Category Archives: Uncategorized

Jeremy left yesterday and so today is the first day for a month that I have not had people staying. This means I can return to the garden. Visitors are not entranced by afternoons spent grubbing around in the garden … Continue reading →

I have been playing same old wooden flute for over 30 years. I cannot read music or anything like that but I seem to understand the traditional music of Ireland and Scotland and can pick up tunes pretty easily by … Continue reading →

I go to Tokyo. I go to the British Embassy for a do. I go back to the hotel. As I enter  a shortish but determined man brushes past me followed by a howl of media. It is Prime Minister … Continue reading →

Jeremy and I go to Ie Jima an island a few miles off the coast of Okinawa. We take our bikes and cycle happily around the island. Fields and fields of tobacco and peanuts and hedgerows of hibiscus. However it … Continue reading →

I dive into the underwater tunnel to finally grasp the magic chip that will prevent Dr Kitatanakagusuku from destroying the visible universe. As my fingers tighten I am blinded by a lashing jet of high pressure oxygen bubbles. ” Bother, … Continue reading →

http://www.musictory.com/music/Charlie+Drake/Splish+Splash So now all three boys are scuba qualified. Bravo Jeremy.  I looked forward to major family diving adventures. We go out for two dives on Saturday with the trusty neighbors Jordan and Connie. The first dive we just swim … Continue reading →

Supporting Scotland at sporting events is a particular experience. It is a plasma of an inflated idea of our worth whereby we expect to win things through birthright and the numbing reality of regular defeat. However from time to time … Continue reading →

There is a strong tradition in Japan of celebratory parties post major events. I think these are called Uichage.   We had a big one last night. A group of us organized two concerts last week and so in celebration  my … Continue reading →

This is a famous pipe retreat. I remember someone telling me a story about Sandy Townsley, of the well-known tinker family in Kintyre, who made some money by playing the pipes at fairs. Having drink taken, he struggled through a … Continue reading →

Woman like long neck bottles And a big head on her beer I don’t like to talk about my women But I hold that woman dear. Likewise I do not like talking about my work but er here goes. These last … Continue reading →