Inside the kaleidoscope

'Inside the kaleidoscope' sounds like one of three things: the marketing-speak title of my new book, the name of an Oasis track or the rather more prosaic and obvious interpretation of the literal. It's not the first as I don't have a new book (yet, ha!) or the second, but it's a view inside the kaleidoscope that sits on my desk. The kaleidoscope itself is no taller than six inches, Sharpie size, or as we call it professionally, the size of a marker pen. It was a gift, to encourage me to look at it and lose myself for a moment or two in mesmerising colour and shape, offering if not a different perspective then certainly a change of aspect. Was it Lucy who had 'kaleidoscope eyes'? Whole other meaning, but you can see where they were coming from.

We need that I guess, which is a bit rich coming from the likes of me, first day back at work after fourteen off. The kaleidoscope takes me back to my childhood, when although I don't think I owned one, I remember being beguiled by one, hypnotised almost. How's it even possible, I think I may have asked - how come it's so beautiful. You're far too young to remember Jelly Tots as a kid, small chewy fruit pastille sweets in yellow packaging and half a tonne of sugar in every pack. I think the first kaleidoscope was a Jelly Tots one - influenced by branding even then I think. So not only a different perspective, a different memory too. I'm told I called it 'Clyde-oscope' as a kid - a Glasgow thing, but there's the business. 'Clydeoscope' a kaleidoscope with varying views of Glasgow and the river that runs through it. 'Inside the Clydeoscope' then becomes the book behind the business.

I'm looking into it.