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Perhaps telling my wife that possessing a new guitar was like “having a new woman in your life” wasn’t particularly wise. She took it well, though. And the arrival of my new Moon 0003 ( http://www.moonguitars.co.uk/ )has caused little domestic trauma.But then, I did pay for it by selling (count them) three other guitars on…

The oven on our gas cooker stopped functioning recently, necessitating the return to service of the trusty, somewhat rusty peat-fired Rayburn, once the sole means of heating and cooking in the manse, now a fallback option for those times when more modern technologies fail. A recent absence of central heating oil (during which I seriously…

Glasgow is for rent, or most of it. That’s how it seems, as the estate agents’ notices mutter forlornly from dozens, no hundreds of windows. That buy-to-rent dream is going horribly wrong, and yet still the riverside flats soar upwards, all pre-stressed concrete and increasingly stressed developers. The housing market is about to go into…

Just very briefly, the family have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and kindness since the accident involving my wife Susan last week. Our heartfelt sympathies go to the family of the other driver involved. Susan is at home and getting better. She will be fine.

I have to admit to loving American Chopper. And it was my 13-year-old son James who forced me to watch the series in the first place. We also bonded over Long Way Round (that’s the one where Ewen McGregor and his pal Charley Boorman go round the world on a pair of free BMW R1150Gs…

…which was, unbelievably, the name of a semi-successful pop group. I’m sniffing, coughing and weeping with the tears of a flu-ridden invalid, and yet it’s on with the show today at two. No weakness must be shown. Anyway, here’s another Nippy Sweetie from the current Shetland Times. It was partly provoked by comments passed at…

…’cause they understand… Well, back to Starbucks, doin’ that wi-fi thing, and this could become addictive. Anyway, it’s undoubtedly boring to have me going on about the joys of sitting here with a tall Americano, so to speak, so here’s the new Nippy Sweetie, pre-publication, for those who don’t get the glorious and wonderful Shetland…

And lo, I am in a Starbucks on Union Street, Aberdeen, and forsooth, am wirelessly connected. Thanks to t-mobile and LAN 802.11b. I feel (all caffeined up via a mocha and a capuccino) as if I’m in an episode of Friends. I have my horn-rim specs on and am contemplating going to see Team America…

I don’t know why it shoud be so bad this year, but the Shetland winter darkness is really hurting. I think it was two days ago it just didn’t get light. Dawn didn’t break – it sort of bent slightly into view. The rest of the “day” was a kind of sullen twilight, and with…

…and a very good 2005 to you. I don’t know what to say about the tsunami and its after-effects. Give money. Wonder about the weird political responses in the UK. Pray and grieve and keep on going. It’s 3rd January, and yesterday was the last of our seasonal bashes. A great time has been had,…