February 2025

  • The Imodium Road and the Mair Cludgies Party

    Never mind the North Coast 500. Try the route from Ayrshire to Aberdeen. In a Dacia Sandero. While feeling…digestively discombobulated (10 minute audio version above for your delectation and delight, or otherwise…) It’s several roads, to be honest. Motorways galore from Auld Ayr to the Granite City – M77, M74, M73, M80, M9, A9, A90.…

  • The Chronicles of Seagirt

    Underwear smuggling, whelk piracy and Viking cannibalism. A tall tale in two parts, written 20 years ago. It’s hard to believe these were published in The Shetland Times 20 years ago. Fantasy Zetlandic Viking horror sc-fi! Well, somebody had to have a go at it… Possibly of most interest to those connected to The Old…

  • Caledonia, USA: The 54th state

    Scotland! the White House is beckoning in song…it’s statehood, but not as expected… If you like, you can sing along with this. The tune may be slightly familiar. the guitar is an old and buzzy Takamine EN-30C which I was trying to sell on eBay, but the winning bidder was a chancer who immediately cancelled…

  • A Passing of Wind, the finalé: not with a bang but a whimbrel

    On Fair Isle, nobody notices yet another Russian nuclear attack. The story so far: A hoax which seemed to be the  decapitation of Feargal Birkadale, suave, not to say greasy communications officer for the massive Shetland windfarm known as Archie, short for Archipelagic Renewables, was followed by the actual removal of the real Feargal’s head…

  • (A bit late) A deep winter playlist on Spotify, four books that inspired it, and why we crave ownership of music.

    With apologies to those who hate the Swedish behemoth of beat. Oh, and the end of A Passing of Wind is nigh… I know a lot of people hate Spotify with great vituperation (doesn’t pay musicians, or doesn’t pay the right musicians enough) but I’ve always thought this was to misunderstand or abuse the whole…