A short while ago I made a comment on a website devoted mainly to Scotch Whisky, about some similarities in the process of producing certain drinks, i.e. sourcing of raw materials, the equipment involved, and the production process. I also referred to the subtleties of flavour and taste, that generate interest and debate. And of… Read More »
There aren’t many positives to come out of the Coronavirus pandemic, and I have no data to back this up, but with less people out and about messing up and polluting the environment, it would make sense that Mother Nature has been able to take advantage. A simple way of observing whether there’s any truth… Read More »
A week or so ago, a friend asked me whether this was the end of the world? Seemed to be a quite amusing question at the time, but in retrospect, it did make me think. But no, I don’t think 2020 is the end of the world; we haven’t reached the ‘off to hell in a handcart’… Read More »
Somewhere in the bowels of this website, there’s a post entitled ‘About music’ which I wrote over 10 years ago. It served as an explanation, reason or excuse for my indulgence in playing the guitar, a journey hampered by limited talent and no knowledge of music theory but fuelled by wishful thinking. The post provided an account… Read More »
Boris’ Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to Boris in Wonderland) is a modern tale that tells of an idle, flippant and complacent being who fell through a rabbit hole into a subterranean fantasy world populated by peculiar, populist and nonsensical creatures. Synopsis Chapter One – Down the Rabbit Hole: Boris, a dishevelled layabout in an ill-fitting Oxfam… Read More »
What a great way to celebrate St Andrew’s Day by becoming a Scottish Landowner. Yes indeed! Having taken advantage of a Black Friday deal on a couple of bottles of Single Malt, I suddenly find myself the Laird and lifetime leaseholder of one square foot of Islay, tucked up close to the Laphroaig Distillery. If… Read More »
In the day, the discovery of ‘new’ music was down to tuning into radio stations, maybe watching a TV programme, or very simply heading for your local record store and browsing through the trays. Nowadays, it’s all down to algorithms. Listen to something online, and before you know it ‘we have recommendations for you’; because you listened… Read More »
Its Thursday 9th July – I’m hosting another lockdown Zoom call for about 20 people at 5:30pm. At 5:25pm, I bring up the Zoom App on my iMac with a couple of mouse clicks. The call is set up on the Zoom schedule, so all that is needed now is to click the start button, but there’s still… Read More »
On each of the last three Sundays I competed in the Bentley Priory Social Distancing 8K Event. A fine event, held in Bentley Priory Nature Reserve, which provides a good challenge with its undulating, all weather pathways. As my days of participating in running events are history, I opted to walk. In the true spirit… Read More »
Solitary confinement isn’t a lot of fun, but today I was let out on special license, with a shopping list. My local supermarket isn’t the biggest, has an idiosyncratic stock control system, but the staff have a reasonable command of English and are generally quite helpful. Regular visits are a necessary chore, best dealt with… Read More »