush balladeer, Banjo Paterson.

Why these three you might well enquire. Well, they’re not here in prioritised order, but rather, just as they popped into my head.

I chose ‘The Campbells Are Coming’ because it’s the Clan Hymn of the Campbell’s of Argyle in Scotland. A Clan, of which I’m a proud member. Why on the bagpipes? Silly question, it’s a Scottish traditional piece and when you hear the skirl of the pipes any Campbell gets goose bumps. I’ve just had a quick trawl through my photo album and have a look at this young Campbell( me, believe it or not) wearing the Black Watch Tartan as a young subaltern in the New South Wales Scottish Regiment, the 30th Infantry Battalion, circa 1958.

Next comes ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’, best performed by Eric Idle. Ever since I heard it performed by him on the Monty Python show years ago, it’s become my personal mantra.

Many things happen during our life time. some great, some not so great and some downright rotten. Doesn’t matter if you follow a religion, are a fatalist/realist/pessimist or optimist, when the rotten bits bob up, what to think and what to do?

I always try and look on the bright side of life, works for me, not always easy, that’s for sure, but at risk of repeating myself, it works for me.

Now selfies are all the rage in photography these days so I did a quick trawl through mine and here is one that I can look at and see the bright side because now it doesn’t hurt a bit. I really like it because it gives many people the heebie jeebies when I show it, like right now:

Wow, just looked at the time, 5 minutes over time already. Looking on the bright side, I’m not too worried because I’m enjoying myself.

My third favourite, ‘Waltzing Matilda’ by Banjo Paterson is a genuine Aussie classic and most of us Aussies know all of the words, off by heart. It’s easy to sing alone or in company and it’s a genuine Aussie bushies yarn out to music. Legends about it abound in the bush, and no more than in Winton, a little town in Queensland near the spot, as bush lore has it, where the legend of the song was born. As as well as some great pubs you will find the Waltzing Matilda Museum in Winton with great displays and information about the Banjo and the meaning of the song.

By the way, Winton and its surrounds are also world famous for their fossil dinosaur fields. Here’s a photo of one of Winton’s pubs, complete with a fibre glass dinosaur foot garbage can. It’s just down the road from the Waltzing Matilda Museum. Visit Winton sometime, you can’t miss either of them. 

So there we are, my three favourite  songs and ten minutes over time. I blame the dog for trying to eat my homework.