Hobbies
A Scottish Odyssey
The memsahib & I decided on one last Scottish tour of The Highlands, our fifth, before we run down the curtain. I have some Scottish ancestry, my grandmother’s clan was Bruce although a lowland clan [more…]
Scotland
Authoritarianism
A View From The Greenhouse; Fear & Loathing In Dumfries & Galloway, Hate Crimes….Innit?
It was great to meet up with old friends and meet some new ones at the “Northern” get together. The more intrepid amongst the august gathering braved a short, if wet, walk down (and back [more…]
Literature
A High Profile Arrest in Scotland
F**k’s sake. Just back fae a dissaplinary heerin’ wi’ a pair ae complete f**kin’ c**ts frae tha profeshnul standards dapartment. It wis aboot f**kin’ hee haw an’ aw. A pure waste ae polis time ovah [more…]
20th Century
Scottish Tour, Part Three
Cape Wrath Cape Wrath is a cape located in the Durness parish of the county of Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. It is known for being the most north-westerly point in mainland Britain and boasts [more…]
20th Century
A Scottish Tour, Part Two
Loch Ailort As we accompany my grandparents (and their caravan) on their 1956 Scottish road tour, we reach Loch Ailort, a west coast sea loch and popular tourist destination. Or do we? The location of [more…]
Arts
A Scottish Tour
In 1957, Scotland was undergoing significant social and economic change. The post-war years had seen a boom in heavy industry, particularly in shipbuilding and steel production, but by the late 1950s, this growth was beginning [more…]
Democracy
SNP Leadership Runners And Riders
If Westminster politics is show business for ugly people then the Holyrood equivalent is a pantomime for the deformed and demented. Amidst a blizzard of criticism for putting rapists in women’s jails and the inability [more…]
Arts
So, Where Are You From?
People research their family trees for all sorts of reasons. Where did I come from? (perfectly respectable to ask one’s self!).What sort of people were my forebears? what jobs did they do? Are there any [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary, Week One Hundred And Seventy
Monday Good morning cat lovers, it was dry when I first woke up and ventured out into the cold, but gosh it’s wet now. A lovely peaceful weekend in Downing Street. I did almost nothing [more…]