November 2022

Banking on the climb up a childhood mountain in Troon The Ballast Bank is my favourite walk in the world, and not just because Troon’s legendary harbourside fish and chip shop, the Wee Hurrie, huddles next to the fishmarket at one end. Though the thought of what deep-fried delights may be waiting for you certainly…

Zetlandic diary, week ending 19 November Everything’s been off all week, pretty much. Ferries to and from the mainland, freight boats, most of the inter-island links. Supermarket shelves are being stripped. Fresh fruit has vanished, scurvy is endemic and there are reports of cannibalism in Ollaberry… Well, not quite. Perhaps a few fingernails are being…

My weekly diary of Zetlandic doings  We’re half-past Hairst, waiting for winter,  the Great Darkness descending. Beyond 60 degrees north, it’s a battle now for light and warmth. Our household’s carbon neutrality is, to say the least, questionable. Here we run, to quote those surprise musical superstars of the Western Isles, on peat and diesel,…

The late Kenny Macdonald played a crucial part in the city’s most vibrant music period BOUGHT BEGGED AND STOLEN – remembering Kenny MacDonald. 60 North Radio 7.00pm UK time, on Radio Garden, the 60 North app and on Mixcloud – link below. If you remember the 80s Glasgow music scene, were you really there? For…