July 2008

The Church of Scotland must be spinning in its grave…flogging off a kirk as a bar is one thing, surely, but as a casino called ‘Soul’?

Neil (nephew on Susan’s side) and Liz, were married in the fantastic St Peter’s Priory Church in Dunstable, scene of Thomas Cranmer’s cowboy court back in the day to railroad through Henry VIII’s first divorce. The divorce papers for Catherine of Aragon were apparently nailed to the door, just like Luther’s Wittenberg pronouncements. This is…

I am banned by the friends with whom we were holidaying from saying exactly WHERE we were in Spain but it was VERY NICE! And on the Costa Brava. Hot, though. Ryanair, however, were horrible to us. Something has got to be done about the excess baggage nonsense: “You can pay £15 per excess kilo…

Six hours down the motorway, plus an hour’s break, and we were at Susan’s sister’s house in Dunstable. I hired a gigantic Vauxhall Vectra SRI estate, which was big enough for all the wedding paraphernalia (Susan’s nephew Neil is marrying Liz on Saturday)but felt, and I never thought I’d say this, slow and flimsy compared…

Three days at T, and now it’s Monday and I’m back in Glasgow, wondering how my face got so burnt…Amy W turned up, barely spoke, sang relatively well and managed not to totter off her high heels. The rest of Sunday? Counting Crows were magnificently out of place. The Kings of Leon were, again, a…

…or possibly Paolo Nutini and band

Friday

I’ve been listening, initially with the religious fervour of a disciple, to the new CD by The Hold Steady, Stay Positive, and have come to the conclusion that it marks the end of the road for the band. With sadness and some anger at the critics who are boosting Craig Finn and the boys as…

Susan completed the West Highland Way last weekend (her second time), and has asked me to encourage you to contribute to The Sandpiper Trust in celebration. All is explained: “I have just finished walking the West Highland Way with my practice nurse Caroline Garrick. I was able to do this( luckily still) courtesy of ‘Sandpiper…

I pass this on without comment as part of my avowed purpose – to inform, entertain and speculate about what the hell is actually going on here…it’s like some sort of abstruse code… A great Chinese meal last night at Chow in Byres Road (unreservedly recommended) and I’m now in Aberdeen, after a truly monstrous…