When I was a kid, we didn’t have Halloween. That is, the church probably had All Hallows’ E’en, which as we all know is the origin of the name – but we didn’t have all the stuff with pumpkins, witches, and trick or treating. I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but there certainly wasn’t all …
It’s inevitable that being something of a cycling fan, your country-bound correspondent’s interest has been piqued by the label on local maps that denotes the ‘former Hibernian Bicycle Racing Track’ just down other end of Duncan Street. It’s on someone’s land now, so I haven’t been able to have a sticky-beak, but what a tantalising …
There’s a kind of individual out there we’ve all encountered, I’m sure, and that’s ‘dog people’ – you know, people whose existence revolves around their domestic canines; whose homes run to the rhythm of their Best Friends’ whims and fancies, and who can think and speak of little else but the doings and misdoings of …
Those who've stuck with us through the lockdown months in Braidwood may recall the glib statement way back in April that as soon as we could, we’d be adding another to our number – that most essential component of any well-rounded family, a canine companion. Unbeknownst to us at the time, in a now-established social …
I wish I hadn’t used the sophisticated and witty wisecrack, “call me butter because I’m on a roll” the other day, because it turns out that at the moment, I’m . . . well, on a roll. Except now I can’t call myself butter without unfunnily repeating said bon mot. So, moving right along, the …
One of the familiar phenomena arising from the COVID-19 lockdown is the iso-beard. Chaps and chums all over the globe, liberated from the repressive regime of grooming for work, have thrown in the razor and joyfully sprouted facial fungus. On a recent four-way Zoom with some UK mates, three participants were sporting some degree of …
Remember that stuff I wrote about Adam in the Garden of Eden, and how in his pre-Eve bachelorhood he spent his time wandering about giving things names? It was also pre the serpent and banishment into the harsh world, so very much a state of grace. It’s an attractive idea – apart from the nudity, …
When you think about the animal kingdom there are hierarchies just like in most systems – different exemplars of the type can be arranged into descending order according to various attributes they may display. Sometimes it’s handy in making sense of the whole by arranging its constituents in this way: big to small, hot to …
Incredible scenes today at Corner Cottage as a seasonal milestone is attained with due fanfare and celebration. As spring flourishes outdoors, with flowers unfolding, leaves unfurling, birds revealing their finest mating-season plumage, it is time for your aged correspondent to disclose his long-hidden shanks by the ritual donning of shorts. Let’s leave aside for now …
There’s an obvious topic for this blog which I’ve been reading around without really committing to, and that’s because it’s a serious, huge and complex subject. I’ve touched on it briefly when speculating about the names of creeks – but there’s just so much more to be uncovered, especially to a newbie in this fascinating …
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