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Plus the weekly Beatcrofting radio show Another chunk of enamel disappears, courtesy of Marks and Spencer’s all-too granular granary bread, and my tongue restlessly probes the fissures, tunnels and caverns of my West of Scotland teeth. A dental speleology. My dentist dad’s mercury amalgam fillings are mostly still intact. It’s the natural white chewing implements…

Excerpt from Louder than God, some typing, old and very new music from John Douglas and Shetland’s North Country Fair Thanks for subscribing ( if you have) to my newsletter, which I’m trying to put out weekly and includes the latest hour-long selection of music that usually streams on 60 North Radio under the Beatcrofting…

Motorbike memories, tall tales of folding bicycles, the return of Covid and some lovely live tracks on this week’s Beatcrofting Carless for the past week, pottering about on foot and aboard my ancient Brompton folding bicycle, I’ve been thinking about motorbikes. Just as the season for riding the things in comfort begins to fade into…

Shetland-Aberdeen-Glasgow-London-Glasgow-Troon-Linlithgow-Troon. Plus the latest Beatcrofting radio show It’s been a pretty full-on, five-different-beds week, involving a lot of running about the country using public transport, feet and a folding bike, all in the midst of the most extreme September heatwave for half a century. Back in Troon, now, where at least I can appal my…

Celebrating the astonishing Weeley Festival, which took place 52 years ago… The poster for 1971’s Weeley Festival, held at Mersea Island, by Clacton-on-Sea in Essex over the weekend 27-29 August, seems like a faked-up replica. I mean, The Faces, T Rex, Status Quo, Rory Gallagher and literally dozens of other top acts, all in one…

Plus this week’s brand new Beatcrofting radio show, with dog intervention Another promethazine voyage We arrived back in Shetland on Saturday, discombobulated and deranged as usual by the (12-hour) boat trip. Three days’ recovery is usually necessary at my advanced age. We had a cabin and the sea was relatively smooth, or at least we…

Which may be unavoidable, but is not medically recommended Lansoprazol! If you plan to drink alcohol Your stomach wall Deserves a little rest Clopidogrel! Should you feel you want to raise some hell Can make you feel a bit unwell Don’t put it to the test You have been saved From heading to an early…

Back in my childhood home of Troon, I at last venture back onto the golf course…plus Black Label in the former Walker household, and this week’s Beatcrofting show, playlist and stream. In 1962 we arrived in Troon from Pollokshaws, mum and dad seeking a place to bring up three children that wasn’t in the midst…

Including this week’s Bear-infested Beatcrofting. And goodbye to Robbie. The Tall Ships have come to Lerwick and gone, leaving many happy memories of friendships made, the astonishing range and depth of Shetland’s musical, crafting and artistic talent revealed, wonderful food and drink consumed… …and Covid contracted.  Maybe we’ll never hear about how the 37 ships’…

A busy Tall Ships week, a playlist tinged with sadness… and demands for more grins It’s been a very busy week, working with the team webcasting the Tall Ships Races’ four-day stay in Lerwick. Complicated by the lack of vehicular transport, due to a drastic  power steering failure on the truck and an infuriating hydraulics…