. Here we are at the end of 2008, marked, as every year, by Savannah’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Sugar). As well as the usual births, death...Read More
. Whatever religion, nationality, species or level of cynicism, I hope you manage at least a few smiles this festive season. If you click on...Read More
. On Sunday we drove up to see the latest addition to the family, young Cormac. Needless to say I filled the entire memory card with photos,...Read More
. What I love about portrait photography is it’s like having a dressing up box, only with facial expressions rather than costumes. I love fa...Read More
. This is it folks, I am now a Grandad three times over. On Monday 15th, at 4.45pm, my grandson, Cormac, was born, weighing in at a respecta...Read More
. Santa, reindeer, stockings, trees with lights and baubles, acquisition of material goods to be had under said tree, turkeys, honey-roast p...Read More
. Around the middle of next year, this corner of Scotland is having the analogue TV broadcasting transmitter switched off. Subsequently we w...Read More
. Parts of my brain no longer seem to function to anything like the degree they used to. It’s a worrying trend. In some areas it’s different...Read More
. “Would you like a cup of tea of coffee?” “Won’t that affect the sleep study?” “Not really, we only have decaffeinated here.” The nurse ret...Read More
. Mid afternoon: I’m slouched on the sofa drifting in and out of consciousness. Noises from outside and around the house merging and separa...Read More
. My stepdaughter, Holly, has been down visiting us this past week. She was 4 when I first met her; she’ll be 23 next birthday. I thought it...Read More
. What could be more natural than a girl having a doll she can dress up and accessorise and dream of becoming? Or is Barbie a very narrow, i...Read More
. “Has it ever occurred to you,” my mother used to ask, “that perhaps, just perhaps, if the rest of the world disagrees with you it might no...Read More
. I’ve just been reading “Professional Photographer” magazine (UK). I was hoping to get hints, tips and insights into improving my photograp...Read More
. I can picture clearly my father yelling it was impossible to stop the car and my mother telling me to wind the window down and stick my he...Read More
. Is the election of Barrack Obama good for just race relations in the US, or are there wider implications for the acceptance of difference?...Read More
. One thing this ongoing Fatigue has finally driven home is I can let go of my Messiah Complex . When I can’t maintain righteous anger for ...Read More
. For decades, at this time of year I’ve battled away with carving turnips into basic lanterns. And while the turnip flesh gets recycled int...Read More
. It has been said 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of Life, The Universe and Everything. However, as my son Rogan pointed out thi...Read More
. This past week has been spent on the Isle of Mull, off the West Coast of Scotland. People we know have taken over a hotel in Tobermory and...Read More
. Sometimes my opinion as a blogger is sought after. Sometimes I’ve been asked to blog about a particular event or cause. Sometimes I’ve eve...Read More
. Rogan is 13 years old and really needs his own room. It’s been a toss-up between my study or Maggie’s art studio , and as she’s made mone...Read More
. “Is it a boy or a girl?” “Sigh…” “I guess everyone says that, eh?” “Everyone, yes.” “Can I get a photo of the ultrasound scan to take away...Read More
. If I had made black pudding out of my own spare blood, would vegetarians be able to object to trying it? Strictly speaking, no animals wo...Read More
. I have a hole in my shoe. Not a big one that lets in the water and makes my socks wet, just a small one in the heel where it has worn thro...Read More
. That’s the 4th pint of blood removed from my veins in the past few weeks, and unlike previous times , this time I gushed – the entire bag...Read More
. It seems the older we get, the more upset we become when things aren’t quite the same. The smallest of things can cause the greatest outpo...Read More
. What? You seriously thought I could think of getting my camera out to take a photo while a Bramble Crumble was right in front of me, waiti...Read More
. I have the greatest blog post ever written lined up. It will answer the most fundamental questions about existence, and help to truly make...Read More
. On September 10th, CERN will being an experiment to recreate some of the conditions created at the point of the Big Bang using The Large H...Read More
. As I sit here in not one, but two fleeces, the smell of dusty heating is beginning to pervade the house. It is the distinct aroma that occ...Read More
. “It’s gey backendish,” said Maggie recently. “?” I enquired. “Very backendish: the back end of Summer.” “Not the back end of a pantomime h...Read More
. The problem with breaking is no matter how much glue, sticky tape and patches you use, the intact original has gone forever. The choice no...Read More
. After the disappointment of yesterday , I gorged myself on far too much chocolate last night. And felt considerably better for it. Today I...Read More
. I went to see the blood specialist in Dumfries this afternoon. What I was hoping to hear: That I have a recognised condition, where no one...Read More
. I’ve decided to boycott any films I’m unlikely to find educational, enlightening, amusing or entertaining. And I’m seriously thinking abou...Read More
. 14 different profile pics More than 390 posts Over 55,000 visits In excess of a thousand afternoon naps What have I actually achieved in ...Read More