Off-topic
Posted on
January 02, 1968 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
For off-topic chat. Duh.
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
-
About
Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
-
Recent Posts
- 12-21
- 12-17
- 12-14
- 12-12
- 12-09
- 12-07
- 12-03
- 11-28
- 11-25
- 11-23
- 11-22
- 11-18
- 11-17
- 11-12
- 11-09
- 11-06
- 11-04
- 11-03
- 11-02
- 10-29
A tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Hi Dan.
I was thinking about getting an inverter to run a fridge in my car, for holidays.
Turns out that fridges also need a pure sine wave voltage. The difference in cost is substantial. Bog standard “modified sine wave” inverter – around £40. Pure sine wave? Well into three figures!
BDTT
I remember when reading CM’s account of the defence evidence in Alex Salmond’s trial – it was the only source – that it was immediately obvious why the jury had found as they did.
Craig Murray did comment after the verdicts were in, that the ordinary members of the public, only accessing the MSM accounts exclusively of the prosecution case, would be extremely perplexed at the verdicts.
Now, of course, Craig has had to take that down and I rather suspect that that was the real purpose of taking him to court under the supposed intention of ‘protecting the women’. They did not wish the evidence to be available to the public. If only what has been going on in Scotland could be published abroad.
Lady’s smock, few-flowered leek, the song of the greenfinch: link to youtube.com
Celebrating what the Gaels called the madness of spring.
Very vernal here.
Well, my 3rd of March thoughts on the VONC in Sturgeon didn’t turn out to be very accurate, sadly.
I underestimated how much the Greens are backing Sturgeon, which is because she’s the route by which they hope to get their dangerous genderwoowoo policies turned into law.
I hope ALBA gets enough seats to both stop these plans, and also to force the SNP to focus on independence. After all that is, or should be, their main purpose!
Perpignan is served by the Gare de Perpignan railway station, which offers connections to Paris, Barcelona, Toulouse, and several regional destinations. Salvador Dalí proclaimed it to be the “Cosmic Centre of the Universe” after experiencing a vision of cosmogonic ecstasy there in 1963.[8]
Hi, Daisy.
I haven’t had any cosmogonic ecstasy since 18/5/91 but this chiel experienced somethng similar in Narbonne, apparently:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka–QM_tJ-s
Fifty years on but never so topical……
link to youtube.com
I’ll raise you another two oldies Tinto!
link to youtube.com
and
link to youtube.com
@Hacka: “Govern wisely and fairly…”
Now there’s a novelty!
“They were unique, like so many others!”
link to youtube.com
Except they did make an instantly recognisable sound and are completely out of fashion today. Love the throbbing bass which comes in about 2.11.
A song for Alba, perhaps, because the dream will never die…..
Well, TC, if you’re gonna make it a 70s night, I’ll offer this cover. I think it was released on the RAK label in 1974/5.
In the way Vanilla Fudge totally revamped songs, Mike Berry did the same with this. Still in my 7″ vinyl collection. I like it…
link to youtube.com
And, typin’ aboot Vanilla Fudge, (back to the 60s) gotta link (again?) to this epic… Every local band, that had an organist, played this around 1968/69. I remember The Oryx from Alloa, did a decent version. We (the BB) and the Guides in the same church, booked them for our Dundee city centre dances, alternatively, every three months.
link to youtube.com
Them were the days!
Them were the days but where have they all gone? Went to bed early with my Trollope and missed all the action.
I’d forgotten all about Mike Berry and the enigma wot was VF. Were they trippy hippies? Were they heavy metal or a strange mutant strain (topical)?
Saw a reed bunting yesterday and a flock of swallows hoovering up flies above the loch. Don’t they know snow is on the way, the silly sossages? Welcome to Scotland.
Meant to append this, another Berry, this time from the 60s. Smallaxe once told me an interesting tale about him:
link to youtube.com
Dave Berry… I immediately remembered that he did strange things with the mic and its lead.
link to youtube.com
Vanilla Fudge? I guess they could be described as psychedelic hard prog…
link to youtube.com
Here they are live in 2011 with a Zombies cover.
link to youtube.com
On this day: Was the first Wings meet-up at The Counting House in Glasgow (a political generation of 7 years.)
– Putting Nicola Sturgeon to the side, pro-indy Scottish voters who were disillusioned and didn’t fully turn out to vote in the 2017 General Election (because the SNP’s policy was to ‘Stop Brexit’ rather than save Scotland) can now exercise their pro-indy desires, by voting for the SNP on the Constituency (holding vote) and Scotland’s ALBA party on the crucial List vote.
The only stock that will be getting taken count of after the vote, will be a pro-indy supermajority and with a true champion for independence like Alex Salmond (and fellow ALBA colleagues) in place, what’s not to like.
– REMEMBER: Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP do NOT own independence.
– The people of Scotland can hold (the proven tainted politician) Nicola Sturgeon to account (for all of her misdemeanours and false promises) by making sure they vote SNP on the Constituency (apart from the Glasgow Southside seat to be re-deuced with selected others) and ALBA party for and on the List.
– As some Unionist voters are now realising that their tea’s oot on the List vote, many Unionist voters should be considering voting for the ALBA party, along with the mainstream majority of Scottish voters. This will allow the ALBA party representatives to hold the acting First Minister to account (which is what Unionists want afterall.) Unionists now have nothing left to lose but their faeces.
– It’s probably important to mention that there will also be diehard Unionists moonlighting as ‘SNP only’ supporters (putting out the twa votes SNP lunacy) in the hope that they will still be able to scrap together some List seats for their London based Unionist parties.
– An open statement to all previous NON-voters of Scotland:
I acknowledge that many of you are understandably disillusioned with politics and that “all politicians are the same”. Well that was then and this is now. This coming crucial election is not about ‘getting one over’ on somebody else, it’s about preserving and saving the very fabric of our country. If you’ve never voted in an election before, you’ve still got time left to register.
Even if you can’t support a vote for the current SNP on the Constituency seat, that’s once again understandable, BUT, if you registered JUST to vote once on the List/Regional ticket and vote for the ALBA party, you would be doing yourself and Scotland an immeasurably noble and selfless deed. See how you feel like voting on the day, but get yourself registered to vote! Please consider this for the sake of Scotland.
Thanks,
A sovereign citizen of Alba Scotland.
– Encore une fois.
“I wish I had a million dollars… Hot Dog!”
ALBA is cooking:
link to youtube.com
Yes, as I recall, Dave’s gimmick was hiding his face behind his hands, artfully staged props or simply turning away from the camera, which was actually rather annoying.
PHP sounds about right to me…… 😉 .
@C-Man: link to youtube.com
Re the coming elections:
link to youtube.com
I used to try to analyse Moon’s drumming style but I eventually decided he was wonderfully insane.
Hey Tinto Chiel, aye we’re never to be fooled again. Some were first fooled back in 2014 by BT and come now full-circle throughout the past seven years it has happened again… the New SNP were supposed to be the saviours of Scotland and look how that turned out!
———
Can I ask for some assistance/advice please folks?
Like many others, I took the bold step of joining the ALBA party as a founder member yesterday afternoon (yesterday being a poignant day). The transaction appeared to go through okay on screen, but unfortunately no confirming e-mail or other contact was received.
I’ve since contacted the ALBA Party via their Facebook account (as there is no option on their website) and still awaiting a reply.
I understand they are having teething problems but the lack of feedback is concerning (even if it is a Easter Bank Holiday weekend).
Hopefully they’ll get back to me soon as I’m holding-off on a donation to the active crowdfunder until my membership details have been confirmed.
Yeah any further advice/direct contact details would be helpful.
Thanks.
My Prickly pal , is it really 7 years since the fire alarm went off?
I suppose I should thank them because I probably wouldn’t have got round everyone but because of the alarm I met Paul WGD and Ronnie before I had to vanish into the night.
I do remember the unsolicited assurance of the doormen , trying to convince us they had not set it off.
Ian B had the best handshake in the world and John King had the best T shirt!
A happy memory!
@C_Man: I got a confirmation number by return on the day I joined.
Hey Dorothy-lady and Tinto-gent.
Greetings and yipee y’all. I too am now a sovereign member of ALBA. Everything went smoothly right through to the checkout, but nothing was received in my standard inbox… so where were these acknowledgments sent, where else but my Junk mail-box (hardly). All other authorised transactions go straight to my Inbox, so dunno why this happened? I put into the crowdfunder too and got a notification as normal in my focused mail. Splendid.
Exciting to read the latest article relating to the New SNP’s money trail on the missing RAF. It’s like a Cluedo treasure hunt. Who did it and with which political weapon did they use in which chamber? (Note: The New SNP – Estb. 20/11/14).
I took a big walk last night from the south-side heading for George Square. On route, somebody had written on the pavement in chalk “Register To Vote 0141 287 4444” at Eglinton Street just under the M74 flyover, so that was pleasing to see.
On arrival in the city’s centre (just before midnight), I had the whole square to myself in the silence to mark 701 years to date. On returning back home through the city (via Paisley Road West) I almost got hit by falling masonry down by the Clydeside… my tread must have been quite heavy to shake the foundations of the old sandstone building, yikes! (called it in to be sure).
Scotland is now fighting for our freedom on several fronts:
ALBA for Scotland.
X
Blimey, whoever came up with that SNP party political broadcast is either a Rikki Fulton fan, or an 80’s McEwans Lager ad fan.
link to youtube.com
(90 second video, with the lager ad, followed by Rikki’s spoof of it.)
SOS BDTT, if he’s looking in. Seeking advice on voting in South of Scotland with the advent of Alba. Joan McAlpine is second on the list and wouldn’t want to lose her if possible.
1984 revisited. Yeah the NewSNP’s latest party political propagandacast was cringingly insulting. They can bleat all they want about “The Tories did this and the Tories did that”, but NOT ONCE did the NewSNP ever CHALLENGE them on ANY of it. They have zero accountability or credibility. It looks like they’re now going all out in vain, to try and coerce the remaining vulnerable, impressionable and apolitical persons to also give them their list vote – Not a chance – It must be ALBA only for the Scottish list vote.
It also reminded me of this scene from this marvelous movie…
All aboard HMS Sturgeon:
link to youtube.com
This time next month…
Hi JGedd.
I haven’t crunched the numbers for South Scotland -yet! – but I see that Joan McAlpine is standing for the Dumfriesshire constituency.
If things go according to plan, she’ll win that on current constituency polling.
link to whocanivotefor.co.uk
I’m on holiday next week so I’ll try to do South Scotland, as in the Quarantine comments. I’ve done Highlands & Islands but haven’t published it yet.
@C-Man: glad your Alba problems disappeared. I admire your nocturnal rambles of the solitary walker 😉 .
@David: yeah, that Sisyphus-Escher stuff was what sprang to mind with the SNP horror show, with a large dollop of Orwell.
Still out in Brazil or coming back to watch St Mirren in the post-split fixtures?
BDTT
Thanks for your reply.
My constituency SNP candidate is Emma Harper and I would have to grit my teeth in order to vote for her. Joan MacAlpine might not get in as SNP MSP in the next door constituency but is second on the SNP list. She is a list MSP already and I’m more pessimistic than you about her winning the constituency this time either. The Tory vote here is pretty tenacious and immovable, unfortunately.
So, I will await your sage advice. Thanks again for all the number crunching so that lazy sods like me don’t have to!
Can’t remember if I’ve posted this here before but since the Rev. has blown a fuse you might fill in the time before his next blockbuster a lot worse:
link to youtube.com
Given the cast and director, you can assume a lot was going on off camera, usually alcohol-themed 😉 .
There’s a well-known in Dundee story about the Chookie Embra.
At the link below, click on the smaller pics below the bigger one of the pub to get the story.
link to tapatalk.com
Hi JGedd.
Two articles from The National…
SNP in with shout in Galloway and West Dumfries – but it could be very tight
link to archive.is
SNP have genuine chance of unseating Tory MSP Oliver Mundell in Dumfriesshire
link to archive.is
BDTT
Thanks for that. I stopped reading The National some time ago but those articles are helpful.
I’m still not so optimistic about Joan McAlpine’s chances in her constituency and therefore still concerned about her not getting in on the list since Emma Harper – candidate for my constituency – opted to use the ‘new’ mechanism identifying as disabled for the list by leapfrogging over J McAlpine to the top of the list, pushing Joan to second place.
I hope Joan makes it as constituency MSP but I have my doubts.
The Tory vote is intractable and the demographic changes The National tentatively alludes to, is that a large estate has been built on the edge of Dumfries, mainly inhabited by people from England, where those houses were primarily advertised. It’s handily situated near the A75 making a relatively easy commute to Carlisle. Perhaps these new incomers are sympathetic to independence…? Is there a blue moon tonight? Might be wrong on both counts.
Hello Tinto Chiel @ some days ago, yes I am still in Brazil, and no I won’t be spending £3,000 on a flight (plus two weeks enforced quarantine) to watch the Buddies finish 7th…
I’ve hardly been following sport, any sport, at all this past year, as I’ve not been able to work up any enthusiasm for it. I think life under lockdown has left me a bit depressed, but I deal with that by watching old Scooby-Doo cartoons on tv, and cooking & eating large amounts of tablet. You can never have too much tablet, or too much Scooby-Doo.
(Scooby Doo Theme Song) link to youtube.com
On a more upbeat note, my wife got her first covid vaccine jag this week, so we can start being hopeful for an end to the current situation. Brazil is far behind Scotland on vaccinating its people, so far only about 10 or 11% have had their first jags. I am hoping to get mine either this month or next. I’ll be brave.
(‘The Needle and the Damage Done’- Neil Young)
link to youtube.com
@David: hmmm, yes get your point about the cost of watching the Buddies on a “flying visit”…..
Had to laugh about your lockdown tablet habit but I hope you have a good dentist. Reminded me of a wedding we were at a few years ago which had quite a few English guests. The menu promised coffee and tablet which seemed to bemuse them. I think they thought that eccies were going to be freely available for the post-dinner orgy, which was always rather unlikely in Bishopbriggs anyway.
Meanwhile, in other news, there have been some really hard frosts Where I Am the last four nights or so enjoy the warmth WYA.
Tinto
Nature Notes:
I’ve had a blue tit dashing itself at one of the kitchen windows for the past two days. I think it’s fallen for its own reflection. I’ve tried scaring it away but nothing works. It only goes away at sundown and returns rapturously every morning to woo its reflection. ‘The madness of spring’ right enough.
It’s a little jewel but sadly fated to be an evolutionary dead end. There’s no future in self-love, as religion has been sternly admonishing us for centuries.
So, keep your hands above the bedclothes because God is watching! (Why do I hear that in my head in an Irish nun’s voice?’)
Hi JGedd.Have a look at the figures at this link:-
link to archive.is
It looks like Labour voters from 2011 moved almost equally to Tories and SNP – Labour down 14%, both Tories and SNP up 7%. Joan Macalpine only lost by 1,230.
If you could get a (local) campaign going to persuade erstwhile Labour voters to switch to the SNP, Mundell could be out.
A5 leaflet?
If you were a Labour supporter,
who voted Tory or Labour in 2016,
why not vote SNP this time,
To kick out the Tory?
Your country need YOU!
Ladies and Gents of ALBA Scotland, there are 25 days to go…
(3 weeks on Thursday)
– Political party definitions:
1) NS and her NewSNP is the party of indefinite devolution.
2) The ALBA Party are for Scotland and will PUSH for independence.
– T’would be good if there were ALBA supporters outside every polling station with a placard saying something like… “a vote for ALBA is a vote for Scotland” and say to passing people entering to cast their votes, something like… “thanks for coming out to vote”. A neutral but friendly gesture (and then just freestyle it from there if people are curious and interested.) Remember, keep smiling, this campaign is a positive campaign, for Scotland.
– Now that Scotland is beginning to have more of our previously known freedoms returned to us, if you’re thinking of going away for a holiday this year, try a staycation for your nation. Let’s try to help our Scottish tourist industry back on its feet. The same applies for eating and drinking out… I foretell that this Summer of ’21 is going to be a heatwave for Scotland!
– I wonder if the NewSNP will ever be the same again? It’s like the purpose of the NewSNP has gone from proactively wanting independence to being some kind of unpalatable Diet-SNP counterfeit copy, lent alone a fully skimmed No Sugar Added-SNP version – Yuk! Will the Original SNP ever be returned to the shelves? ALBA MAX is the way to go.
– Voting on the 06/05/21 comes in stages (Stage 1 is the easy automatic bit:)
1. Reach for the PEACH paper first and put your X beside the ALBA Party.
2. Take your LILAC paper and do what you feel you must.
3. Check that your voting slips have a unique ID or barcode.
4. Post your papers into the ballot box.
Upon looking for the Spitting Image videos about ‘Scotland – The Testing Ground’ and the one about the ‘South Africans’… these videos have NOW been deleted from the YouTube system, interesting eh, but I did come across these curious ones:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Check out the thoughts of the other international peoples of the world.
A further curious observation of thought:
– When Scotland has returned to being an independent country and the Queen of England thereafter dies, what flag will be/may be chosen to fly (if at all) at half-mast throughout the length and breadth of these different lands? As the Union flag would no longer be a valid flag, I imagine people in England would opt for their St. Georges Cross flag (seems reasonable and appropriate.) Northern Ireland and Wales would probably fly their own country’s natural home flags too if they wanted to. Then on to the people of extended Europe and beyond if they are interested.
Independent Scotland? What about the people of? The People of iScotland? I reckon some Scottish people would lower the many already flying saltires to half-mast too, as per their own personal interests. Fair doos. Most other saltire flags I would imagine probably remain at full-mast blowing proudly in the wind. It’s all about personal choice via association with or not, but, incorrect use of a Union flag would be of times past and like the flightless dodo.
NB the best thing about the word ‘beyond’, is that when applied, beyond has no boundaries.
(am now using my non-hotmail address if this is the preferred way)
@JGedd: yes, I’m pretty sure it’s become enamoured of its own reflection. A wee goldcrest (which I had never seen close-up before) did the same routine on a window frame a few years back and I remember discussing its extraordinary behaviour with the much-missed “cearc” at the time.
On the much less wholesome topic wot you done allude to, I remember seeing in a Britannia music catalogue about twenty years ago (when they made things called cassettes) a bizarre section on self-help books (!) which had a most unusual entry, coyly called The Joy of One. I do hope its content was suitably gender-balanced and inclusive going forward in terms of pushing the envelope towards a full-spectrum equality situation (to string together more mindless phrases so beloved of Da Meeja).
Saw two treecreepers yesterday. I feel better now.
And a dead bank vole.
Here’s a wee puzzle for yooz.
When I first bought this 7″ picture single, I identified 9 samples. I’m sure I got up to 11 subsequently.
How many can you find? And name them?
link to youtube.com
Wouldn’t look in case they were faecal samples. It is breakfast time, after all.
A good cast but could do with a bit more oooomph: link to youtube.com
Tinto
The ‘Joy of One’; the very definition of self-help.
BDTT
Thanks for the info on Dumfries constituency. One of my sons lives in that constituency and is quietly confident that Joan Mcalpine could make it as constituency MSP this time. I’ll ask him about printing out some of your A5 leaflets.
I followed your instructions and submitted my first archived link successfully yesterday. I’m so proud!
Tinto ( the Grey Owl de nos jours?)
More Nature Notes:
My wee besotted blue tit is still battering at the window for the fourth day. I’m afraid that he is going to exhaust himself to death in pursuit of the unobtainable.
Even the sparrows are looking on askance and you know what Chaucer had to say about sparrows.
Grey Owl? I hope not: our heiresses had a very strange one of those when they were in the Brownies. Looked like she smoked Capstan Full Strength and resembled one of Marge Simpson’s sisters.
Growing concerned re your lascivious blue tit. He’ll wear himself out at this rate. If he were human you would suggest a night class or joining the local library, of course.
Chaucer? I was always more of a Nigel Molesworth man myself but I catch your drift.
Tinto:
Haha, I liked the portrait of your daughters’ Brown Owl. We had a music teacher like that but she was said to smoke Woodbine and had a voice like Satchmo, probably as a result of all those fags.
No, I had in mind this gentleman with a colourful past, who used to do nature programmes on BBC. ( Well before my time, honest guv.)
link to bbc.co.uk
A couple of Dundee music videos…
link to wingsoverscotland.com
“Archie Belaney”…
Interesting stuff!
@JGedd: fascinating story about Grey Owl. Never heard of him before but at least he done right in the wrong way. Sometimes I wish I could escape to the wilds of Canada, where nappy-wearing weirdos seem thinner on the ground. Mind you, then I’d have to start worrying about Bigfoot as I wander along the Athabasca river.
This is my favourite enigmatic character. God knows what the actual truth is:
link to en.wikipedia.org
@Brian: yon Bugger The Panda ain’t much of a singer, is he 😉 ? Great footage, though, of an optimistic time when independence seemed oh so simple: “Give us the votes and we’ll finish the job.”
*Sighs, stares bleakly out of window at the mist*
Yes! £50,225 raised in the ALBA party crowdfunder!
link to crowdfunder.co.uk
Great old song by the Bonzo Dog Band – “No Matter Who You Vote For The Government Always Gets In”
link to youtube.com
Not so sure of this year’s follow-up – “No Matter Who You Vote For The SNP Government Always Gets In (And Puts Indy On THe Back Burner For Five Years)”…
Message for Daisy.
If you contact Allison on this e mail she might be able to help.
midscotlandandfife@albaparty.org
Thanks Meg, have done so, waiting on a reply.
The new and latest Yew Choob production presents:
link to youtube.com
@ Daisy
Emails to that specific Alba address have already been sent regarding campaign signage and leaflets and are awaiting a response.
Really hoped they’d have been replied to very quickly as many folk have moved to postal voting and the ballots have already been delivered and filled in by some…
If you get a response and access to material then please let me know on here. I’ll do likewise.
Could probably muster a few folk to assist with delivery too.
In the meantime I’m just continuing to contact folk that will be receptive to voting Alba in my local area and busy working my way through my personal contacts.
Testing HTML tags. I’m a slow learner.
The blackcaps and willow warblers have arrived.
Yahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
Thanks Dan – no reply as of yet. Iain Lawson has passed on the message alos. Think they must be having early days/logistic probs.
Are you based Tayside area, if/when I go to collect, will I bring you a supply, and how much?
@ Daisy
I got a message this morning from a contact that stated a response from the Alba Regional Coordinator had been received. They have arranged to be a hub for the area.
It looks like Alba boards and leaflets should be arriving over the weekend.
I’ve offered to help distribute this stuff.
Can we catch up for a chat? It sounds like we are all aiming for the same thing and no point duplicating efforts.
We’ve met before when you were getting your vehicle serviced at a garage in Arran Road a couple of years back. I’ve contacted them and if you call them they will give you my number. 😉
Hello again Dan, I thought it was yourself.
Was it Allison you contacted, if so I have her e-mail? And will contact her to forward my e-mail to you.
Just a wee heads up, I’m otherwise engaged on Monday, but the rest of the callander is looking good.
Postal vote envelopes delivered to our house for the first time ever yesterday. Keep looking at mine then putting it away again.
I know I’ll have to bow to the inevitable and commit to my vote but weakly procrastinating, just for, now I shove it away out of sight. One day soon I’ll take a lunge at it, pen in hand, and force myself to vote SNP in the constituency. Then I’ll feel very, very bad.
The second cross for Alba will be easier though. (God there are some mental parties standing on the list and I don’t just mean Galloway’s Hole in the Wa’ Gang. They are an assortment of right wing Unionists but I don’t hear Sturgeon being scathing about the unionists gaming the system.)
@ Daisy
Allison was contacted by a committee member of one of our local YES groups.
I passed on her email address to that group as thought it would have more chance of getting a response if an email request for materials came from an existing YES organisation which could act as a hub to then distribute materials to activists in the area like they have already been doing for years.
So I haven’t contacted Allison myself as thought it would be more efficient use of her time if she wasn’t snowed under by lots of different individuals trying to get stuff.
If you want to get in touch with me then just call that garage and they will give you my number.
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
Frederick Douglass
*End of test*
Wot happened to my horizontal dividing line?
Help!
A lot of ‘on-topic’ posts on here today!
Let’s get back to basics.
There’s a TV presenter, usually on BBC2 or BBC ALBA!, called Paul Murton.
When I’m busy on the leedle Mac, I have the TV on for audiovisual wallpaper, in the background.
He does documentaries, usually titled “Grand Tours of Scotland’s whatever”. They are rather educational. I find myself pausing the Mac input to pay attention to what he’s bletherin’ aboot on the televisual apparatus.
He’s got a prog on the moment, on BBC2. Covered the ‘Clootie Well’ as an example.
My question is – His progs are usually bereft of waffle & p!$$. Why is he never mentioned in the MSM as a “presenter”, unlike the hairflicker, who attract media coverage, like wasps to a jar of jam?
link to youtube.com
Edinburgh Central? You have a pro-indy candidate who isn’t Mr Dempsie.
Tinto Chiel says:
16 April, 2021 at 6:29 pm
How DARE you come in here and type Nothing!
link to youtube.com
That track always reminds of the Rhine Valley.
When I was on my school exchange trip to Würzburg in 1968, ! had a wee transistor radio with me.
Train from Hook of Holland to Frankfurt, then train to Würzburg.
On the way down the Rhine valley, I was able to tune in to AFN Nuremburg – and that track was playing.
Some other hits in Germany, the summer of ’68…
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Tinto Chiel says:
16 April, 2021 at 6:29 pm
“”
That is some quality minimalist shiz you got going on right there Tints!
In other news that Patrick Harvie should but won’t be impressed by… I found a large half full tin of Pantone 300 paint in the shed, so proceeded to cut up and paint some recycled plywood boards and an old slate.
Guess I’ll be brushing the white paint the morra…
I think I’m going to enjoy leafleting the my home turf in Edinburgh Central for Alba.
The West End might not be a hot bed of Alba support but I’ll enjoy ruffling a few feathers! 🙂
“How DARE you come in here and type Nothing!”
“That is some quality minimalist shiz you got going on right there Tints!”
Gentlemen: I’ve been doing that here for years. Haven’t you noticed 😉 ?
Seriously, I was trying for a horizontal line, using “” w/o the ICs like I was pure done telt by Da Man.
* Bulgars Orff (Carl’s brother) in disgust…….
@ Andy
What’s Stockbridge like now? Have The Colonies off Glenogle Rd next to the Water of Leith been colonised by multi-millionaires yet?
Wot happened to my ?
Aaaaaaaaaaaaarg!
Since I discovered Dean Village a few years ago, I visit it a couple of times a year via Google Maps.
It’s quite a thing that that area has been allowed to survive.
link to goo.gl
@Dan 9.14 am
The Stockbridge Colonies are pretty “des res” now, yeah. Even tho’ they are pretty small properties they can go for > £300K now. The whole of Stockbridge, Dean Village and Comley Bank is pretty steep. We’ve been flat hunting for the outlaws who are moving here and it’s bee a real eye opener!
I prefer the West End tho’. Closer to town and bigger properties. The whole area is going a bit up-market tho’: even Dalry and Haymarket area is getting a bit trendy, loads of good restaurants and cafes. With the new development in the old railway yard at Haymarket, the station and the tram it’s got a lot going for it I reckon.
(No, I’m not an Estate Agent, honest….!) 🙂
Dan, I’ll contact the garage on Tuesday and get your contact number.
Cheers for now.
@ Andy
Fairly sure my folks bought the property in the colonies I was raised in for a couple of grand if that.
Stocky was a pretty cool laid back place with quite a village feel to it. Though that may have been down to all the peace smoke being exhaled by the hippies!
Used to fish the Water of Leith in Stockbridge and Dean Village as a bairn. Aye, you can go catch Marlin or Barracuda off of Key West, but I’ll never forget the adrenaline rush of the fight and managing to land a discarded rusty ScotMid trolley on a Woolworths spinning rod and 4lb line! 🙂
@ Daisy
Ok, will catch up next week.
Okay Andy, if you want to debate
“Is there anyone left in Scotland who would actually admit to being a member of the SNP??? Or worse still,,,is there anyone left in Scotland who would actually wear their SNP badge with pride??? Because what you are actually telling the world is,,, “LOOK AT ME,,, I’M A FUCKIN PERVERT”.
Then fine. I’m not too busy today. IF your genuine then nows your chance. I’m not and never have been a member of SNP. But I AM a member of ISP; so certain….aspects….of the SNP party I fundamentally oppose. But I’m still giving them my constituency vote.
Updates…
Spent an hour getting all artistic with a brush and white paint. My bespoke Alba signs look da bomb*.
* That’s “da bomb” as in the yoof wordage for cool as fuck, not to be misinterpreted as violent or weapon like such as “killer heals” has been in the past.
Andy, turns out the house in The Colonies we lived in could have been bought for 600 quid cash! But because of my parents needing to set up a loan it ended up costing £1600.
@ Daisy
I’m guessing you may have had a delivery today? I’ve collected a limited number of boards to distribute.
I understand there should be more next week.
Alba X.
– Halò. As the Electoral Commission has proactively prevented the Alba Party from adding our ‘X’ to the logo listings on the PEACH voting papers, this could be a test for the modern day voter… previously when presented with the image of a fish, people had to draw in an eye to pass the test.
Therefore, to prove you are a true Scot, when presented with your peach voting paper, to pass the Scottish test of being a true Scot of the 21st-century, you need to mark your cross (X) in the square shaped box next to the ALBA PARTY. Any alternative markings made (on the peach paper) will confirm support for Unionist representation in Holyrood… and the costly fine is eternal shame and banishment from the land.
– When ALBA Scotland win big we’ll be saying “we’re well on our way”. This Scottish Holyrood Election is the one that can make a real difference. Consider this one to be the formal dress rehearsal for indy that Scotland has been waiting for since 2014.
– We need a new Scottish song to get behind and sing to, howsabout a new Scottish song called “ALBA for Scotland”. It would be good to celebrate and sing something positive on the seventh.
– Anyone want to start a chitty for who will be assigned to the role as the next Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament… mibbies George Galloway ah haha.
– Votes should be formally counted at each polling station that they are cast within. At 10pm close the doors and under trusted supervision, empty out and count all the votes up there and then (what say 2 or 3 thousand votes tops per polling station.) Thereafter return all of these votes to each polling box, seal them with a wax stamp or whatever and attach to each of the polling boxes the unique totals for votes cast per party. These counted results can then be sent to a central location and physical paper votes kept should a verification of recounting be required – if the vote results are tight. Results can also be e-mailed directly to a central source.
– Important Q: Will there be EXIT POLLS carried out for this election?
– Speaking of super-injunctions… as words appear to not be permitted, could a picture paint many a word instead? Certain castles are always bonnie at this time of year (think of the name of a popular chicken & haggis dish.)
Here’s an appropriate song for the serving First Meanister:
link to youtube.com
It’s what inside that counts.
– In summing up:
Do you remember way back in 2014, Cairnstoon’s ‘The candle’ with the Union flag cufflinked shirt arm and hand extinguishing our flame of Hope:
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Come forward to the present day, the flame of the candle has now been re-lit by the Alba Party, but instead there is a new arm and hand with rainbow-painted fingernails underneath our candle holding a lit lucifer. As the hot wax drips down, it eventually snuffles and puts out this lucifer and leaves a trail of hardened evidence all over the arsonists hand. The flame remains the same.
A political generation of seven years have now passed.
Can anyone help?
Where can I purchase ALBA posters for my window?
I can’t print them off as my printer won’t talk to my Mac since the Big Sur update.
I’m in Edinburgh and could collect locally.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
There now follows a non-political party preview warning…
For reference:
…twitter.com/ripx4nutmeg/status/1384090434993934345
(credit to Breeks from the MSPreachers thread for sharing)
– – – – – – – – – –
Do any of the following videos seem familiar, any similarities?
Beware of the wicked one in the red dress:
link to youtube.com (3mins:24secs)
link to youtube.com (5mins:01sec)
link to youtube.com (5mins:48secs)
link to youtube.com (9mins:26secs)
Essential viewing and listening.
The New Visitors have arrived.
Ian MacLachlan ,if you have contributed or joined ALBA check your spam/junk mail. I discovered all the ALBA information had been deposited there by microsoft.
In Glasgow there is a 3 day distribution event in George Square with times indicated. I assume there will also be one in Edinburgh.
Morning my Prickly pal! I’m off to see what gems you have posted on youtube!
Hey Dorothy, hope you’re keepin’ groovy, yeah I’m still getting the same mail going to my junk-mail inbox too, it must be an internet thing. Good to hear we’re getting the written ALBA word up and out to Edinburgh and the Glasgow folk there already X.
Might I also suggest everybody here gets chatting more on off-topic about off-topic, but topical things, whenever like 🙂
We find ourselves in the middle of the approach to voting day. We are are on the edge of Scotland’s very fabric and being with this one. Our next returned liberties begin again this coming Monday. Thank God for ALBA. Let’s keep all of the ideas going aye.
We’re fighting for our very freedoms of 2021 and beyond.
We have Wings main excellent articulating articles Yes, with guests, and there is also HERE, “backstage triple-A-pass off-topic” for your pleasure, desires and just general off-topic chat, yeah.
It’s your stage Scotland, step on it.
Sweet Home Alba-Mama:
link to youtube.com
Hey Prickly Pal , used to ride those roads in my youth – pillion of course ,strangely incapable of mastering the machine so that anyone would give me a licence!
Nowadays far too arthritic for the saddle!
Hi Folks,
Sad news today. Peter Carnegie (aka “pete the camera”) passed away this morning.
For those who knew Pete, you know that he was an absolute stalwart for Wings and indy. He attended many events, despite serious health issues, and literally, along with Brian, made thousands of Wings and Yes badges, sometimes on the spot and sometimes the pair of them even sat on the ground making them with dozens of folk around waiting for a new badge.
He will be very much missed. There are no details about arrangements yet. Please pass the message on to friends.
Aw that’s very sad news indeed betty boop. Thank you for letting us know, and condolences to all the family and friends that Pete made along the way.
Condolences to you as well BDTT, sad day for you too.
My comment from the MT about Pete.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Well said, Gillian.
He’ll be missed.
How sad. As Ian B said , I wonder how many more good folk won’t see independence.
Putting all of their other common party pledges aside… here’s a question for all true independence supporting Scottish Green/New SNP voters to consider when they vote on their List option (peach paper).
Q1. When would you like Scotland’s independent status to return?
a) Next year (2022)
b) 3 to 5 years (between 2024 and 2026)
c) why am I even asking you for a ‘c’ answer to the question
A1. None of the above, because these are all squirrel answers for the future…
Q1+. When would you like Scotland’s independent status to return?
a) The ‘when’ is not the important bit. The important bit is SECURING a VOTE for independence FIRST. Once that has been achieved, independence will be thereafter delivered (full transitioning can take time – See Brexit.) Therefore the use of an excuse for not being able to hold a vote for indy during a health crisis is neither valid nor sustainable.
b) The ‘when’ is not the important bit. The important bit is SECURING a VOTE for independence FIRST. Once that has been achieved, independence will be thereafter delivered (full transitioning can take time – See Brexit.)
c) The ‘when’ is not the important bit. The important bit is SECURING a VOTE for independence FIRST.
A1. All of the above, correct.
Scottish Green/New SNP voters SHOULD vote Alba on the List.
A vote FOR independence COULD be SECURED in eleven days time.
Hey Dorothy.
When your pillion days have passed, advance to go on a super-comfort-trike:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Westminster (and NS’s New SNP) should be consigned to Room 101:
link to youtube.com
Dire days at the moment: the loss of a stalwart like Pete and even The Rev. is sounding downbeat. We seem to have been led up a dark path.
This appeared in my YT ganderbox yesterday and cheered me up a little. Seems to be a French or Belgian production:
link to youtube.com
I loved the way Dave listens intently and respectively to his soloists (note the artful framing of his head between the clarinet and Paul Desmond’s left arm).
The best part imo is when, after an increasingly off-piste performance by Joe Morello, where he flips the sticks and uses the butts to magnificent effect, DB simply turns his seat and returns calmly to the original piano and clarinet part.
“Respectfully” obvs and it was Belgian.
Och, bugger…………………..
Prickly Pal , it looks super comfortable but they don’t have the agility of two wheels – mind you , neither do I!
I am so looking forward to the freedom to march for Scotland and to seeing some weel kent faces again festooned in saltires!
Yer tea’s oot people
link to youtube.com
Tinto Chiel@8.18pm 26 April
Liked that. I think that was the first jazz record I ever bought. Think it was on an EP too. Now that’s going back a bit.
I don’t like a lot of jazz but I do like this.
link to youtube.com
And I’m not averse to a bit of trad. And the theme tune to the original “Casino Royale”…
link to youtube.com
Right folks – do not link to the below… please wait for some kindly person to archive it.
Then when you do, you might want to enlarge the photo of Nicla and have a look at her eyes, pupils to be exact.
They appear to be in the enlarged position, which is odd, since she is in good light? Hmmm. Normally the pupils contract in bright light.
There are very few photographs clear enough that you can see her pupils, but this is one.
link to dailyrecord.co.uk
Sharks eyes – are similarly structured to other vertibrates including humans, in that they have retina and pupils, etc.
Because light quality is very low in the depths of the sea, their eyes need to allow as much light to enter as possible in order to focus in on prey.
Cocaine misuse causes the pupils of the eyes to dilate (ie open) regardless of the light conditions. For this reason many cocaine addicts will often wear sunglasses at night or indoors, as their eyes are receiving too much light and it becomes uncomfortable.
Every day is a school day. Beware of sharks people.
DR link archived for you Daisy.
link to archive.is
I’m not convinced her pupils are dilated in that pic. I can just make out the amber of her iris which wouldn’t be visible if she was on the pukka E which can open pupils to the point it leaves around 1mm of iris colour showing.
The dark eyes in pics may well be down to some quirk of camera tech struggling to cope with flash lights and high contrasts.
Here is a better pic showing her eyes.
link to archive.is
She will be under a lot of stress both mentally and physically and that will undoubtedly be taking its toll.
@Hacka: much food for thought there. The delivery was so “dry” I think some folk might take it at face value. The “military grade” chocolate on the Tunnock’s teacake was a personal favourite. Civilians can only access them directly and in person from the factory shop in Uddingston, I believe.
@JGedd: you know it’s jazz because most the snippets of Take Five on YouTube are quite different, hee, hee. One even dispenses with a solo from Joe Morello.
@Daisy: interesting theory but Milady Leaderene may simply have accessed the Scottish militray ration pack all in one go 😉 .
Had a telephonic blether with Qinie Frae Angus tonight.
We agreed that any success for ALBA will be achieved by ‘the grassroots’, like it was in 2014.
When you have people like “Wee Dundee Annie” moving from the SNP to ALBA, you know that the SNP is in trouble with losing feet on the pavements.
Brian, Annie made it into the latest YewChoob supplemental video as did your hat. #AlbaRising
Howde’s Briandoonthetoon and Jock Scot ~
I’m within our beautiful sunny east coast. I was out covertly campaigning yesterday in Crail and have partially hidden 10 ALBA leaflets (some more prominent than others) throughout the village and surrounding coastal walks. If any locals fancy a treasure hunt… now is the time (hint, there were at least 2 leaflets placed in the harbour area.)
I’ve got a new (but original) idea to help further promote Scotland’s ALBA Party.
Here’s the pitch (and there is the political field).
1) TAKE a photograph(s) with you and the word ALBA on it (poster/leaflet.)
2) CHOOSE picture(s) to be taken by a familiar landmark or HOME.
3) SHARE photograph(s) on your social media platforms.
In summary…
MAX and saturate social media with personal pictures of ALBA.
Word up and word out.
Note: Landscaped photos only (with ALBA) are cool too, smile. 🙂
Eh’m dae’in’ fine, Cactus.
You may have seen my link today to Jaggy.blog.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Reminded me of the now long gone Jaggy Thistle blog. I wrote an article for it back in 2001. You can read it here –
link to web.archive.org
Aweright Brian, yeah I took a look at Rob’s site, it’s good stuff. It’s gonna be a long week dude, catch ye all up when timings are suitable, hopefully we’ll all have something positive to celebrate! I hope it’s warm and sunny for the physical turnout Vote on Thursday, cheers.
What’s the point of voting for the Scottish Green Party – they’re just lapdugs to NS and her New brand of SNP – like what the LibDems are to both the London Labour and Tory parties (irrelevant) and they’re not even ‘in-to’ independence anyway – the Greens that is and it’s going to be a real shock to many of their indy supporting voters when reality bites. They’ll end up rebranding to some multi-coloured emblem no doubt. They could be The Grainbow Party.
SO good luck for Thursday, Scotland. The Scottish People who are passionate for independence (in a timely and pro-active manner) know what to do next week. Keep getting out and back on the streets again, document Alba, talk with each other, take photographs, share yours and other peoples shares everywhere AND DO IT ALL BEFORE VOTE-DAY!
Just add ALBA and you:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
This has been, week ending, Week 17.
USE your Cross of Alba.
X
Hi Jock.
Dundee Annie asked me to post a message to you, saying that she feels rather chuffed when you feature her in your videos.
Hi Brian,
I have never met anyone with her energy or fight. Feel priviledged to have met her, you and all the Wingers. Sadly, because I’m working tomorrow, I won’t be able to pay my respects to one of the lovliest and genuine men that I have had the chance to encounter in person. I think Pete made all of our lives better for having sat with him and he is dearly missed but never forgotten.
Send Annie my love and respect.Best wishes. X
Test as can’t post on MT
Hi Ruglonian (If you’re lurkin’).
I sent you an email on Wednesday, 5th May.
No reply up to now.
It looks like Alba will not make the breakthrough they had hoped for and it will be up to the SNP together with the Greens to take forward the case for Independence.
We should now get behind them and not be distracted from that goal, the goal that has always been there, and that is our Independence.
Hi folks, notwithstanding altered procedures and any potential jiggery-votery-pokery, like many have already suggested, now is the time to take to the streets again. We should get a big march organised soon. Let our true physical numbers reflect our voting voices.
There are a lot of things to be dicected with this most recent vote…
In the meantime, onwards for Alba Scotland:
link to youtube.com
Some other topical videos to dissect with a dice ha!:
All aboard:
link to youtube.com
Ach well:
link to youtube.com
Well, looks like that’s that.
I’d hoped to finally meet some of the names I’ve enjoyed chatting to here at an independence party somewhere in Scotland but that seems unlikely now or at least for a long time. Inspirational and intelligent folk like Smallaxe and cearc didn’t manage to see an independent Scotland and I suspect many of us will be joining that number, sadly.
In the meantime, maybe I’ll meet a few of you at an AUOB march or something, if they’re not banned by our nasty little government.
“The dream will never die.”
link to youtube.com
God, this is fifty years old………..
Tinto Chiel
Looks like the end of an era right’nuff.
One of my favourite farewell songs:
link to youtube.com
Also posted this at the beginning of the year:
link to youtube.com
‘One day the anger will little by little turn cold’
‘Above all I think that not everything is lost’
‘I think I can see a light on the other side of the river’
(Excuse the translation.)
I hope the next march will be angrily outside Bute House calling for Sturgeon to go. I will carry my Wings bag and keep an eye out for you all.
It is a sad time, right enough. I have “met” many good people through Wings and we have all tried to help Scotland regain its rightful place.
Well folks, looks like the end right enough. Never got the chance to meet some of you, but feel like we are already friends.
I can’t tell you how sad I feel, but, I think that Stuart has made the correct choice for himself. Disgusted at what the WGD tried to do to him, I thought we were all on the same side.
Tinto, take care of Mrs TC, the chielettes and the granweans. OH, sorry, and Harvey as well. It’s been fun.
I don’t know if some of us will still pop in here from time to time, but in case that doesn’t happen, it’s been a pleasure knowing you folks.
Tinto Chiel, Brian D , J Gedd, LizG , Marie Clark, Ian B , and all of the others I may not have mentioned as list would be too long, hope to meet you all one day…..lovely people.
Tinto miss our wee chats on here……you are a great guy who was patience personified at my JM lovefest on here….
I wish you all the best for the future.
God willing may hopefully have the opportunity to meet you all before Indy or on the other side……of Indy.
Take care , be happy and keep on keeping on….
🙂
Prickly Pal , I hope that march is soon – see you there!
Hi peeps.
Maybe we can meet at the Edinburgh rally @ Hollyrood on 22nd May?
And a big thanks to Rev Stu for lifting my pre-moderation.
SHAZBOT! Forgot to paste the link…
link to wingsoverscotland.com
@JGedd, Marie Clark and Clapper 57: before I disappear beyond the internet for the final time may I do this as I respond to you Lovely Laydees?
*Twirls luxuriant moustaches roguishly*
I feel better now……
Great music up to the end, JG. You have been an education in so many ways.
Marie, all the best to you and yours too. I know you are actually Ginger Rogers in disguise but have no fear, I will be gripping my grand-daughters’ hands all the tighter in the coming years in this dystopian Scotland which no manifesto prepared us for, the bastards (heavy-handed political point).
Sadly, Harvey seems to have decamped (ooh, matron!) with the new bunny on the block at number 17. Floppy moved in at the start of May and his head has been turned further than Carrie’s by her dew-bedecked organic carrots.
Don’t know how to break this to you, Clapper57, but I have often been mistaken for James “Dulcet Tones” Mason. Admittedly, these times have been a) at night b) in the woods c) during a solar eclipse but three out of three ain’t bad ; . I have always enjoyed our daft conversations.
I agree with BDTT: there is hope as long as Wee Annie frae Dundee is with us. She is a force of nature who makes you feel so energised just for having met her.
And so, mes braves, for the last time: TO INFIRMITY AND BEYOND!
Dear Stuart, from the depths of my old heart, thank you for your articles and commentary.They hooked me from the start when this site had only a few regulars (generally the Friends of Wings team) and a worry that there was not enough female readers or commentators.
As the saying nearly goes “from tiny acorns, etc.” Just look at what you have grown and the wonderful range of contributers and commentators that have developed as a result of your drive and insight.
I never did get that gold wings badge when you came to Edinburgh, I couldn’t get in the pub door for the press of readers who wanted to meet this phenomenon and shake his hand, shades of things to come.
Even back in 2014 there were oiks in the SNP who thought you to be beyond the pale. Not me, and if the SNP had produced a “Wee Blue Book” instead of interminable newspapers, the result may have been different. I know the book went down very well with those who read it and I wish I had been stuffing that through letter boxes.
Over the years I’ve chipped in a few quid to keep things ticking over and I trust you to disburse the residue in a suitably Wings manner (best story was watching the disbelief of Scottish “journalists” as every appeal rapidly exceeded the previous, hahaha, brilliant).
We’ve never met, but I wish you all the very best with your future endeavours, and if you relaunch at any point, give me a heads up and like Arnie, I’ll be back.
Dram
One last toot from me: at one of the demonstrations at Pacific Quay we met a nice old fella and he happened to mention this was going to be played at his funeral.
While hoping that he is still waiting for that final farewell, I thought Peggy Lee should have the last word at the demise of this phase of the independence struggle. (Let’s hope it’s just a phase as my mother used to say about me.)
link to youtube.com
(Meantime, keep rowing, amigos. We might reach the other side of the river….some day.) Or re Tinto’s comment, before infirmity gets you, keep dancing.
I was reminded of this tune by a commenter on the first page of the latest btl comments, who posted a link to “The Last Post”.
It was originally the B side of Les Reed’s “Man Of Action”, the A Side being the signature tune of Radio NorthSea (Nordsee) International, in the early 70s, a pirate station off the coast of Netherlands, which I tuned into.
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo, I got a lot of mileage out of the B Side, during my career providing a disco for family parties – 18th, 21st, 40th, 50th and 60th birthday parties, engagement parties, wedding receptions, silver weddings, golden weddings and the like.
At the end of the party, I would remind the audience that there was only one way to finish off a traditional Scottish party, and got everyone up on the dancefloor, in a circle.
I then played this:-
SHAZBOT! It’s not on YouTube. I played “Hokey Cokey” by The Yetties, a Dorset band who obviously sang it with South-West England accents. You can get a feel of them here (They wirnae too bad at the Scottish stuff an’ a’.):-
link to youtube.com
While everyone was still in a circle, I finished off with the second half of Les Reed’s B-side. For some reason, as this finished, I always got a standing ovation. Nice…
link to youtube.com
OK, rant ensues.
I’m watching Landward at the moment and they showed a plate of food.
What gets me is that on all the progs that feature Chefs and meals, The main course is so sparse that it looks like a small starter.
Huv they no’ heard of a “plateful”?
Doesn’t matter how well it is “presented”, if it dizznae fill yir belly, what’s its purpose?
End of rant.
#1 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
#2 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
#3 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
It was the Bay City Rollers, when they were a gigging band, with Archie Marr on the organ, who turned me on to this single, in the JM Ballroom in Dundee.
Joining the dots is never easy.
The old boy at 76 (a learned man) had never heard of Gobekli Tepe (makes you think)
I would offer University of Edinburgh report on it (18 pages – easy read) and Randall Carlson on YT under ‘After Skool’. Fascinating lecture on Geometry (2 hours and I have watched it twice, it’s that good) with a quite terrifying last ten minutes.
Which is why no one is or has been talking about Akure, Nigeria March 2020. Or Washington March 2021 – or the hundred in between. (feel free to suck up the lame excuses for these events)
When the penny drops, you will realise why you wont be going to Benidorm anytime soon.
Hi ahundredthidiot at 8:54 pm.
You commented,
“Joining the dots is never easy.
The old boy at 76 (a learned man) had never heard of Gobekli Tepe (makes you think)”
Another thing that “makes you think” is that the last ice age ended around 11,500 years ago. It appears that human history only dates back to that time.
We’re now in an “interglacial” that is due to end around NOW.
There have been around 22 ice ages/interglacials over the past 2.5 Billion years. The ice ages last around 90,000 years and the interglacials around 10,000 years. We are around 11,500 years into the current interglacial.Towards the end of previous interglcials, there was increasing events like volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, wildfires and so on. Sound familiar?
link to sciencedaily.com
Where is the history from previous interglacials? How long have humans been around?
link to blog.world-mysteries.com
link to greatdreams.com
What purpose does glaciation carry out? It dumps loads of minerals and elements as it melts back. This causes soil to be nutrient-rich. Like 11,500 years ago. The Garden of Eden? The start of human history?
Makes you think, iye?
Therefore (as opposed to “so”),
#4 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
#5 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
#6 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This was actually the B side of “Daddy Cool”.
link to youtube.com
#7 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This band’s singer was one of Billy Connolly’s ‘surname clan’. He was a guy from Glasgow, by the name of Henderson Gibson.
link to youtube.com
Further info:-
link to lancashiretelegraph.co.uk
I think I may have linked to this song in ‘off-topic’ in the past.
I’m gonna paste content here, that I have just posted on my Facebook page.
—————————————-
What’s the story with the new Texas song?
Have Scottish bands lost their distinctive originality?
It uses (samples?) the riff from Donna Summer’s “Loves Unkind”, then compounds the plagiarism with a note for note copy of the line from “Nathan Jones”, “Nathan Jones you’ve been gone so long” by The Supremes. See the next two comments.
link to youtube.com
—————————————-
link to youtube.com
—————————————-
link to youtube.com
Seeing as this haven is rather peaceful just now, I’ll post #8 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This is another B side – the B Side of the Bay City Rollers’ first single “Keep On Dancing”, from the time when they were still a gigging band. They did a rather good version of “Born To Be Wild” at the time. They also introduced me to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s album “Pendulum”, as they covered both “Hey Tonight” and “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” from that album.
The pic featured in the video shows what I would suggest was their classic lineup – with Archie Marr on the organ and Nobby Clarke as vocalist.
Onnyhoo, this is “Alright”.
link to youtube.com
Hmmm: seems this place isn’t dead after all. Thanks to BDTT.
Onnyhoo, I bring you this low-rider depravity from 1975, before I even owned a motor: link to youtube.com
Funky as Freuchie, if you don’t mind me saying…..
We need still more cowbell, imo:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Yi wahnt cowbells, TC?
link to youtube.com
Now, I’ll post #9 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This single had the misfortune to be released at the time of a BBC strike, so TOTP was off the air for around 6 weeks, otherwise it probably would have been a #1.
link to youtube.com
The B side is a great track also. John Peel, allegedly, opined that the B side was “the best rock track of 1974”.
link to youtube.com
I haven’t listened intensely enough to either track to detect the use of cowbells.
In this comment, I’ll post #10 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This single, as far as I know, was never a UK hit but, around 1967/68, almost every local band attempted it. This is, probably, the best-known version, by Tim Rose.
link to youtube.com
In recent years, through delving into British “Pop-Syke”, I discovered this version by Episode 6.
This is a decent wee “documentary” video. Check out the info below the video and listen to the interview, to see who was in Episode 6 and hear their version of Morning Dew.
link to youtube.com
Well, fan my brow, as Oliver Hardy used to say, BDTT: Unit4+2!
Completely forgot about them, with their wee jumpers and all: great track from Them Days, reeking of nostalgia for a grave dodger like myself.
Coincidentally, I have been musing on Sweet recently. At the time I didn’t realise they were the supreme piss-take glam-rock band. They could actually play their instruments and Mick Tucker was an impressive drummer.
I can confirm no cowbells were were used in either recording…..
How could I forget this piece of cowbelliana?
link to youtube.com
Sheesh!
Briandoonthetoon
Hi Brian I was wondering if everything was ok with all things Anderson ?
I haven’t heard from Ronnie in weeks and I’m reluctant to phone and stick my big nose in if he’s wanting a bit of peace for his own sake .
Have you heard from him at all ?
Hi Liz g.
I hear from him once or a twice a week. He often mentions that he’ll have to phone you. He’s fine but not 100%. He’d probably appreciate a call from you.
Coming to Dundee for the AUOB rally in City Square on 31st July?
Briandoonthetoon
Thanks Brian … good to hear he’s doing ok .
I’ll give him a ring later on tonight and see how much I can piss him off then 🙂 -:) -:)
Briandoonthetoon
As for Dundee …. certinaly thinking about it -:)
Liz g, when you are in touch with Ronnie send him my best and big hug please!
Dorothy Devine 7.25
Well you should be able to tell him your self soon Dorothy 🙂
The Rev has reconsidered and lifted his ban …. yay…
I managed to get a hold of Ronnie about half an hour ago to let him know so nae doot he’ll show up shortly 🙂
Helloo fellow Wingers thanks to Liz G for contacting the Rev on my behalf Im going through some health issues so not up to par . I hope U Dorothy Devine are in good health Big shout out to all Wingers
Hi Liz g.
Just off the phone to Ronnie.
He said he had posted a short reply to you, just before 7 but it doesn’t seem to be here.
Hi Brian just seen your comment
Mibbi it takes some time to sort .
I’ll message the Rev tomorrow and see if he knows about it
That’s weird.
I just received an email notification at 18.53, telling me that Ronnie had commented in ‘off-topic’.
I’ve refreshed the page but it’s not there. I’ll just try another refresh.
Nope – still not there!
Here’s the proof from the email at 18.53.
ronald anderson commented on Off-topic.
in response to RevStu:
For off-topic chat. Duh.
Helloo fellow Wingers thanks to Liz G for contacting the Rev on my behalf Im going through some health issues so not up to par . I hope U Dorothy Devine are in good health Big shout out to all Wingers
Think we’re sorted now Brian 🙂
Must have been a glitch of some sort …. anyhoo not to worry he’s getting through now ..
Hi Ronnie 🙂
Hi Liz g.
He must be in moderation. Last night’s comment only appeared in the last wee whilie.
And it’s disappeared again! It was timed at 6.46pm when it momentarily appeared.
Ah! It wasn’t last night – it was the 1st July. It’s showing now.
Hi Ronnie.
Nice to see you’re back! (As opposed to your front…)
Just found this at the right hand side of a YouTube page. Filmed in Switzerland.
link to youtube.com
Hey Ronnie , good to hear you . Big hug to you and big thanks to Liz and Brian for keeping us in touch!
All the best, Ronnie: the human face of Wings (along with his tremendous team) at so many marches and a tremendous ambassador for the movement.
This is a wee fillum about Nancy Dorian, an American who has done more for Gaelic studies than most Scots have ever done.
The wee story about what happens when an English-speaking stranger arrives in their community epitomises much of the problem with the transmission of Gaelic to younger generations:
link to youtube.com
In this comment, I’ll post #11 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
I remember playing this one in a wee sequence of “summer-type” tunes in the Bowlin’ Alley around 1979. The idea was to increase the ambient temperature in the venue.
link to youtube.com
There were also these…
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
In this comment, I’ll post #12 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
Up until January 1968, our family record player was a 78rpm deck in a cabinet that my Dad had got built by a carpenter. Deck on a sliding drawer. The audio fed through a Cosser 10 band mains radio that sat on top of the cabinet. I still have the cabinet. It acts as a stand for my 24″ TV used as a monitor for my MacPro.
My Dad took me to buy second-hand 78’s from a second hand shop in Tally Street when I was around 4 or 5.
So, all through the 60s, I only bought 45’s as Christmas and birthday presents for others – yi’ know “others”.
Onnyhoo, in January 1968, a family friend (who went on to become my step-grandmother) donated to us her Dansette and 45’s, with which I had been familiar for years.
Jerry Keller “Here Comes Summer”, Mantovani’s Big Hits EP, and other stuff from the very early 60s.
So, in January 1968, I started scouring the second-hand record shops and stalls in Dundee. The first two records I bought were “Revolver” by The Beatles (from the Magazine Shop in Princes Street for 15/-) then I walked into doon the toon and bought “Albatross” by Fleetwood Mac in Low’s in Crighton Street (6/3).
The Dens Road Market was a fertile source. Nearly all the stalls had a collection of 78s, 45’s and LPs. I picked up the “Beatlecracker Suite” EP for 1/- there.
Arthur Wilkinson And His Orchestra – Beatle Cracker Suite EP (A)
link to youtube.com
Arthur Wilkinson And His Orchestra – Beatle Cracker Suite EP (B)
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo, back to #12.
Wherever I went in the search for vinyl, there were always copies of this single. I guess every hovelhold in Dundee must have possessed a copy of it at some point.
I saw this band, live, once. Supporting The Who in the Caird Hall in the early 70s.
So # 12 is…
link to youtube.com
Does anyone know if the Rev is on holiday or has given up completely? I ask because he hasn’t said anything for 3 days on Kings over Spotland twitter.
Things are bad enough without the Rev losing the will to communicate at all.
I had a coffee with Dundee Annie on Thursday afternoon and she mentioned the above “classical” links (Arthur Wilkinson).
I pointed out that they were all Beatles’ songs, arranged in the style of Tchaikovsky. She hadn’t spotted that!
Onnyhoo, in this comment, I’ll post #13 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This guy had a hell of a voice.
link to youtube.com
I think this was his biggest UK hit…
link to youtube.com
Och, seeing as I’m in “Easy Listening Vocal” mode, I’ll offer you #14.
link to youtube.com
Hi Brian. I see that you’re keeping OT going almost by yourself. That was quite a wee walk doon memory lane there. Ah when A wiz a teenager, and noo am an auld wuman. Where did the time go. Thank you for your selection of tunes.
Nice to see my dancing partner Tinto Chiel posting now and again, Dorothy Devine, Ronnie Anderson again after a long time, Sorry to hear that you’ve not been too well Ronnie, hope your health picks up.
I thought that we had all said our cheerio’s when the the Rev sort of pulled the plug, but nice that some of us have not given up yet.
Oh forgot to add, while we’re in Joe Dolan mode, here’s another tune. I could never sing along with Joe, too high a key for me. I ain’t a soprano you know. Byeeee.
link to youtube.com
Morning Marie, Brian and all! I pop in every now and again just to see what music is being touted and who is still around and about.
Thank you for the reminder of Joe Dolan – I had forgotten him completely but I suppose that happens as we age!
Hi Marie.
Seeing as we’re in ‘male solo singers’ mode, in this comment, I’ll post #15 + 16 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Both from 1970 I think.
Might as well change the tone with the first Queen vinyl I bought.
#17 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
Back to 1968 for #18 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
She was a wonderfully aesthetically pleasing wummun. I still have a poster of her from “Fabulous 208” magazine. Great use of the mellotron and phasing/flangeing in this track.
link to youtube.com
Many of these singles are on playlists I have on my “leedle iMac”, for playing while I have a two hour snooze. Hence I link to them here.
So, #19 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
A wee slice of Prog.
This band’s full name was “Premiata Forneria Marconi”, shortened to PFM. I liked this single as soon as I heard it in Chalmers and Joy.
How many keyboards did the “organist” actually need?
link to youtube.com
#20 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
When this single first came out, it was entitled “And The Band Played On”. As I’ve had a lifelong interest in Titanic, I had to have it. (Via The Maryfield Hospital Portal, I was born 40 years and 6 hours after Titanic went under.)
It’s title was changed on re-release to “Down Among The Dead Men”, taken from the chorus.
The guys behind “Flash And The Pan” were Vanda and Young, who had been in Ozzie band “The Easybeats” (Friday On My Mind) in the 60s and then went on to produce AC/DC, whose guitarist was another member of the Young family.
Onnyhoo, “And The Band Played On”…
link to youtube.com
It’s the silly season and much too hot, so I bring you this:
link to youtube.com
You don’t have to be a moderate, responsible petrol head like me or Dan The Man (who is probs developing a lockdown diesel engine, quarrying Ballachulish slate or hoeing his parsnips at the mo) to enjoy this. It has lots of social history, of course, like the seeming survivor of the American Civil War standing bewildered in the middle of the road at about 1:07.
But my main reason for all this is the weirdest taxi ever, two of which appear on the left carriageway at 0.40-0.44. It looks from the front like a cross between a jeep and an Art Deco nightmare, with louvred radiator fronts and wall-eye headlamps in strange, surrounding reflective bezels, the best views being from 2.15 and 3.15 and following.
At 4.12 in the right lane you see its rear end, with landaulet top and awning for the hot weather, while another tootles past in the left lane.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Checker Model A taxi.
Beauty or beast?
Faites vos jeux…..
Even for the USA these cabs are something else!
#21 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This was actually the B Side of Manfred Mann’s last single “Ragamuffin Man” in 1969. The group split while the single was still in the charts.
link to youtube.com
The track was used in a Manikin advert, featuring the visually pleasing Caroline Munro.
link to youtube.com
“The Cult of Caroline Munro”
link to youtube.com
Just catching up with OT now Tints!
Those weird Checkers are pretty radical looking. I’m picking up a few batmobile vibes…
That vid shows a lot of vehicles in the city and a lot of reek being generated, no CATs or DPFs back then so surprised anyone made it past 30!
Spent a few summers in the US “working” at the summer camps for kids. One year when camp finished I bought a Honda Civic and did a 12,000 road trip with a few other folk. Good times cruising through the States.
Another year spent some time in New York with a family in Greenwich Village that actually owned a Checker Marathon as their daily car. It was vast and I felt like a half sized human sitting in it.
The square Chevy Caprice was the common NYC taxi when I was there in late 80s early 90s, but iirc there were still a few yellow Checker cabs on the road.
Slating work is completed now, but it’s too damn hot to point round chimneys with mortar at the moment.
Yesterday the removal of an awful leylandii hedge was completed. Grousebeater would be proud of the deforestation of such appalling arbres. The only good leylandii is a burnt one!
And before I get any eco grief, in mitigation I’ve germinated and brought on 60 trees this year. Plus the local beavers have killed more trees than me.
On mention of animals, unfortunately the bloody deer was back again this morning and had managed to jump through my extra elaborate fencing additions that were supposedly guaranteed to keep deer out… Yet more beetroots destroyed… 🙁
@Dan: yes, I thought you would be busy on various projects but didn’t know your troubles extended to nibbling deer and beavers (perhaps I could have phrased that better 😉 ). Have you considered the anti-personnel mine and Maxim water-cooled heavy machine-gun crossfire combo? Hope no Bambyists are reading…..
I feel your pain re Leylandii. We have really nice neighbours but they have let theirs go mental so we have no sun in our south-facing garden after about 6 o’clock for much of the summer. We made friends with a forester in the Mount Shasta area while on holiday a few years ago and I wish I could pay to get him over here for some radical nocturnal pruning.
Reading a bit more about the Model A Checker, I found it seemed to come in for quite a lot of criticism re. reliability and comfort, and yet I found this footage from 1945s NYC, five years after the original footage I posted. As soon as the car with the camera turns right at about 0.40, you start seeing them regularly during the rest of the footage.
I’ve been enjoying your Voice of Sanity vibe on the M/T and noticed your very specific questions to Mr E. didn’t get a response.
Och well, we live in hope. Thought I’d give you a Phwoarrrrrrrrrrrr! moment with this baby:
link to youtube.com
Enjoy!
On reflection, it might have been better had I linked to the 1945 NYC film clip: link to youtube.com
The NY streets seem much cleaner than today’s. I blame fast food joints masel’.
@ Tinto
Talking of phwoarr, I clocked a Pumpers Express vehicle at the 4 min mark in that last NYC clip!
And after the Deltic vid, continuing with engine porn, in that first clip it sounded like the camera was attached to a vehicle running a two stroke diesel. They have quite a unique sound.
Regarding the deer and weaponry. My hoarding of stuff may come up trumps again as considering making a trebuchet out of a loft ladder spring mechanism.
Whilst here, I’m sure you’ll recall my Pike Jalfrezi as you posted a pike poem in response several OT pages back.
Well with the shelves getting low in the supermarkets and low stocks of beetroot… I am developing my culinary recipes with more of the Pike that infest the local water.
Fishing is meant to be relaxing but I walk 10 minutes to the water and catch one first cast, whack it on the napper and bleed it out, and then have to immediately walk home again so the fish flesh doesn’t start to turn in this infernal heat.
Such antics simply don’t furnish me with a solitary moment to sit a chillax.
@Dan: yes, I noticed that Pumper’s Express lorry myself and was somewhat mystified/afraid to ask. Btw my Checker total for the clip came to 18, including two parked on the left kerb, not bad for a car that was only made for two years.
The internet can be a dangerous place for those obsessed with engine sounds: only recently I chanced on a video talking about Harley Davidson engines and just got out by the skin of my teeth before I went mad. As for Indian motorbikes 😉 .
Yes, I do remember your pike jalfrezi and was seriously tempted but SWMBO placed a curry-cooking embargo on me many years ago because of the lingering smell. I had a fantastic pakora recipe (which I have since lost) so those days are gone now and in the past they must remain. I miss the tamarind the most, I think.
You’ve got problems? I used a weed and feed two weeks ago on my rather nice front greensward and, to my horror, it killed off half the grass instead, so now I’ll have to re-seed the bare patches and it looks bloody awful at the mo. Need to wait till it rains too because the soil is dry as a bone just now and once the seed is down the two glaikit wood pigeons which hang around the garden will peck away at it and infuriate me.
You trebuchet idea is becoming more and more attractive. If it could sling a net then it could be pigeon pie for tea but I don’t have the heart to thraw their necks. Our resident sparrowhawk only visits occasionally and seems to prefer collared doves, for some reason.
It’s a funny old game, Saint.
#22 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This single is another that makes good use of the mellotron. Dates from when the band were chucking out stuff to no formula (unlike the 70s).
link to youtube.com
#1 in a series of “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another”…
This track bears no resemblance to their chart hits, which allegedly, they didn’t play on. Quirky but fun.
link to youtube.com
I’ll make this my last offering for tonight.
#23 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This was actually the B Side of “Hi Ho Silver Lining” Written by Jimmy Page. A great B Side. Features Keith Moon on drums. Nicky Hopkins on piano. You have to read the info given on the YouTube page.
link to youtube.com
These are my earliest memories of “songs I liked as a bairn”. Some of them were actually 78rpm 10″ singles.
#24 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
That one has an interesting feature; when they go into harmonising, the female is singing the lower part, whilst the crooner sings the higher part.
#25 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
My family never had a copy of that one. We used to visit “Auntie Doll and Uncle Willie” weekly. They had a copy.
#26 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
#27 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
Three of these records date from 1956. So I must have been becoming aware of commercial music on record when I was around 4. I recall sending a request to Radio Luxembourg when I was around 6 or 7 so that was probably the source of my popular music education. There are quite a number of other ‘faves’ from my childhood, up to around 1962/3, when the whole scene changed with the advent of ‘beat groups’. I may threaten you with them in the coming days/weeks.
Eh’m on a roll here so, #28, 29 & 30 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Thhat’s all for tonight, folks!
Never had a copy of Hi Ho Silver Lining, so thanks for Beck’s Bolero: quite a find. Typical of Moon to damage the equipment 😉
Only recently discovered nostalgia literally ain’t what it used to be. Its original meaning was acute home-sickness but now it’s most often used in the sense of a fond remembrance of the past or even a longing for The Good Old Days (which never existed). Pass the madeleines, Marcel.
Robert Wilson, Kenneth McKellar and Moira Anderson all had fine voices but I never liked their douce, mim-mouthed style: twee shortbread music that had all the guts ripped out of it, unlike these:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Always a pleasure to hear the marvellously deranged Cherry Wainer of Lord Rockingham’s XI: things were simpler in them days.
Just noticed sly old dog Dan The Man’s new avatar. Don’t worry, we’ll all come and visit you in prison for offences against pronouns, me old haricot.
@ Tinto
You’re meant to be alert! I changed it a good while back when I was transing into something or other. I can’t even remember what it was I was transforming into now as have been so busy with work, house renovation, garden, and now deer hunting… that I just haven’t had time to mull over a myriad different ways I can aspire to push the limits of being a more unique, obnoxious, self-obsessed idiot.
TBH being just an average common or garden idiot has served me pretty well up to this point anyway.
Rest day today as yesterday was a long shift spent working in amongst classic car porn, sorting out electrical issues on a beautiful 40 year old German model that is nearing completion of a nut and bolt restoration.
On way home I replaced an alternator on a pal’s car which was the usual Tourettes inducing experience which come as standard with modern cars.
Had to perform all sorts of contortions to get my hands and tools where they needed to be.
Whilst finally playing the puzzle of getting the replacement alternator into position, I wrestled with it to get the mounting bolts in and it moved and squashed my finger, so now have the joy of a black finger nail. 🙁 It’s the worst one I’ve had and went to bed with a throbber! Pain was too much though as shooting up nerve from finger, wrist, to elbow, so proceeded to get out my scratcher and used a 1mm drill rolled between my fingers to carefully bore through the nail and release pressure.
The recent rain and hot weather will mean the chanterelles will be out so going to head out for a walk in the woods.
@ Dan: you certainly know how to enjoy yourself. You are wasted as an obsessed independence supporter. Just think what you could achieve doing something worthwhile such as e.g. work in Gove’s office, or Johnson’s. A drill bit could do wonders there. Better still, in SNP HQ…
Anent the deer raiding your garden, you will [?] be interested to hear my deer tale. For the first time in 16 years of living on the loch shore a stag has come past over the last few weeks – happily he has ignored the vegetable and soft fruit area that he could easily jump into and has just grazed on tree growth and pasture. No doubt the long winter kept the deer low – 3 strolled along the only road in our township in May.
@ Tinto chiel: thanks for the latest music links – have enjoyed listening to both.
Will either of you manage to get to Edinburgh on 31st August to tell Holyrood what we really, really want? I won’t be there but will tell my MSPs etc my views.
The rumours are true…
Humans don’t have cats as pets – cats have humans as pets.
link to eveningtelegraph.co.uk
@ Dan and Sarah: comment in moderation.
Wothaveidone?
Did you mention s-e-t-t-l-e-r-s?
There may have been a reference to Alka Seltzer, Brian, but that was about it 🙂 .
Will trawl it for the usual suspects, including gr@pe and derivatives.
Sweet Vermouth is a fine derivative of gr@pe…
@BDTT: having read my orgasmic and beautifully nuanced comment again, I feel I am pure as the driven snow, or keech, as we say in Lanarkshire.
I fear the Gaelic of theplace-name may be the problem with The Rev’s filter 😉 .
I thought that he had removed A-l-b-a from the filter, after the formation of the party?
Nothing to do with that, me old haricot, so it’s a mystery.
*Drums fingers on desk*
I could resubmit, but fear hammers.
Onnyhoo…
To go O/T on ‘off topic’…
I regularly browse the guide on Freeview. Since the year DOT, Channel 8 – “That’s TV Scotland” has occupied itself showing music videos.
Hooso-anever, tonight they have documentaries on. I have a documentary about Audrey Hepburn on at the merment.
How many peeps know that she was active in the Dutch resistance in 1944, when she was 16/17?
Onnyhoo…
I read, years ago, that her attractiveness was because both sides of her face were symmetrical.
And mentioning “symmetry”, I can’t ignore this debut…
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo… with hindsight, I wonder why my Mum and Dad took me to see “The King and I”, “Oklahoma” (Poor Judd Is Dead) and “South Pacific” but blanked “”My Fair Lady”, “Carousel” “West Side Story” and “Gigi”, before taking me and my wee brother to see “Sound of Music”, the last musical they took me to.
The next “musical” I saw was an “X” when I was just before my 16th birthday. January 1968. “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush”. So many actors/actresses in that who went on to bigger things, Like Judy Geeson, Barry Evans, Christopher Timothy, Diane Keene, George Leyton and so on.
Worth checking out.
@ Tinto Chiel: I am agog to know what pearls in your post I am missing!
@Sarah: don’t get your hopes up. I could submit the bit addressed to you and see if it gets past Old Grumpy Breeks’ filter, I suppose:
“@Sarah: you’re very welcome. I’ve just noticed that both songs are about a pregnant woman cast aside by her heartless lover, yet she loves him still. Nowadays she’d just shred his clothes with a Stanley knife, take a sledgehammer to his X-box, and get a good lawyer.
When Martyn Bennett was too ill to play the bagpipes or any stringed instruments (which restricted him to sampling everything from Gregorian chant to beautiful Gaelic and Scots songs and using a drum machine and synthesiser) he produced the album “Grit” which included this track, which I am sure you will now recognise:
link to youtube.com
Unfortunately, I and my volume control were unprepared for the huge surge at about 1.30 the first time I heard it and it just about blew my speakers/ear-drums. The throbbing bass which follows should please Dan, though 🙂 .”
No, the Dan and general bit has the offending particle, it seems.
Off to bed to muse existentially…….
*Awaits hammers*
Tinto – I’m all for the Stanley knife route myself! I enjoyed the Martyn Bennett, played quietly it is very atmospheric. I shall hear it as I go to sleep – the nights are drawing in the noo.
During our post-rally swallie last night (me, Ronnie and ‘The Prickly one’), The PO and I were blethering about “a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years” and “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another”…
During which, I offered that this is probably my favourite album track in the world ever. Once again, great use of mellotron (of which the PO claimed ignorance) and possibly, Greg Lake’s finest vocal performance.
When the music continues after “and smiles as the puppets dance”, I find that the music actually projects the vision of puppets dancing.
So, that album track, followed by three decent examples of tracks featuring mellotron.
The mellotron was the first keyboard instrument to play sampled sounds. Musicians were recorded in the studio playing single notes. The recordings were then transferred onto tapes in the mellotron, one tape for each key. The maximum length was 8 seconds. The most used were strings and woodwind.
link to youtube.com
Tracks featuring mellotron…
link to youtube.com
(Mellotron appears at around 0.55.)
link to youtube.com
(The mellotron comes in half-way through the second verse – 3.40 or thereaboots.)
link to youtube.com
(Mellotron is apparent right from the start.)
I’ll stick a link in the next comment, giving more info.
Further info for your edumecation…
link to ask.audio
link to mellotronics.com
sarah says: 29 July, 2021 at 12:04 pm
“Dan: you certainly know how to enjoy yourself.”
Aye, when I’m not drilling my finger nails that is!
Cautiously optimistic I might save the finger nail as it was way more bruised than I have ever had in the past which resulted in shedding the nail, but with twice daily reaming the hole and draining fluid the bruising appears to be reducing. Time will tell…
It’s not an activity for the fainthearted or gun ho though. You have to be extremely careful not to go in past the thickness of the nail as it feels like there’s a nerve ready to induce agony on just below the nail.
Thankfully the deer seems to have pissed off now, or can’t handle tackling my fence modifications made out of clagged together shit I’ve hoarded over the years.
The winter was fairly long but plenty growth out in the woods now, so no idea why the deer would roam into my garden looking for scran, unless they just find my stuff tastier.
New record on this year’s blackcurrant harvest. Last year was 4.5lbs, but today I picked a stonking 7.5lbs.
Got a good yield from the two bushes I planted on top of trout and pike carcasses.
Just jarred up the first batch of jam and it’s very tasty.
Intrigued to know what was in Tinto’s post but it still held in moderation even though Stu has been back in posting articles and comments.
Ouch, Dan! Your description of drilling through the nail reminds me of an excellent novel – amusing as well as historically interesting of the 1590s Borders – P F Chisholm “A Surfeit of Guns”. The hero [a real historical figure] has the same thing done to him. I do recommend reading the book when you get some spare time – in winter, probably!
Congratulations on your blackcurrant crop. My bush usually does well but think the very long bad winter meant there were no insects around to pollinate the flowers. From getting 7 or 8 lbs or more every year, it was only 2.5 lbs this. That will yield only 5 jars of jam – as you say, it makes the best jam – so thank heavens that I’ve still got bags of currants in the freezer. However the raspberries have done very well – not that I like raspberry jam as it is too sweet – perhaps because of the huge seaweed mulch my husband gave them. We’re right on the shore so no trouble to do – we should have fish carcases as well of course but trawling has done for the inshore fish.
Onto politics now – are you an SNP member? I had a good idea about how to shift the leader – somebody else must apply to stand as leader. It has to be done in the run-up to Conference i.e. about now. An ordinary member standing would at least require there to be some debate and a vote. And the fact of an ordinary member standing might encourage a higher-profile member to stand and they might have a chance of winning. I’m no longer a member but I did apply for the form last year but was too late, so SNP HQ said. Just a thought!!
Many thanks to BDTT for supplying me with the Craig Murray badges they went down well on Sunday at St Leonards Police station
Schedule for this week
12 o clock 2 hours at Bute House Friday 6th Aug
then on to Holyrood 2 hours then Saughton 2 hours .
It is intended to have a vigil at Saughton one day a week .
Ronnie – the very person I need. I don’t know if you have seen on M/T that I am trying to find the details so as to be able to write to Craig – several other people want to write as well.
HMP Edinburgh’s website says we need Craig’s prisoner number, and the address within the prison i.e. cell number and the name of the building he is in.
Would you be able to find out these details, please?
@ sarah
Am I still an SNP member? Well, just because I am capable of intentionally drilling a hole in my finger nail, it doesn’t mean I am prepared to escalate my masochistic tendencies to the point I’d still be a member of that Party…
One does have limits and standards don’t you know. 😉
That’s a cracker of an article by Jonathan Cook on the MT. It really does highlight so many of the wider issues we are up against beyond what Craig Murray is enduring.
I really don’t know where we go from here. To me it just feels like perpetually trying to herd dumb amphetamine fueled cats, because folk really do seem to have lost all critical thought processes.
Nearly everybody is totally consumed by the covid circus and protecting their health, yet ask them if they have heard of the Naylor Report and the Tories pushing evermore towards doing away with free at point of need healthcare, which will really impact their long term health and wellbeing, and they just look at you blankly like you’re an alien.
And when you’ve got stuff like this going on from our own arseholes in “government”, it’s kind of hard to honestly sell the concept to the punters that we could do things any better with the current crop of fools supposedly leading by example.
link to twitter.com
It’s utterly pathetic how ill informed or willfully ignorant folk are, and tbh I am pretty close to just sacking my attempts at activism in and getting on with other more rewarding things in life, and not necessarily in this shithole of a “country” full of folk that are too stupid to see the benefits of better empowering ourselves through self governance.
Hi Dan says at 2:43 pm.
You typed,
“That’s a cracker of an article by Jonathan Cook on the MT. It really does highlight so many of the wider issues we are up against beyond what Craig Murray is enduring.”
I think I can now wear my “Alert Reader” badge with impunity. I posted a link to that article on Sunday evening at 10:51pm. Ruby was the only person who commented on it, at 10:11am the following morning.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Sarah 2nd Aug
I will contact Dave Llewellyn Craig would need to send a letter or phone his Wife but as soon as we know I’ll post it up on site Thanks Sarah .
Sarah Craigs lawyer is advising not to make his contact detail public as yet .
@ Ronnie – thanks for the update. I expect the lawyer has his reasons.
Meanwhile the Craig Murray Justice people say we can email them at craigmurrayjustice@gmail.com and they will forward to him. I was thinking real paper letters would be more effective but email is better than nowt.
@ Dan: I sympathise completely and agree though I do blame the MSM for the majority’s ignorance. If the press and TV did a proper job people would be raging.
My idea of trying to get one or more people to stand as SNP leader is just to get something stirring – it cheers me up a bit to be doing a little to get up Sturgeon’s nose!
@ BDTT: I saw your posting but didn’t have the heart to comment then. M/T is stuffed with a handful of people arguing, sadly. Definitely you are an Alert Reader.
Did you see my query to Dan? I am looking for volunteers to stand for the leadership at Conference – to spark healthy debate, not acrimoniously, and hopefully spur some independence progress. Are you up for it? Or do you know someone who is?
Ronnie – what about you? Tinto? Anyone?
Hi Sarah.
I left the SNP and joined Alba, on the Saturday after the Friday Alba launch.
ALBA Receipt Confirmation # 3071
Date Mar 27 2021
I had been thinking about leaving the SNP for pastures new for some time but I think, subconsciously, I was waiting for a viable option. I had emailed my (SNP) councillors, MSP and MP back in February, raising my concerns about the party’s policy directions but received no replies.
Still waiting for my metal membership card though…
As an alert reader I knew Brian had resigned, but took so long to find his post he beat me to confirming he is no longer a member!
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Yeah I gave up when the entire branch activists listened in stony silence to what I had to say on the problems in the party, and what we needed to do in the election campaign i.e. plebiscite and not one agreed with anything I said. Ian Cockburn went as far as to lie, saying a plebiscite meant it would be a one-line manifesto – he knew that is untrue.
I sent off a decent donation on launch day and am registered as an Alba supporter – doing all the leafletting on my own for Ullapool in May – but not yet joined as I am very bad at allotting time between politics and my family/house/croft etc etc and fear that as a member I would do even more and husband would kill me, quite rightly!
Thanks, Dan.
I was trying to find that comment as well. I thought, initially, I’d posted it in ‘off-topic’. Didn’t find it but enjoyed trawling through my series of “#xx in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
8=)
Happy to help Brian. I had time to kill as supping a red wine whilst making the second batch of blackcurrant jam.
Now that may sound idyllic but not really as I’m again over anxious about finding the optimum setting… and as I am boiling the pan on the woodburning stove in the height of summer, it’s fookin scorchio… plus there’s health and safety concerns what with the danger of hot jam burns due to only wearing shorts.
Best get the jars ready now…
“It’s utterly pathetic how ill informed or willfully ignorant folk are, and tbh I am pretty close to just sacking my attempts at activism in and getting on with other more rewarding things in life, and not necessarily in this shithole of a “country” full of folk that are too stupid to see the benefits of better empowering ourselves through self governance.”
Pretty much my feelings, Dan, although I am too old to emigrate now and wouldn’t want to be parted from my grandchildren. I would add that the whole Covid thing has convinced me you can feed the populace the most contradictory and illogical stuff and behave completely incompetently and corruptly and most folk will just accept it rather than getting out the metaphorical pitchforks and tarred torches, since fear seems to be the over-riding factor for so many. SAGE has a lot to answer for and I see that nincompoop from Imperial College, Prof. Ferguson, is back to enthral us with his expertise in computer modelling and epidemiology.
It’s funny: after a few hours of family tears on the morning of 19/9/14, my head cleared and I was energised to build on the 45% support the Yes movement achieved. Now I’m reconciled to not seeing independence in my lifetime, such has been the level of betrayal and inaction by the SNP leadership.
Yes, my innocuous but fantastically erudite and fascinating comment is still in moderation and I have no idea why, having scanned it for the usual filter-trippers. Don’t get too intrigued ‘cos it ain’t worth it anyway, me old haricot.
@Sarah: I’m no longer a member so my bid for power will not be possible, I’m afraid.
Thank you gentlemen. Not being in the SNP is clearly an indicator of being a sincere, decent and principled human being!
But it buggers up my cunning plan.
Sarah I had never worked & supported the cause of Independence personal advancement Im to old & I have recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma & other health issues still to be dealt with ie Not for Glory ect ect .
Doing a bit of catching up.
Glad to hear Dan the Man is Making Jam – I would expect no less.
And Ronny is back, ’bout time too. Sorry to hear your not keeping so well Ronny – you take it easy.
I hear Saughton is now twinned with Robben Island. Let us know the day/dates your doing a turn, will try and join you.
I’ve been trying to re-charge the batteries a bit since the HE. Taking stock.
Be nice if the Indy Movement had a plan/script to work from. Remember in 2014 the script was keep it positive, then hold them to the Vow, then Democratic outrage of Brexit, then ‘as soon as the terms of Brexit are known its IndyRef2’.
Now all we seem to have is, fingers crossed Alba will come up with something a bit more inspiring than winning the local council elections.
Hey ho.
Hi Ronnie – sorry to hear about your poor health. For an unwell senior citizen you manage to do a helluva a lot of good work for independence. Good on you.
What do you think of the Plan of getting someone, anyone, to at least apply to stand as leader – it would shake up party HQ at the very least and might bring someone with the necessary qualities out of the woodwork. Geoff Bush asked me if I knew anyone personally to ask but I don’t. I just thought Wings has so many readers that there might be someone willing to stand.
Daisy Walker Thanks Daisy nice to hear from you schedule for this coming Friday 6th Aug
Bute House 2 hours 12 noon
Holyrood 2 hours 2pm to 4pm
Saughton 2 hours 4pm to 6pm
wee Annie Jenkins & Sussane Henderson will be with me but all are welcome to join us .
I’ve been rummaging through the Rev’s archive, as is my wont, and ‘Memogate’ brought me to this archived gibberish from Malcolm Bruce
(Now a PC and Lord, the highlight of his time as MP was chairing a Select Committee, having not been given any ministerial position during the coalition years for some reason.)
link to archive.is
1. I take it the member subs for the Libs are lower than the Tories or Faragekip?
2. Why do submarine bases have to be above water?
3. Has the Scotch Whisky industry taken full advantage of the deal reached with China in 2010, that ensured that only whisky produced in Scotland can be called Scotch?
4. If invited, would you go to a Foreign Policy wedding?
5. Do you want to hear more of this very soon?
@ sarah
re. someone standing against leadership. Looks like that might not be possible.
link to twitter.com
Dan – oh no, another chance missed. I was sure that the application could be done in the runup to conference – hadn’t realised there is a closing date so far in advance. Damn.
They certainly don’t make it apparent that anyone can apply every year – there isn’t an open invitation to do so and the constitution wording isn’t at all clear either.
Thanks for letting me know – I was about to send my plan to NowScotland!
Dan and all, Chris Hanlon says the September SNP conference is NOT the Annual Conference – that will be in November so we are not too late to unearth a Leadership [and deputy] candidate.
If you still know any SNP members could you chat to them about the good sense of having a fresh face at the top so it isn’t a matter of Nicola v Alex? And of at least having a discussion instead of just rolling over to the next year. Perhaps even point out that Nicola is a better second-in-command than leader.
I think I’l throw this one in, as #31 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
It was the UK entry for Eurovision in 1961.
link to youtube.com.
I also liked the preceding year’s entry so I’ll stick it in as #32 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
So, #3 in a series of “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another”… (I didn’t number “In The Court Of The Crimson King” as #2 in my mellotron comment)…
In this one, I believe it was Poly Styrene who provided the female vocals. A Bra’ tune!
link to youtube.com
Ach weel…
My comment at 10:04 is in moderation for some reason, so check back at that time later.
Turns out my 10:04 comment was immediately passed as ok.
No it wasn’t – I’m gibbering braille.
To finish off my input here, for tonight, I’ll offer “#4 in a series of “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another””.
link to youtube.com
Mind and check out my 10:04pm comment tonight, once it’s out of moderation. To really finish off my input here, for tonight, I’ll offer “#32 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
Anyone fancy a pint?
Just finished off the last two inches of a bottle of Arran Blonde, that I forgot to consume with my Cajun chicken last night.
Scott says: at 3:05 am
“Anyone fancy a pint?
Only one! Having spend the last couple of days sourcing and fitting replacement parts on my car so it can get through the MOT, I am in need of several!
The car has suffered covid related issues, basically lack of use has meant the brakes are fucked as corroded and seized.
The suspension springs got bored with not boinging on the shit state that is our potholed tae fuck roads and have cracked as decided to lose the will to continue being springs.
A front strut has started leaking in empathic sympathy with the springs…
And a bottom balljoint was also caught in the contagion…
Everything is crusty and seized meaning it’s taken ages to carefully get all the bolts out. Shearing off a 10.9 M12 is to be avoided at all costs as they are the proverbial cunt to drill out and re-tap the hole.
Only got one more corner to do and it should pass.
The old barge has done 305k miles now. So it’s been to the moon and it’s my mission to bring it home.
Public Service Broadcast – Go!
link to youtube.com
@ sarah
Nobody I interact with is still in the SNP…
Dear Dan, Tinto, Brian and other normal people on here: there is a very long list of people I scroll past on the M/T including Andy Ellis who didn’t respond today when I crushed his pompous “oh its not all Nicola’s fault”, and Mist 001. I only go and look when I see your names on there. 🙂
Dan – you are a giant. Will you please come and live in Lochbroom where you could have the pleasure of helping us with our numerous mis-behaving pieces of kit? Out-board engines that refuse to start; strimmers that start and then stop; chainsaws ditto.
I’m no giant, in fact I am about a pound lighter than I was an hour ago, as rather than continuing “interaction” with Wings btl version of Alexa “You will comply to my views” Terminator RoboBot, I thought it would be more productive if I went out and got busy getting a sweat up winding down the spring compressors on a suspension strut.
More modern shitey design with pigtail springs (smaller diameter at each end) means old skool compressors struggle to grasp the spring over enough of a length to wind it down safely. Managed to get the broken one off but it was getting dark so on self preservation grounds decided to wait and fit the replacement at mate’s garage on Monday as he has some serious fancy tools and facilities.
I think my grandad came from up the west coast. Thought it was Sutherland but there may be a connection to Plockton School in early 1900s. Last time I was up there was a good few years back on a 1100 mile motorbike tour round Scotland.
With your mechanical woes, modern petrol often contains ethanol which is hygroscopic and can cause corrosion issues in carburetors which results in blocked jets if the engines aren’t run for long lengths of time.
@Sarah: me, normal? Ooh, you are awful….
Last time I was in the Loch Broom area was in Mr MacKenzie’s croft-house near the old school house near Loch na Beiste overlooking Gruinard Island, when SWMBO and I were “walking out” together. At that time said school house was owned by a cranky old German dame who tried to fence off the beach below low tide, which did not endear her to the locals. Great views of Liathach, through or breakfast window, though.
I’m looking to recruit Dan (amongst others) for my post-nuclear holocaust XI, where he could tinker manfully with the generator while I do some light dusting, perhaps write a sonnet or two and identify the local flora for medicinal purposes. I reckon we need a potter, brewster and herdsman/woman to make us pretty self-sufficient.
Actually, friends of ours live in Switzerland and have a compulsory nuclear shelter. Frankly, I’d rather hang my finely- toned bahookie oot the winnock and kiss my Gove goodbye than spend more than a few hours in there.
Ahoo, werewolves of London, etc……
P.S: have recruited Meri Wilson as the PNH communications officer:
link to youtube.com
@ Dan: that sounds the answer – the boat and strimmers don’t get used over winter and the chainsaw is mostly unused in summer. I’ll have to get the old man working harder in the quiet months. He’ll enjoy that. 🙂
You would be welcome on your bike up here, Dan, but disguise yourself as something other than a North Coast 500 racer, and “wild” camper who leaves turds and barbecue trash by the roadside!
Tracing your grandfather’s family roots in Plockton could be a pleasant winter-time occupation for you. Find my Past have loaded up loads of Scottish records online recently. I’m looking forward to finding my various lines.
@ Tinto: Meri Wilson would add a great deal of je ne sais quoi to the PNH XI, no doubt about it!! We enjoyed Miss Piggy’s version too.
The Gruinard area is gorgeous. I was there first in the 1960s on a family camping trip based in Poolewe. My brothers went to the hill lochs fishing but came back running due to midges – they haven’t forgotten it to this day! You wouldn’t hang your bahookie out on a midge day..
Dear Tinto,
Can I apply for the position of herdswummin as I hae plenty o’ experience. I hae milked many a coo, we used tae hiv aboot 120 of these lovely ladies tae be milket twice a day. I am also an expert calf rearer, thousands o’ them ower the years. Good business sense as well, can keep books etc.
I could also teach dancing and keeping spirits up in general. Can bake a mean scone and a decent cook. I am of good temprament an not easily upset.
There you go, that’s my CV, how am I doing. Granted you might think that I’m a bit long in the tooth, but remember, many a guid tune played on an old fiddle.
I await your reply in the near future.
I can grow veg – so can Dan but he’ll be too busy with the machinery. I also make very tasty bread. Could help Marie with the books being ex-Revenue. CV ends here.
Hi Sarah,
Thank you for your kind offer of help with the books. Two heids are better than yin, as they say. Fresh baked bread, mmm, can’t beat it with a nice plate of homemade soup.
Do you think that we’re selling this to Tinto?
My comment from 10:04pm on Friday night is still in moderation.
I did notice, after I posted it, that one of the links was broken so I’ll repost it here, without the broken link.
BTW: the episode of “Grand Tours Of Scotland’s Lochs” I mention is repeated tonight on BBC Scotland, Freeview 9 at 8:30pm.
Following on from my comment at the weekend:
link to wingsoverscotland.com
After we left The Glens, to head Doon the toon, we diverted up the Law to let the PO see the view. Luckily, it was one of those evenings with a clear sky, so I was able to point out Schiehallion to the PO, something like 40-odd mile away in Perthshire. My pal, Neale Elder took a cracker of a pic from The Law some years ago. You can see it here:-
Schiehallion is the snow-covered triangle around a third of the way along the top of the pic.
Onnyhoo, I told the PO that Schiehallion had been used to calculate the mass of The Earth, by a guy named Hutton. Then, blow me down with a wet leek, tonight, I was watching “Grand Tours Of Scotland’s Lochs” and the last 13 minutes or so of the programme was dedicated to Charles Hutton’s calculations at Schiehallion and his invention of “contour lines”. If you have access to iPlayer, you can see it here:-
link to bbc.co.uk
It’s a quirk of topography that there are no high peaks between The Law and Schiehallion.
Further info, for those with a thirst for trivia…
link to en.wikipedia.org
@Sarah: there’s supposed to be an each uisge in Loch na Beiste. Maybe the midges were just a cover story your brothers made up. I still swear the biggest midges in Scotland are in Skye: I had a nightmare trip to bring the cow back from the bull in 1975 made even worse by the fanged beasties. I think including Meri in our PNH party might be rather unsettling for a young ‘un like Dan The Man. We can’t afford for him to lose focus on the generator, roofing, slating, engine repair etc.
Marie: engaged without audition. Obviously a Wonder Woman like wot you are would be indispensable and we could get BDTT to spin the platters at the weekend hootenanny once he’s stopped weighing Schiehallion.
Main problem is that Dan has gone all quiet and a certain Mr Loomis has applied for the post of Science Officer……
Did someone say fresh bread… 🙂
That will go well with my 18 jars of freshly made blackcurrant jam.
I could also supply a pike if required should folk wish to rock the fish and loaves vibe.
Had a day off from sorting the car, but no rest pour moi as the grounds of mon petit “rustic” chateau needed the grass cut, along with the daily runner bean and courgette harvesting.
The 40 tattie shaws are still going strong and the pumpkin patch is growing at a rate that almost rivals Andy E’s post count on the MT… Has he not got a lawn to cut or a dug to walk…
Hi Tinto,
Oh be still my beating heart, passed and got the job. With BDTT, Sarah and Dan with all of their various talents, you’re off to a flyer. What could go wrong, eh.
Nae probs, doll. Looking furrit to working with you. Would you recommend belted Galloways for stock?
And yet, and yet, though Dan shamelesslyflaunts his jam-making and vegetable-growing prowess, still no commitment to The Project……..
I fear trouble ahead.
I knew you would get in, no problem, Marie, and thrilled that I have been accepted as well.
Tinto: an each uisge is nothing, absolutely nothing, to the Giant White Slug of Lochbroom – I kid you not. It’s in a book of local tales compiled by a local chap in the late 19th century, I think.
Dan: big egos won’t be welcome in Tinto’s team and I’m afraid your references to runner bean and courgette harvesting on top of having made 18 jars of currant jam might cause friction. Just saying.
BDTT: thank you for the links and erudite information about Schiehallion. Lofty [geddit] intellectual matters make this an impressive comment thread, in sharp contrast to the M/T currently.
Galloways for stock Tinto, well aye, they make good beef, but, they can be wild buggers to deal with. Jist sayin like.
Maybe go for some Aberdeen Angus instead. Leave the continental breeds like Limousin or Charolais alone, beef not as good as the home grown breeds.
Best not to mention the Great White Slug in front of Dan, wot with all his lovely veg lying about.
Aberdeen Angus it is, then, despite the potential tapeworm problem.
Tomorrow is another day…..
Hmm, I’ll admit I am now uncertain of what the membership criteria is.
Is one invited to join, does one have to be nominated and seconded prior to selection, or does one simply demand they are in, is an up to date certificate of vaccination a pre requisite…
I wasn’t bragging about my veg production, merely proffering my skills as being a useful and beneficial addition to the cult / club / cooperative. Unless of course nobody is planning to eat anything and we’ll all starve in short order anyway.
And I’ll point out that due to my old skool cooking with fire culinary practices, there’s absolutely no guarantee those 18 jars of jam will be fit for human consumption.
I’ve just been watching “Selling Scotland”, a compendium of Scottish ads, presented by Cameron Meikelson, that was broadcast around Hogmanay/New Year 2020/21. Their ‘gold standard” capture was one of the ad producers who was there at the time and remembers it well.
I was reminded of #33 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
Now, the interesting thing is, the ad that was featured in was only shown for around 3 weeks, as the English media alleged it was an SNP propaganda video, which made Tennent’s uncomfortable, feeling that they were being drawn into politics. So the ad was pulled.
The other by-product of the ad was bringing “Caledonia” into the Scottish consciousness. I don’t think that Dougie McLean has been financially damaged by that 3 week ad.
As Lorraine Kelly says in “Selling Scotland”, Caledonia has become our ‘other’ national anthem, after ‘Flower Of Scotland’.
Unfortunately, the two episodes of “Selling Scotland” are no longer on iPlayer. Fortunately, I had downloaded them to my MacPro, using, “get-iplayer-automator”, a free app (Mac only) that lets you download and keep videos from iPlayer.
If you have a Mac, you can download the latest version of “Get.iPlayer.Automator.v1.21.12.b20210729001.zip” at this page:-
link to github.com
Just noticed…
Tennent’s Lager, having pulled the ad after 3 weeks, have actually uploaded it to YouTube!
link to youtube.com
Dan: since our survival pod will have a chimbley which will require high maintenance, you’re in if you can stay away from Meri Wilson. That woman’s a menace.
@ Dan: I woke in the night worried that you might take my jest as criticism when of course I wouldn’t ever do that. I’d be quite happy as gardener’s assistant with you as Head Gardener. A heating system for the glasshouses and irrigation will need your mechanical and other skills as well so you will need help with the fruit and veg.
@ Tinto: talking of tales about taking the cow to the bull, there are many – a local one here is that the bull-carer [who my husband knew] was virtually Gaelic only
@ Dan: I woke in the night worried that you might take my jest as criticism when of course I wouldn’t ever do that. I’d be quite happy as gardener’s assistant with you as Head Gardener. A heating system for the glasshouses and irrigation will need your mechanical and other skills as well so you will need help with the fruit and veg.
@ Tinto: talking of tales about taking the cow to the bull, there are many – a local one here is that the bull-carer [who my husband knew] was virtually Gaelic only. A crofter took along their cow but not the fee to which Murdo summoned up enough English to say “No pay, no ….”!
@ BDTT: brilliant story and link to the Tennent’s “Caledonia” ad. We have just played it a few times and are wiping tears from our eyes. Who is the young man in the film? He looks familiar.
Caledonia was sung at a great Yesser friend’s funeral a couple of years ago and was very moving. I’ll have it at mine idc, I hope.
Hi Sarah.
I had to Google it. His name is Seamus Gubbins.
link to theanswerbank.co.uk
link to thefreelibrary.com
Here’s the list of what he’s been in:-
link to imdb.com
Hi Brian – thanks for the rapid response service! Seamus looked the part but you’d have thought they could have found a Scot to take the role. At least he was trained here – and it is apposite that he was a merchant banker and ran away to be an actor!
All – don’t know if you’ve noticed but I am trying to break into the stream of people on M/T who write about anything but independence because in my view there is a danger of the Wings site losing readers and hence its ability to rally people when necessary. So if any of you want to drop in a few lines over on M/T it would be helpful. 🙂
‘Evidently Sturgeontown’ by John Cooper Clarkston
The bloody COPFS are bloody keen
To bloody jail the indy scene
Bloody Chief Mammy’s a bloody swine
Who bloody draws a bloody line
At indy planning – “just fun and games”
It’s indy bloggers she bloody blames
They’re having to go underground
Here in bloody Sturgeontown.
The indy scene is bloody sad
The bloody news is bloody bad
Union support is astroturf
But CyberNats forbidden to surf
The bloody ‘journos’ are bloody daft
Don’t make me bloody laugh
It bloody hurts to look around
For honesty in Sturgeontown
The bloody ferry is bloody late
You bloody wait you bloody wait
Indy’s bloody lost, not found
Stuck in fucking Sturgeontown.
The bloody media is bloody vile
For bloody miles and bloody miles
Nicola’s NEC babies bloody cry
The bloody snowflakes literally* die
The ‘Hate Crime’ law is bloody muck
Bloody trial-by-jury’s bloody fucked
The colour scheme is bloody brown
Everywhere in Sturgeontown.
The bloody MPs are bloody dull
Holyrood seats are sycophant-full
Of bloody girls and bloody guys
With bloody betrayal in their eyes
Bloody Salmond bloody back-stabbed
For an alleged hand in a bloody cab
You bloody stay at bloody home
The bloody neighbors bloody moan
Keep the indy racket down
This is bloody Sturgeontown.
The bloody excuses are bloody old
Bloody Brexit’s bloody cold
The indy polls are bloody flat
Cos we’re led by bloody rats
The bloody accounts are bloody wrong
600 thousand woven in – where’s it gone
It bloody gets you bloody down
Evidently Sturgeontown
The indy train is bloody late
A ‘genertaion’ you bloody wait
Indy’s bloody lost, not bloody found
Stuck in fucking Sturgeontown.
*not literally.
(Inspired by last night watching John Cooper Clarke reciting his 1980 poem ‘Evidently Chickentown’ in the Joy Division biopic “Closer”. An ‘unknown pleasure’ indeed!)
Here’s the original:
‘Evidently Chickentown’ by John Cooper Clarke
The bloody cops are bloody keen
To bloody keep it bloody clean
The bloody chief’s a bloody swine
Who bloody draws a bloody line
At bloody fun and bloody games
The bloody kids he bloody blames
Are nowhere to be bloody found
Anywhere in chicken town.
The bloody scene is bloody sad
The bloody news is bloody bad
The bloody weed is bloody turf
The bloody speed is bloody surf
The bloody folks are bloody daft
Don’t make me bloody laugh
It bloody hurts to look around
Everywhere in chicken town
The bloody train is bloody late
You bloody wait you bloody wait
You’re bloody lost and bloody found
Stuck in fucking chicken town.
The bloody view is bloody vile
For bloody miles and bloody miles
The bloody babies bloody cry
The bloody flowers bloody die
The bloody food is bloody muck
The bloody drains are bloody fucked
The colour scheme is bloody brown
Everywhere in chicken town.
The bloody pubs are bloody dull
The bloody clubs are bloody full
Of bloody girls and bloody guys
With bloody murder in their eyes
A bloody bloke is bloody stabbed
Waiting for a bloody cab
You bloody stay at bloody home
The bloody neighbors bloody moan
Keep the bloody racket down
This is bloody chicken town.
The bloody pies are bloody old
The bloody chips are bloody cold
The bloody beer is bloody flat
The bloody flats have bloody rats
The bloody clocks are bloody wrong
The bloody days are bloody long
It bloody gets you bloody down
Evidently chicken town
The bloody train is bloody late
You bloody wait you bloody wait
You’re bloody lost and bloody found
Stuck in fucking chicken town.
Here’s the version from the 2007 Joy Division biopic “Closer”, with 2007 John Cooper Clarke playing the 1980s version of himself!:
link to youtube.com
NSFBW = Not Safe For Bloody Work
Here he is in the ‘Innes Book Of Records’:
link to youtube.com
David – that is brilliant. Well done. I sense you were inspired by desperation at the plight we Yessers are in?
Thanks Sarah, and yes, sadly my inspiration came from the deliberate way indy has taken off the menu by the SNP high heid yins.
Good luck with getting the main thread back on track, it has been a binfire for months!
Rev Stu used to state something like he wanted to show people how to think for themselves, and how to find the truth in articles they read. But for me he is letting himself, and us readers, down by allowing the comments to be swamped by single-cause nutters, pro-union infiltrators, foulmouthed abusers, and deliberate thread-derailers.
This site’s usefulness is falling. FFS Rev, why on earth are the likes of Pixywine, Mist, and Scott still allowed to comment?
David says:
11 August, 2021 at 8:20 pm
FFS Rev, why on earth are the likes of Pixywine, Mist, and Scott still allowed to comment?
—
How sanctimonious of you.
If you don’t like people using swear words, I suggest you sit at home in the dark clutching your fucking pearls.
Butbutbut did you like my poem Scott?
Or are you too busy gish galloping on the main thread, intent on derailing it?
You are a fake. Away with you.
David says:
12 August, 2021 at 9:47 pm
Butbutbut did you like my poem Scott?
—
I read it and didn’t dislike it.
As for derailing the main thread?
Any comments I post have context and not just random, pre-prepared words.
You come across as similar to the idiots who don’t like a band because they’ve attracted bandwagon jumpers or the shop in L.O.G – local comments for local people.
Wind yer neck in.
Quality journalism from the UK state broadcaster, as usual.
link to bbc.co.uk
“Firefighters are tackling a large blaze at a building in North Tyneside.
Witnesses have reported being able to see billows of smoke from as far away as South Shields across the River Tyne.
link to google.com!4m5!3m4!1s0x487e6ee90339d617:0xdcb80fd187b558d2!8m2!3d55.0108893!4d-1.4349568
Hi Scott.
Back in the early 1980s, working as a Private Mobile Radio technician, I had to visit a taxi firm in North Shields.
On the way back, I just had to make a wee detour, to visit Whitley Bay, the home of the fictional “Whitley Bay Social Club”, which was the home venue of Starturn.
Strange thing is…
Last year, I had a look at Whitley Bay on Google Streetview and it was nothing like I remembered it! I remembered a windswept harbour. Nothing like Streetview!
Onnyhoo…
A perfect excuse to link to #34, 35 and 36 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo…
Saw this on Facebook around a week ago. I though, “What a great wheez when it’s time to take leave of this planet”.
She reminds me of “Elvira Mistress of the Dark”…
link to fmovies.app
@ sarah
Looking for some local input as the advert lacks info on midgies…
link to struttandparker.com
Dan, I know the owners slightly and am sad to see this. Praying that some equally nice people buy it. You would of course be the best possible replacement – perhaps you could do a crowdfunder a la Wee Ginger Dug?
As for midges, probably well-stocked. Though to be fair when I was on an archaeology dig there a few years ago I can’t say we were troubled. But that could have been because of the stiff westerly!
“Probably well-stocked” with midgies wasn’t the answer I was looking for!
My current location is now rather too well-stocked with ticks and holiday home owners, so was considering a location upgrade, not yet more pain caused by parasites…
Garden update: Lifted the first two shaws of tatties that had been trampled by the deer. Good news! Best crop of Edzell Blues I have ever grown, good yield and good spud size with few if any dimples or scabs on their skins.
Well, Dan, could you be tempted to re-locate? Sea for fishing and seaweed very close at hand. My husband tells me that his mother used to camp near the estate house with his brother and cousin so he presumes that midges NOT a problem.
Congratulations on your tatties. The only time we grew Edzell Blue they got blackleg, virus and some early blight! We now grow a few Salad Blue for fun really as they are blue all the way through so we can do a saltire pattern on our plates. They do get very scabby with us though.
It is surprising the yield is so good after such a hot dry summer. Did you water them?
My tattie crop is half Edzell Blue and half Salad Blue, about 20 shaws of each. I definitely prefer the Edzells for taste though.
My old avatar pic was a pair of baked salad blues with Aye / Yes and Saltires made with mayo. 😉
Aye, the plants got watered during dry spells with rainwater I collect in old dustbins that runs off the shed roofs. That’s yet another positive aspects of hoarding old stuff from when the great wheelie bin upgrade was rolled out. Plus it boosts my eco credentials to be using harvested rainwater rather than processed water from a private or mains supply.
With regard to relocation, realistically I have to finish this house renovation first, then that would open up options to sell or rent it out for an income which could pay for accommodation somewhere else.
Obviously with losing my EU citizenship that has effectively put the kibosh on me selling up and fucking off to retire somewhere warmer away from the raging skipfire Scotland is becoming.
After enduring the last ten years watching this political shit playing out in Scotland, I feel kinda numb about it all now, and certainly feel no great emotional attachment or pressure forcing me to stay in a place with a population so utterly devoid of the wit to save itself from what is coming.
Of course, not being able to go anywhere without a valid covid passport will no doubt be the next hurdle, even though a proper quarantine process could and would actually offer more of a guarantee you weren’t infected with the “deadly” virus than an out of date slip of paper…
I remember that avatar, Dan – it was very good! The Salad Blue have another useful role – a cousin is a St Johnstone supporter so we are supplying him with some to eat on the days when Saints need particularly good vibes. Goes for Scotland games too, of course.
As for independence etc I haven’t quite reached the numb stage, sadly – still seething and occasionally emailing MP/MSP to zero effect. My husband is in the numb apart from disgust with the Scottish voter state, like yourself.
The only positive thing lately has been writing to Craig Murray, poor devil. My husband sent him a picture postcard today – two Scotch Terriers with caption “Scottish Terrierists” – hoping it will raise a smile. Trying to read his writing will occupy some time too..
@Dan: your last paragraph says it all for me too.
Every time you describe your agrarian activities, this song comes into my head (lyrics easily discovered on the interwebthingy):
link to youtube.com
Sarah, it’s always struck me as quite wrong for someone as puny as a mere human to own mountains and land on such a scale but that’s just romantic, old tree-hugging me. At least Dan The Man would have plenty of seaweed for his lazybeds, of course 🙂 .
Sunny Where I Am today but there is a coolness in the air which tells me autumn is a-comin’ in and the rowan berries seem very ripe for August.
Tinto:
Yes I agree that one person shouldn’t own so much land – quite wrong, as you say, especially when the purpose they own it is just as a “sporting” estate. I am all for land reform. However this couple bought it not so very many years ago and worked very hard to bring the farming land back into use and donated handsomely to help the community keep its most ancient, useful and large building in local community hands [me being Treasurer felt very grateful!], so I am sad for them as people, now old and not in good health.
As for the rowans, we were saying exactly that today – it feels autumnal and the rowans surely riper earlier this year.
Tinto – I see what you mean about that Who song – a new one on me.
@Sarah: quite so. It was the traditional “sporting estate” owned by very rich people whose main pleasure is blasting game birds while encouraging their employees to kill all birds of prey I had in mind, not hard-working people like the couple wot you done know for whom obscene profit is not a motivation.
Re rowans: it could be just all the sun we’ve had but maybe we’re in for a fieldfare/waxwing autumn before another Beast from the East descends on us (along with another lockdown, perhaps). Set Nikons to malky!
Hoping before that to get up to hug the Pictish stone at Tote (a very early one) to recalibrate my Gaia rhythms before darkness descends this winter 🙂 .
One day, Tinto, I will actually get to Skye! And I will make a point of going to Tote to see the Pictish carvings. It is such a shame that the Pictish culture seems to have disappeared so quickly and all we have left is their carvings.
I’ve only seen waxwings once – a couple of years ago – and would be pleased to see them again. What I noticed about them was how unafraid they were – not shy of people at all. They sat quietly in the trees instead of flying away at the least movement by us.
@Sarah: yes, they’re very calm, like bullfinches, and incredibly beautiful. As for the former, I’d never seem even one of them until the day before my marriage long ago, and I unexpectedly saw seven in a tree while musing poetically on a walk. Make of that what you will…….
Skye is indescribable and I have many happy memories of it, including long days spent climbing there. The stone at Tote wasn’t included in “Early Christian Monuments of Scotland” by Romilly and Allen because it hadn’t been rediscovered at the time: it seems to have been a lintel or jamb in a croft-house or outhouse which was found and re-erected sometime at the start of the 20th century or so. It’s very early, since it has no Christian symbolism at all.
May The Force be with you 😉 .
the latter!
Hi Sarah.
In 2018, my son and I’s summer holiday was a trip from Dundee, via Aberfeldy and the Green Welly to the Invercoe campsite, so we could travel through Glencoe.
From there, it was a night at a campsite just north of Kyle of Lochalsh. Before we left the area to head north to Nana’s, we took a wee diversion via the Skye Bridge and drove to Kyleakin so we could claim we had visited Skye.
After that, it was ‘the pretty way’ via Plockton (to see if I recognised locations from ‘Hamish Macbeth’: I did!); en route we passed through Duirinish, where the Highland Coos have the freedom of the village (common grazing).
link to goo.gl
After that, a drive up to Dingwall for lunch, then Invergordon, where Nana gave us her conservatory for the night, before the Inverness rally next day.
A bra’ few days!
Hi Sarah.
See as you get older? Your mental filing cabinet of memories becomes disarrayed.
The trip in 2018 actually went by Spean Bridge, not the Green Welly and Glencoe, to Lochalsh.
Glencoe was the following year, when we did Oban for a night, then the Campbeltown march.
BDTT: we might have seen each other but unknowingly at the Inverness march! How nice to have been able to bunk down chez Nana and Hacka. I “saw” Hacka on NowScotland zoom this evening.
Your tour is turning me green with envy – there are so many gorgeous beautiful places to see and I never get away to see them. Mad!!
One tip if you are in Dingwall again, go to the mart for lunch! Home made cakes and hoagies, the auction to experience, and a little droving history museum as well.
Talking of trips – is anyone going to Edinburgh on 31st August? It would put the wind up SNP leadership if thousands went but judging by the response to the Craig Murray protests I fear that the spark is missing. Will we ever see marches of 100,000 again?
Ooh, I’ve got a pic of me on top of the huge boulder on the right as you walk up to the Fairy Pools on Skye. Possible new avatar image if I can find it…
Mind you, in NuScotland there will probably be a retrospective law getting written up to jail me for historic ancient boulder mounting crimes as soon as I submit this comment…
Howde all, dunno if I’m beyond the filters, but I’m sitting out in my back garden and all the stars are shining with a fire going…
Cheers Rev.
Cheers all.
We’re at August 2021.
@ Dan: I see you and BDTT both busy on M/T trying to keep things focused and civilised. Well done.
Go on then, show us your Fairy Pools boulder avatar. I’ve got a photo of me by a boulder the size of a house below Ben Enaglair [near Ben Dearg in Lochbroom] but I didn’t even try to climb it.
Hi Prickly One.
Although your comment is timed at midnight, I have just received email notification of it at 11:49am – a few minutes ago so looks like you’re still in pre-mod.
Hi Prickly One.
Just realised. Midnight Wednesday into Thursday!
@ sarah
I just try to lob in the odd comment on the MT that may stimulate some discussion with contributions from folk that could have insight in that specific field. these attempts generally seems to fall flat on their arse though.
EG. Highlighting the lack of Firefighter volunteers in my rural area yesterday.
I guess there is a certain snobbishness some folk have in that they won’t interact with people they deem to be of no value. It’s a real problem as it completely stifles conversation.
Social media has already effectively divided folk into like-minded groupings to the point many individuals cannot seem to handle or are even receptive to the concept of accepting there are alternative views, which if they took onboard would broaden their comprehension on how the wider world actually is.
Everyday is potentially a learning day, but not if you lock yourself into a bubble.
The recent change to twitter basically reduces the reach some decent accounts used to cover. It’s now effectively useless for me to keep on top of developing matters.
I only post on Wings, I don’t have time to keep track of loads of different sites. I’m very self conscious that folk may think I post on Wings for some egotistical reason. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It took me a good while to develop the confidence to post here, because Wings was the biggest site with astute btl comment scrutiny which effectively self moderated the site and called out those that pushed bullshit or false information.
To me it just makes practical sense for folk to use the biggest and best pro-indy site as it would keep folk informed and up to date with all the links folk could add.
Now, so many people have peeled away for whatever reasons and it’s not just diminished the site, but their own reach and exposure to developing matters.
If this site was flourishing with activity it may influence Stu to keep it running, if it reduces to an extent of little positive activity Stu may deems it is not viable to keep going.
Use it or lose it! Can you imagine how busy it would be if all those different twitter accounts posted here instead of to their limited followers, with a shrinking reach compounded further by twitter altering settings to stop non-account holders accessing tweets.
I used to send dozens of links of informative tweets to my contacts each week, but that’s done now so my ability to campaign is reduced. 🙁
Dan
That is what worries me – a few people keep banging on about largely irrelevant topics, getting very heated and unpleasant, and put off others from posting and discussing independence and political action. They also ignore our useful posts and carry on arguing so the sheer volume of their posts hides ours from view. If the Rev banned those individuals and/or those topics the site would be pleasanter and more useful.
I don’t think it is snobbishness that they ignore your and my posts – they are just wound up in their own concerns. Why they choose to do it on Wings I don’t know.
I always read your posts and find them interesting – that was a valid point you were making about the lack of candidates to be volunteer firemen. It is another side-effect of the rich incomers buying up houses or locals being allowed to have houses for holiday lets. It never occurred to me that you post for ego reasons!
That is a very good idea about the Twitterers posting on Wings instead, or as well. Can you tweet the suggestion to those sites or send a message on here to Stu?
Supper time now – including runner beans again. Best crop of them ever but it does mean they, and lettuce, feature rather heavily in our diet!
Can’t remember if I’ve linked to this previously in ‘off-topic’.
#37 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
This didn’t get to #1, because there was a strike of BBC technicians so Top Of The Pops was off for 6 weeks.
link to youtube.com
To me, the B Side was a cracker. It is reported that John Peel judged it the best rock single of 1974.
link to youtube.com
They were a band who could PLAY their instruments.
sarah says: at 6:57 pm
“That is a very good idea about the Twitterers posting on Wings instead, or as well. Can you tweet the suggestion to those sites or send a message on here to Stu?”
I don’t have or want use a twitter account, likewise facebook. And even if I did start one it would have zero followers so yet more wasted time.
Stu is on a break and think it would be better if twitterers took the initiative themselves as a sign of their appreciation as to what Wings offers, rather than Stu asking folk which he may not want to do anyway.
I’ve witnessed this migration of folk from a great site to different platforms before.
I could not understand why folk would want to leave a busy forum setup with a lot of really switched on technical folk from all round the planet on hand 24 / 7 that could answer and help folk with their projects.
We had built up an incredible archive of relevant technical information in threads and tables, and it was all just a click away. That is what engineers do, build stuff in a sensible organised way so it was readily accessible and on hand to reference and link to as and when required.
But the folk that needed assistance were not as knowledgeable or practically minded as the crew running the site. So they just didn’t grasp that pissing off to facebook or twitter was never going to come close to offering the same level of service as the place they had left.
Trying to retrieve useful technical information on the skipfires that are facebook or twitter with limited characters per tweet is just not going to happen, where as the forum had various technical sections with relevant info stickied at the top of all the threads.
It’s like a contagion of ADHD has infected folk’s brains that they actually think leaving a good place and going to a shit place is a beneficial move.
I mentioned a few OT posts back that there seems to be a great loss of critical thought in a great deal of people’s minds these days.
sarah says:
“Supper time now – including runner beans again. Best crop of them ever but it does mean they, and lettuce, feature rather heavily in our diet!”
Aye, runner beans and courgettes every night and still can’t keep up with how quick they are growing. Neighbours get some handed to them to ease the burden.
I’ve spent the past few days fishing for a wee project. A beaver has built a damn altering a watercourse without informing SEPA.
So I’ve decided to go into partnership with it. Because it has effectively cut off the burn flow it has created a pool that is now full of pike that seem to have severely reduced the perch stock. The pike have even started to eat each other which is what happens when they have effectively had their watercourse altered and there is nothing else to eat.
So being further up the predator chain, I have been reducing the pike plague which will hopefully give the perch a chance to recover, plus perch taste better than pike so playing the long game here. 😉
One of BDTT’s Infamous Blondes?
link to youtube.com
Belter of a voice and a multi-talented visual artist.
@Dan: so now you tell me after your jalfrezi pike recipe that perch taste better?
Eftsoons, sirrah!
Another wonderful voice with blind George Shearing’s jazz combo:
link to youtube.com
You may wish to hear her version of “All Night Long” with the same gentlemen.
Then again, you might not.
Hell mend ye……..
Och, all right, you lazy bar stewards:
link to youtube.com
Charlie Watts has died, aged 80.
He kept it deceptively simple and his heart was happier in jazz or blues, perhaps, but he did make many people happy by banjoing that preening ninny Jagger when he referred to Charlie as “my drummer”.
link to youtube.com
Hi Tinto.
In my top 5 favourite Stones’ singles is this:-
link to youtube.com
However, I can add in here #5 in a series of “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another”.
I was introduced to this by one of my Goth Lady punters at The Quarry Rock Club in the late 90s. It’s from the CD “Vampyre Erotica” by Inkubus Sukkubus. This is the album version…
link to youtube.com
I scoured YouTube for ages to find a live version (there are many of differing quality).
Here’s the best live version I found…
link to youtube.com
BTW: that lead guitar riff at the start is pure earworm. I know it but can’t remember where it’s from! Wait a minute – I think it’s “Pretty Vacant”!
Hi, Brian: I don’t rate Jagger at all, so I regard their success as being based on the drum and bass section with occasional flourishes from lead and rhythm guitar. IS were better frankly in that track.
There is more of a whiff of Pretty Vacant, I must confess.
I see Ronnie has come out to play on Graham Dangerfield’s blog!
My last comment has led me on to #6 in a series of “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another”.
This was released as a single in the US in 1967. I have no idea if it was released as a single in the UK. I discovered it on this album:-
link to discogs.com
Here it is. Reminiscent of “Hi-Ho Silver Lining”…
link to youtube.com
And one of the tracks on that album has the same title as #38 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo, that last track always reminds me of the streetwise know-all from the “Police Squad” series, (which led on to Airplane, Naked Gun and so on).
“Anthropomorphic deity”?
link to youtube.com
Oh, and another album track with a similar sentiment to the one I linked to at 7:47pm.
From the “Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush” soundtrack album. Unfortunately, Youtube doesn’t have an upload of “I was looking back to see if she was looking back to see if I was looking back at her” by the Spencer Davis Group.
But, for some strange reason, this offering from Bert Kaemfert turned up in my search.
link to youtube.com
This turned up on the right hand side of the Bert Kaempfert page.
A bit of fun!
link to youtube.com
Anyone home?
No.
Looks like a day of thunder and lightning Where I Am.
Fancy some perpetual motion?
The pianist plays this more slowly than is usual:
link to youtube.com
Liverpool’s finest. No, not them:
link to youtube.com
One for BDTT’s infamous list of blondes?
link to youtube.com
Randomly dropped into my YouTube ganderbag, honest…..
Hi, Tinto, liked your version of Les Barricades. A long, long time ago (last year?) on O/T I posted this version, which I also like, played on a theorbo, a difficult instrument to play, but a beautiful sound and closer to the original harpsichord version.
link to youtube.com
And if one theorbo is good, how about two?
link to youtube.com
Just popped back briefly since WOS has returned temporarily to its original mission. I suppose the usual obsessives will resume where they left off all too soon. (Hope all the regulars on O/T are well and cautiously upbeat, at last.)
Missed you and Dan at the summit of Aconcagua. Where were you? You boys just can’t keep up.
@ JGedd
Good to hear you’re back to fitness and crossing continents and scaling the odd mountain!
I’d have been up for tagging along if you’d let us know the date. Obviously now with covid passports that will likely curtail future adventures…
Don’t think I haven’t been busy though. My bike ride at the weekend highlighted the ongoing neglect our infrastructure is enduring as politicians focus their efforts and our taxes on virtue signalling pish whilst ignoring the basics.
My local pavements are impassable in certain area. Tar now covered with soil and weeds making them uneven and footing difficult, plus there’s all sorts of seriously jaggy and stingy plants overgrown and hanging into the pathways that are meant to be maintained as safe corridors for folk to walk along.
Getting yet another puncture and my arm torn by huge thorns at the weekend as I attempted to traverse along one was the last straw for me.
The schools are now back and parents should be able to walk their young bairns to school, plus there are a couple of young mothers with newborns and prams. The condition of the pavements is totally unacceptable. If those jagged thorns caught someone in the face or eye their would be implications.
So, I loaded the car with tools and have spent a few shifts (on top of previous efforts) to sort it. I’m not fucking about when I work either. I’m still fit enough to scale hills quicktime, and this work is hard physical graft for three hour sessions that has me filthy and soaked in sweat.
The results of my efforts speak for themselves though, and the locals will see what they should have if the arseholes in positions of power actually focused on what folk need, rather than pissing money away on numerous less important pish in the scheme of things. You know, like converting exiting toilets to unisex, or spending dosh on colourful badges for health workers, or blowing staggering amount of millions on a couple of ferries, or simply squandering millions more of taxpayers’ dosh on their own personal political power struggles.
Too scunnered and worn out to post on MT at moment. I hope there’s potential for positivity, but before I back anyone I really want to know the new folk wanting to get into positions of political power are actually folk that are grounded in a semblance of practical reality.
Anyway, may as well head out for another shift of community service, but without having committed a crime…
Oh, I’ll tack on this. Have been having a health issue for a few years now, covid obviously has impacted health service provision. I supposedly got referred for further investigation and scans a couple of months back but hadn’t received any letter re. an appointment. Checked with GP surgery to see they had actually submitted for a referral and they had, so phoned the number they gave me. LOL 44 weeks on top of the 2 months I’ve already waited. So I’ll just have to endure the issue and better hope it’s fuck all serious that could develop then.
But this got me thinking about all the millions of taxpayers’s cash that’s been pissed away recently, and pondered how just some of that cash could have been spent on a few mobile CT scanners and staffing them.
Ach well, rained aff the day by the looks of it. And before anyone calls me a lightweight coz I didn’t want tae get yet anither set of clothes soakin’ an filthy howkin’ sodden muddy clumps of weedy sod, piss aff.
Go and sit on yer arse and get excited watching “athletes” at the Olympics, footy, or tennis, but I’ll point out that’s fuck aw in excitement and physical endurance terms compared to the rare bravery of some traffic dodging oldish bloke armed only with welder’s gauntlets, a pair of loppers, and a spade, givin’ an hours long square go tae out of control bramble vines tag teaming with what looks like some kind of psycho bastardin’ rosehip bushes with 1 inch stems and 1/2 inch thornery.
@JGedd: I wondered why is sounded familiar. A harpsichord version was played last week on Radio 3. It only has two news bulletins a day so I can avoid Pravdasound 4’s hysterical propaganda if I listen to it.
Saw your sage expatiations on the Gordon Dangerfield blog. That kid’s park I mentioned is full of Yummy Mummies and Faddy Daddies with kids called Anastasia and Calliope, although there are sometimes some “nativists” called Ruaraidh and Hector too 😉 . The gender neutral togs often cause me to misgender the tinies so I fear a long stretch in the Bar-L is inevitable.
I knew Dan would be too busy to climb mountains. In any case, access to that one seems denied just now. Maybe it’s caught Covid or something.
It’s a mad mad mad mad mad mad world.
Hello again, Dan and Tinto.
Dan, you exhaust me just reading what you have been up to. Apart from your own acres, you’ve taken to clearing verges and public highways! Well done you, but I bet it’s a thankless task. Recently, on one of my rambles(not up a mountain) I took ‘a road less travelled’ (by me anyway) and not having been that way for at least a year, I was shocked at how it had deteriorated, with whole chunks of tarmac missing and weeds settling into the ruts and troughs. For those who are forced to use it, it must be downright dangerous for vehicles apart from the damage and wear and tear from everyday use. Rural transport still travels on it though I think it’s limited to one bus and of course, the dreaded tractors still tear up the loose tarmac.
Tinto, that was always a benefit of Radio 3, just the occasional brief bulletin, easily missed. In the past, even missed by them, as in the days of the legendary presenter, Tom Crow. Sometimes, he would actually lose the news and would have to improvise or say,” Well, you don’t listen to Radio 3 for the news anyway, so let’s get back to the music.” Sigh, those were the days.
Don’t you live in Lanarkshire, Tinto? I came from Lanarkshire, so you must live in one of the gentrified areas if those rarefied practices in naming children have reached there. I would bet that there are no Darrens or Tiffanys in that play park!
The snobbery attached to fashions in names isn’t just in the UK, I discovered recently. In France, you suffer discrimination in job applications if your name is Kevin. Kevin, seemingly, became popular in the 80s/90s due to American soap operas being shown in France and at the same time, was allowed due to the dropping of the national register for permitted names. Unfortunately, it appears to have had a vogue in mainly working class families so class snobbery has kicked in and being named Kevin is a bit of social handicap now. I’m sure such facile categorising happens here, too, we just don’t notice it.
Isn’t social behaviour wonderful? No opportunity to denigrate and marginalize is missed, even when it comes to the naming of children. I’ve realised that the lockdown did not bear down on me as hard as it did others, since all that social distancing suited me down to the ground.
On a bus or train, I could be sure of not having a random stranger plump down right next to me – or worse, someone I vaguely knew and felt obliged to have a conversation with, to our mutual discomfort. All of that social awkwardness was removed officially. I was in heaven! I’ve discovered I am anti-social and it was such a relief to discover my true self!
The snag is, we anti-socialites can’t unite!
@JGedd: yes, I remember a funny article a long time ago (maybe in The Grauniad or something like that) by a Bright Young Thing like Stoppard or Frayn, perhaps called “Seven Kinds of Silence on Radio 3” which described the reasons for the long delays which the announcers at times indulged in. Doesn’t happen so much these days, of course: much too polished and “professional”.
That park isn’t where I live. I drive a few miles there because the wee town still has a good baker’s and two real butcher’s, despite having a large supermarket.
Names are a minefield, innit? I think much of the Kevin mania in England dates back to Kevin Keegan of Liverpool fame. And how do we get Bunty from Elizabeth? It’s a mystery right enough.
Of course, you could try establishing an Anti-Social Association but it may suffer the same fate as the Apostrophe Protection Society or Common Cold Unit.
Enjoy your social distancing: there’ll be a lot of it about this winter if wee SWMBO gets her way 🙂 .
Hi TC.
Better late than never.
“One for BDTT’s infamous list of blondes?
link to youtube.com “
Eh, Wendy was/is a fine lookin’ wummin. Still working…
link to thewendyjames.com
Onnyhoo… #38 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”… and it features solo cowbell through the first verse and chorus!
link to youtube.com
Shout out to any Wingers coming on Sunday that are able to pitch in and lend a hand at the stall ?
Hi Liz g.
I’ll be at George Square around 11.20-11.30. Good to read there’s gonna be a Friends of WOS stall.
There used to be an email group, whereby we all kept in touch but I emailed Gillian back in May, after Pete died, on another matter and got no reply.
I inherited Pete’s badge manufacturing facility and have done some recently for the Craig Murray campaign and “Women Won’t Wheesht!”.
Could there be a corner of a table for me to punt some of the ‘vintage’ badges we did (which I also inherited), as well as the new ones?
Hi Liz g.
BTW: Ronnie just phoned me. I related the above to him and he said (as the godfather of FoWOS) that it was fine for me to have a corner.
Seeya Sunday?
Liz G
ah didnae say godfather I actually said codfather but am sure Bddt can get a wee corner to punt badges cause ah need him tae dey mair Women Wont Wheesh badges & Craig Murray badges .
One of my grandtinies is now old enough to start watching the various Toy Stories and so I came upon this, which I had seen with my own children in the cinema a generation previously:
link to youtube.com
Talk about old men wiping away a silent tear…
Lovely to see you all getting the gang back together. Have a great time. Try not to get into any trouble – if you can’t be good, be careful!
Another time, another place:
link to youtube.com
Couldnae go far this weekend due to a bout of manflu. 🙁
Did manage a wee bike ride which involved some extra activity that may interest some.
Whilst huffin and puffin my way around the local roads I noticed this muckle thing lying on the road so stopped for further investigations. Jings! What the heck is that!
On initial inspection from a distance I ain’t never seen anything like that before. Is it a dangerous alien lifeform that’s gonnae bite me or spit toxic gob that will dissolve my legs aff.
Caution required, so picked up a long twig to prod it with.
Woah! It moves!
Hmm, what to do, well it’s going to get squished lying on the road, that’s for sure, but what if it is an invasive species…
Made the decision to rescue it by cajoling it with the long twig into my puncture repair kit box for safe keeping until I can establish what it is.
Well, on my return home and after an internet search, it looks like I have a new temporary pet to look after. 🙂
(5min vid)
link to youtube.com
Hi Dan.
Watched the video. That’s your winter evenings sorted then, just sitting looking at your hibernating caterpillar.
Then you can celebrate with a dram when the moth emerges in the spring.
Beautiful markings. Thanks, Dan. Hope your flu clears up soon.
Well, had been a little concerned as the wriggly beast wasn’t eating much if any of its preferred plant foods, though it had taken two big dumps which apparently are called frass.
But all seems well now as it built a cocoon last night, so presume it’s entering the chrysalis stage.
Hopefully to be continued… (next May)
The manflu is still loitering even after eating daily handfuls of vitamin C packed Bluberries and Tayberries from my garden. 🙁
Hi Dan.
I’d type a reply but I’m burstin’ for a frass…
Hi Dan – the vitamin C is good for you but its not a flu cure. Plenty of rest, sleep, warmth, and water to drink – per NHS your pee should be light yellow or clear…
Glad to hear the caterpillar is settling down. What a good thing you rescued it from the road.
I’ve been reading about the ‘hospitals inquiry’ and am amazed that parents of children who didn’t die are allowed to use such emotive language in their statements, which the media pounce on.
[Mr Campbell said in hindsight he recognised the drug potentially helped his son fight off a hospital-acquired infection, but his child should have been in a sterile and safe environment.
“It doesn’t make it right, giving them an anti-venom and letting the snake keep biting away at them,” he added.
Mr Campbell added: “This flagship hospital is where children were given cocktails of strong drugs to prevent them from dying – by this I don’t mean what was agreed by parents for their children to fight these life-threatening cancers – I mean the incredibly powerful anti-fungal medicine pumped into them to save their wee lives from the dangers of the building that was allegedly saving them.
“To be given a chance to fight cancer you need a fortress, our fortress was rotten from within.”
from – link to bbc.co.uk
For a start, if a medication is prescribed in hospital as a matter of urgency, but the parents get informed after-the-fact, they had the right to request it to be removed from the care plan.
It is extremely sad that the parents of 2 children were bereaved, with the HAI being at least partially responsible, but the public inquiry itself isn’t needed, given the Health Boards have been in dispute with the Contractors already.
An independent audit of ALL Health Boards in Scotland is needed. From ‘the Board’ itself all the way down to the lowest grade employee. Best-practice seems to have gone missing from the lexicon in the health industry, despite lots of diagnoses and treatment options being based on statistics and the axiom or two from a textbook or thesis. I’ve seen many photos of people administering vaccines with no gloves on. I receive regular jags and ‘Steve’ always explains why he’s wearing gloves. Every time.
Visitors to hospitals bring all sorts of risks to patients in with them, but there’s no outcry from anyone really. Perhaps the hospitals should start informing the relatives of patients whenever there’s a health risk caused by all the dug shit and bacteria etc, brought in with visitors and their belongings.
Labour conference: Wrong to say that only women have a cervix, says Keir Starmer – Headline from Independent
Oh is that right, Mr Loyal Opposition Leader?
How did this odious piece of shit ever become head of CPS in England, let alone the Libor Party? Freemasonry?
From the article-
Sir Keir told BBC1’s Andrew Marr Show: “It is something that shouldn’t be said. It’s not right.”
He added: “I spoke to Rosie (Duffield) earlier this week and told her conference is a safe place for her to come.
“We do everybody a disservice when we reduce what is a really important issue to these exchanges on particular things that are said.
“The trans community are the most marginalised and abused of many, many communities and we need to make progress on the Gender Recognition Act.
“I’m very concerned that this debate must be conducted in a proper way where proper views are expressed in a way that is respectful.”
archived here : link to archive.is
This man is deranged if he thinks this is effective leadership or even a coherent position to take.
People are skint, there’s gaps on the shelves, a constant stream of bad news to absorb, but this is the issue of every hour of every day for some.
So, are they fuck the most marginalised and abused ‘so-called community’ among many, many communities.
We aren’t assigned a community by the choices we make in life or the thoughts and emotions we have, it’s flowery language used to appease the Equality Polis, social media influencers and market manipulators. It is offensive to logic.
I’ll keep repeating this, any and all politicians that blindly agree with Keir Starmer, viz females and the cervix, and the need for GRA reform via brow-beating should resign.
This misogynistic scandal has managed to ‘function’ fine throughout Brexit and the pandemic, even while the shelves are eerily stocked, operations are cancelled, inflation, national ‘debt’ & ‘deficit’, Universal Credit cut removing £millions from next year’s economy, doom and gloom, boom and bust on the horizon, etc, etc…but the never-ending supportive narrative in the media from the useful idiots and paid shills is too narrow to be taken seriously as not being totally co-ordinated.
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing Poppers.
Was Stuart MacDonald, MP for McCarthytoon on mushies for this pile of absolute dung in the Herald?
link to archive.is
“He’s troubled by Scotland’s relationship with China, which has opened the door to disinformation by Beijing.”
What does this even mean? Are we pals and trading partners or are we not?
“He says Scottish political parties have to counter extremist online disinformation within both the pro-independence and pro-union camps.”
Is he including the ALBA Party here or not?
“And the rising tide of disinformation around culture war issues like trans rights and vaccines leaves him fearing violence on the streets.”
Rioting, gang-orientated violence and vigilante groups went out of fashion in Scotland a while back or hadn’t you noticed, Herr MacDonald & ‘Yer man there, ye ken like?’ Neil Mackay.
As for the ‘next pandemic in 10 years time’ (so soon, Uncle Tam?), my answer is we’ll know the long-term effects of the multitude of ‘vaccines’ currently in muscles in the desert here and the desert far away, and the proven ways to limit R numbers and perhaps even remember what the definition of “primary cause of death” is, won’t we you snivelliing coward?
Upholder of and advocate for democracy my arse, just a tractor driving quizmaster.
Hi Scott.
More for you RE: Labour/Starmer.
link to grahamlinehan.substack.com
link to rachaelswindon.blogspot.com
In case Stuart pulls the plug without warning due to exasperation with some btl “contributors” I just wanted to say it has been a pleasure being in your company, albeit sporadically, over the years.
Here’s hoping somebody within the SNP will find the strength to stand for leader at the next Annual Conference. I can’t see any other way to clear out the rot.
Bye, everyone. Can’t even console myself that I’ll see some of you at marches, ‘cos there won’t be many in the new Scotland.
When I contrast the surge of optimism and hope we felt in 2014 with the grim reality of today, words fail me, so I’ll just leave you with this:
link to youtube.com
Hi TC.
A couple at Holyrood yesterday, were asking when the next WOS get-together is happening in Dow’s. They suggested it was up to Ian B.
How about a St Andrews WOS get-together in Dow’s on 4th December as an excuse?
The Tories have completely jumped the shark tonight.
They’ve suspended competition laws so the “oil and petrol companies can share data and co-ordinate supplies”
Rather than have the military do the job they’re paid to do, which is protection of the people and the state, they just pretend that the cartels aren’t.
Also, there’s no shortage of fuel, just supply issues cause by increased demand following the BBC’s irresponsible “BP fuel supply issues” piece that caused a spike.
There’s no need to relax regulations, and possibly unlawful due to its disproportional and unnecessary nature. It’s just smoke and mirrors from a bunch of ‘entiltled brats that never grew up’ who have bitten off far more than they were led to believe they could chew.
I hate Boris and his government. Cruel and inept, bordering on criminally negligent.
Dunno, Brian. Not sure if there would be much take-up. Sometimes things take their natural course and come to an end of their own accord.
Ian might think differently, of course. Beware Imelda Sturgeon’s lockdown.
Judging by Scott’s post, things could be much worse by then.
Oh well, and now the end is near, as somebody else said.
So sad, that it has come to this, when we think of what we could have been. However like a lot of other folk, I’ve had a whale of a time. When we get to where we are now, goodness, it’s so depressing. I used to look forward to the marches, see which ones we could go to. The fun, the laughs, dancing to the samba band on the last big march in Glasgow, afore we wiz shut doon. In spite o’ th weather that day.
Well, life goes on as they say. I find these days that I just try and enjoy my life and not spend so much energy on politics. I always keep an eye on things, but until we get rid of this SNP FM and husband, and a guid few ithers in her clique. we are well and truly donald ducked.
It’s been lovely having your company folks, and I’ve had great fun with all our daft wee conversations amid the serious stuff.
Bye, bye and thank you. Love to all of you and keep safe.
@ Marie Clark: me too, trying – but failing – to reduce emotional intensity about independence. I email MSPs mostly, having given up with my MP Ian Blackford, instead of running a monthly Yes discussion group as I did pre-covid – it had dwindled to a handful of old faithfuls anyway.
So that is all I hope – that Wingers will let their reps know that we know what they are and aren’t doing, and seize the day when we can make a difference. And pray there are some still in the SNP who will stand for leader soon, or know someone to persuade to do so, or persuade an MSP to cross to Alba… wouldn’t that be fun! See the sparks fly…
More manufactured grievance? (Yes,imo)
From BBC Scotland leccywebsite
link to bbc.co.uk
“Mrs Ivey, 60, who lives in a converted former school building, qualified for the boiler grant due to a number of health conditions.
[“I’m desperate,” she said. “I’ve got no heating. No hot water. If I was somewhere else in a different part of the UK there are there are boiler schemes that are fitting oil.
“Nobody is taking any notice of the fact that where we are can be extremely cold and an awful lot of people on these islands must be dependent on oil. It can’t just be me.“]
From the photographs in the article and the quote above, I wouldn’t be surprised if the renovations she is undertaking were designed to take advantage of the ‘free boiler-replacement scheme’ in the first place. Guessing that others face the same problems as her is just that, and suggest that she hasn’t spoken to many people living in ‘Orkney’.
The piece also includes this beezer of a statement (not a quote)
[“Mrs Ivey is in discussions with Warmworks and is considering taking up an offer for a high heat retention electric storage heating system, although she is worried about the suitability for her property and how she will afford to pay the electricity bills.]
The ‘me, me, me, me, meme society’ in all its promoted glory.
Being a misanthrope is becoming easier by the day…
@Briandoonthetoon
Brian, the usual suspects will be back to meet again when/if safe to do so inside, but, if not there is the fine fresh air on days without a deluge or gale! No matter what the WW says, Scotland is not doing that well with Covid.
Missed everyone over the last couple of years and not had much to say that could be described as positive for just as long.
Wings has been a blast and a load of fun for a lot of the time. Brian, I’ll never forget you on your knees at the sea fest (I am sure you were quaking at what might be coming…) with Ronnie dangling the hairy string over your head LOL.
However, best wishes to all on here and remembering happier days and those we’ve lost.
Hi Betty.
Was expecting yooz twa at the FOWOS stall at George Square last week so I could let you see my new red jacket – correction – “gilet”.
Looks like (according to the newest page or the older one) that a get-together is in the offing. As I typed above, first Saturday in December would be good.
Hello folks.
I’ve just donated to the jaikit fund – lang may his lum reek. Bloody earned it.
Sorry to hear you’ve been under the weather Dan – I’ll bet you’ve been working too hard as usual.
Like most folks here, it feels a bit like the end of an era. I am certainly needing to re charge the batteries, and I have run out of things to say to SNP Nikkla-ites. Never mind the soft nos, and the new englanders… sorry Britishers. We’ve had the Highland clearances, now were living through the Lowland clearances.
Like most, I’ll keep an eye out, fingers crossed, and hope for the best, but mean time – life does indeed go on.
Be up for the night out – if I’m free.
Thanks to all for the btl comments – they were often even more important than the main event.
Aye Yes.
Life without Wings will be hard.
Feeling isolated already from events and similar opinions.
Not sure how to stay in touch – but maybe this will only be a short break! Thanks for the company.
Stay safe all and may ALBA grow in strength
The BBC have absolutely NO shame.
I’m fucking raging at this article.
This totally unhinged, retrospective attack on the care her living son received has no objectivity, especially with the lack of direct quotation early doors. And I do not believe for one minute that her son composed the ‘written statement’ attributed to him by his maw. This just pure vindictiveness, in my qualified opinion, and shouldn’t have been published.
Would you leave shite & spew on your child’s hospital bed for WEEKS???
Would you fuck, unless you’re too stupid to realise you’ve just ‘incriminated yourself’.
I’m off to paste this to Ken MacQuarrie for comment.
Original >> link to bbc.co.uk
Archived >> link to archive.is
Via ‘As relevant as the FT’ – KD
link to wingsoverscotland.com
“In many ways, Dugdale is the antithesis of the X Factor era politician” – Dani Garavelli*
Well there was that one time she went on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here So I Can Read What The Papers Are Saying About Me, Meet All My New Fans, and collect all that cash.
*recent winner of an award in Scotland’s Book Town, Wigtown for her writing and runner-up in Scotland’s Wig Town, Booktown for her haircut.
#39 in a series of “7 inch singles I have liked over the years”…
Feed your head!
link to youtube.com
From the ‘letters page’ of the Glasgow Herald, 28/5/1984.
“Does Cllr Boyd protest too loudly at a Conservative control of Bearsden & Milngavie District Council?
Is she now suggesting that the 27% who voted SDP Alliance, the 15% who voted Labour, and the 11% who voted Independent are all of one mind?
We noted that all four voted together against the controlling Conservatives, who polled 44% of the electorate, so winning a clear mandate to govern the district.
– R W Robinson, Provost, B&M District Council.”
link to news.google.com
#7, 8 & 9 in a series of “album tracks I have liked over the years for one reason or another”, all from the one album.
I rescued this album from a second-hand record stall, probably in the Dens Road Market, in the early-to-mid 70s.
I found it rather refreshing. #7 is Beethoven…
link to youtube.com
#8 is Bach…
link to youtube.com
#9 is Prokofiev…
link to youtube.com
The Ventures – Joy
Label: United Artists Records – UAS 29340
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: UK
Released: 1972
Genre: Pop, Classical
As I asked on the current page, what’s happening in Glasgow on the 16th of Septanuary?
I think Ian B alluded to a Friends of WOS get-together but he didn’t mention which month. Also, Friends of WOS is one of the Twitter pages I check out twice a day and there’s been no mention there.
I would have thought a get-together after the march on 6th November would have been a good idea. Two birds with one stone an’ thah’…
There is a friends of WOS get-together happening in a previously used venue near George Square on 16th October, from mid-afternoon till late.
If you’d like to see a cyclist kicked in the nuts, this judgement from All Scotland Personal Injury Court is for you.
Enjoy >> link to scotcourts.gov.uk
I’ve thought long and hard about posting these links over the past year or three.
Tonight, I finally decided to do it.
Up until the sleaze findings, I had rated Jonathan King as one of these guys in the music industry, who, as he claimed (and I paraphrase) “had his finger on the pulse of pop music”. He produced the Bay City Rollers first Top Ten single (made #7)!
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo, he did a couple of exposés that displayed the plagiarism that went on in the music biz.
He’s So Fine/My Sweet Lord
link to youtube.com
Wild World/It’s A Sin
link to youtube.com
And to compare…
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Seeyiz anon!
But nobody’s home…
But still more fine music…
Chas & Dave with Albert Lee and his geetahr pickin’…
link to youtube.com
Chas & Dave with Albert Lee and Eric Clapton…
link to youtube.com
Lastly, a fine minor hit from 1970, that didn’t feature any blonde feminales of the specie…
link to youtube.com
While tidying up my kitchen shelves, I came across some handwritten recipes from my Mum.
As I mentioned on the active page a few days ago, can you still buy Stork margarine?
One of her recipes specified 1/4 lb of margarine. I suppose butter would be an acceptable substitute.
Onnyhoo, looking at those old recipes got me thinking. Can you still buy Trex?
A quick Google… Seems you can!
link to tinyurl.com
How about Stork? Seems you can.
link to tesco.com
I used to get pee’d off, back in the 60s. We went to my aunt’s for tea every Monday. She only bought margarine, no butter. So it was bread and margarine, rather than bread and butter.
My Mum had a rule – butter for sandwiches and rolls but margarine for toast. My first slice of toast with butter melted through it was memorable!
Onnyhoo, where have all the off-topickers gone?
I suppose I should link to a pertinent piece of music…
link to youtube.com
Last piece of info…
Apparently, there are otherwise sensible humans who don’t know that electric toasters have a crumb tray. Obviously, they believed the knew how to operate a toaster and didn’t bother to read the instruction leaflet.
Nevermind the 1/2 pound of fat blockheads…
A few years back when I was upping my self sufficiency antics I collected some wild raspberries and made a pie.
I used lard when making the shortcrust pastry. It turned out fucking epic with the pastry dissolve in yer mouth light and the intense flavour of the rasps.
Unfortunately my pie pastry endeavours since have never managed to repeat that first attempt. Which is a complete scunner as have grown many pounds of fruit and pumpkins since that could have been made into pies… 🙁
@ BDtt
And on the subject of toast.
I dinnae ken if this is a Dundee thang, but I recently met a loon fae yer toon that used the back of a spoon to apply butter to his rolls.
I was somewhat intrigued by this practice but testing since has confirmed using the back of a spoon rather than a knife is less likely to tear and pull the dough oot o the roll when applying firm butter or marg onto the bunnery of yer choice.
Hi guys. Pastry – my mother used a mix of butter and lard for shortcrust pastry, and I still do. I’ve never used margarine so can’t say what the difference would be but butter/lard pastry makes a nice texture and flavour, imo.
RE: spooning butter.
Never come across that. From Autumn to Spring, when spreading a roll or a slice of bread, I give my butter a few seconds (5 – 10 seconds, depending on how much of the half pund is still in the microwavable “butter dish”) blast in the microwave to soften it.
To any wingers and off topic folk if you look in now and then, Merry Christmas and a better 2022.
Hi, Marie.
Just on here to do routine monitoring for the security services 🙂 .
Merry Christmas to all the family and a happy NY (although I doubt this since Boris and the gang haven’t exhausted the Greek alphabet yet).
I send you this traditional, seasonal story. Don’t watch alone, unless it’s with a single malt:
link to youtube.com
Hi Tinto,
I hinnae time the noo tae watch your filumm, busy wae a’ the prep for Christmas dinner ra morra.
I’ll settle doon wa’ a dram later when everything is done and I can just wait to see if Santa comes.
All the best to you and your family, hope Santa will be good to the granweans.
Wishing all off-topic visitors/residents a very merry Christmas, with this traditional Scottish Christmas carol.
link to youtube.com
Merry Christmas to you too Brian, I think that song might apply to a few of us before this festive is done. Plenty of paracetamol and Irn Bru that should cure the problem. Cheers
Hi to the Off-topic-ers. Merry Christmas and a better New Year to you all.
I’m sure you are praying as I am for a dramatic change in the SNP leadership group. Have to say I am amazed that they are still there and no-one has skedaddled in fear of what might escape into the public domain.
[Isn’t it amazing that the main thread have never cottoned on to O/T!]
Our “wilderness of peace”, Sarah! (Nods in Taranaich’s direction.)
Comment in moderation.
Wot have I done?
Maybe it was the Gaelic…..
@ BDTT: very true! What a haven it is here in the unspoilt, sparsely inhabited off-topic wilderness.
Merry Christmas to all of you -I’m having a white one! and continually dreaming of an indy one.(Albeit, not happening any time soon.
The dream shall never die x
Merry Christmas to all the Aff Topic crew still around and a thought spared for those who are no longer with us. Peace and love to you all.
A guid New Year tae yin an A’.
Keep safe folks, and a’ the best.
A Happy New Year to all inhabitants of ‘off-topic’.
I’ll give you two musical items: I was introduced to the first by a guy whose 12th birthday party I was DJing at in the mid-90s. It was featured on the “Tom Wilson’s Tartan Techno” CD which he had brought with him.
A state we want to find Scotland having ASAP.
link to youtube.com
The second is just to get up pishfart’s nose, coz he’s in this promotional video for the Alba Party.
link to youtube.com
When I was a bairn, in the late 50s, the Hogmanay tradition was to have “Auld Lang Syne” immediately before the midnight bells, followed by Jimmy Shand with “A guid New Year” after the bells.
This led to me, in my DJ career, playing this track just before 12, leading into the second half of “Lest We Forget” by the Las Reed Orchestra, which is instrumental “Auld Lang Syne”.
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Then, after the bells, Jimmy Shand’s “A guid New Year”, converted to mp3 from a 78. Couldn’t find a decent version on YouTube but yizzall know the tune so can sing it to yirsells.
Not “Las Reed” – “Les Reed”!
Greetings, dwindling band of conyoshenty and groovers.
This popped into my random YouTube gander bag the other day and I was reminded what a belter of a voice this lady had:
link to youtube.com
I love the way she changes the phrasing of “entertaining folks” in the turbo-funky bit at the end.
Btw, I’m going for an Afro and kaftan look this spring, but probably using pastel tones 😉 .
Hi TC.
An earlier incarnation. Type about “raunchy”!
link to youtube.com
Interesting…
I had thought only the Glitter Band had two drummers.
link to youtube.com
Happy New Year, Brian. Hope you are well and bearing up in the madness.
I’d forgotten about Vinegar Joe. Robert Palmer looks very young, innit?
Shocked by Miss Brooks’ behaviour and outfit: she used to sing at bar mitzvahs, too!
Back in January 2020, I sent this email to Smallaxe…
“On Sat, Jan 25, 2020 at 10:59 PM Brian Doonthetoon wrote:
Hi Billy.
A couple of years ago, I said I would upload an appropriate track for 25th Jan to Youtube, when I found it in my hovelhold of squalor.
I eventually found the bag containing the single but it had suffered an accident and the only single that was smashed to pieces was the one I wanted.
Onnyhoo, I did an eBay search early last year and I reckon i got the only two copies available at the time, a 7” and the 12”.
Tonight, I have used my new usb turntable from Lidl, which I treated myself to at Christmas, and got the 7” onto my iMac.
I’ve uploaded it dropbox and you should get an email telling you how to access it.
Let me know if it works – or doesn’t.”
He replied on 6th February,
“Hi Brian,
Sorry for the late reply but I’d been in bed ill for a couple of weeks and hadn’t been online during that time.
Thanks’ for the tune it put a smile on my face (for a change).
I hope all is well with you and yours, my friend.
Peace Always
Billy”
I’ve never got round to putting together a video to go with it but you can hear the tune at this link. If you were fortunate enough to have had an eyeball with Smallaxe, think of him as you listen. Click on the link that ends mp3, then click on the play arrow at the bottom of the next page.
link to dropbox.com
There’s always a good discussion about music on this thread and this recent release by a Scottish bluesy hard rock band is worthy of a listen:
http://www.gutterbloodband.bandcamp.com
Hi Saffron Robe.
The first 2.40odds of that was a bit ‘plodding’ for my taste. Also sounded like it had been recorded in someone’s bedroom. Could do with some post-recording tweaking. Livened up after that but the vocal got a wee bit lost.
Onnyhoo…
Made a mistake tonight and invented a new cocktail.
Went through to the fridge to pour myself a “Roostie Nail” (Drambuie + whisky) and, without thinking of the consequences, poured (Lidl) Iron Brew into the Drambuie instead of whisky by mistake.
It’s actually rather tasteful!
Onnyhoo 2…
Back to music. I’ve been a fan of the Karelia Suite (Sibelius) since the days when “World In Action” used the Intermezzo as a theme toon.
link to youtube.com
I eventually bought an LP that had the Karelia Suite thereon and discovered “Alla (or Alle) Marcia”. This part was used by Rik Mayall/Kevin Turvey as his signature tune for his sketches on “A Kick Up The 80s”.
In the video below, the portion from 1.!4 onwards is the ringtone on ‘meine Handy’.
link to youtube.com
Kevin Turvey – the collected works.
link to youtube.com
Good to see Saffron Robe back. Here’s a classic rarely heard today which you may enjoy:
link to youtube.com
@BDTT: one of Smallaxe’s Big Questions was “Scotland The Brave or Scotland The Slave?”
I shudder to think what he would make of the state of the independence “movement” today.
Hi Tinto and Brian I think about Smallaxe evry now and then, and I often think that in a way I’m pleased that he is not here to see what has happened to the independence movement today. So sad ir really is.
I was not at the march yesterday, usually my daughter in law and I would be among the first to get the boots on and out there. It wisnae really aboot independence, it wis mair aboot getting rid o’ Bojo and his merry band of brigands. My heart just wasn’t in it somehow. Mibies feel better aboot things when the march comes to Dumfries in June. Looking at the reported numbers yesterday there didn’t seem to be anything like the usual numbers for an AUOB march.
On the 1 January, 2022 at 12:59 am the pedantic sniping sasij wrote:
“A Happy New Year to all inhabitants of ‘off-topic’.”
What an absolute supper you are. I got the memo long ago “Boring Brian”. Good way to start the year though eh. Knobsack.
Hi, Marie.
Low numbers at AUOB marches are Sturgeon’s big achievement; she’s divided and demoralised so many of the folk in the independence movement. Smallaxe lived his life for the underdog and to oppose arbitrary authority over us, the people. He suffered a lot of pain for his efforts yet always remained hopeful. It’s no wonder he’s so badly missed.
I’m hoping more patriots will get out on the streets when the Covid restrictions gradually slacken off. Of course, a magical new variant may emerge in the spring to have us all cowering in our homes, awaiting a speedy vaccine.
Dear Tinto Chiel,
Many thanks for the link. Yes, I did enjoy it. “Dust My Broom” is one of my favourite blues songs. I also like the Fleetwood Mac version with the late, great Peter Green.
I could wax lyrical about music for ever but a couple of Scottish bands not so well-known and worth mentioning are Iron Claw and Writing on the Wall:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
And one of my folk favourites, John Renbourn’s “Sandwood down to Kyle”:
link to youtube.com
I actually had the pleasure of having a pint with John after he played The Ferry many years ago. An exceptionally nice man and, of course, a sublime guitarist.
@Saffron Robe: I’d never heard of either of those bands but they were rather short-lived, I suppose. I wonder if BDTT ever encountered them in Dundee? Heavy metal before it even existed 😉 .
Really liked the John Renbourn track: beautiful playing as you say and such gentle music is good for the nerves in these crazy Covid times.
Forgot to add these two folksy tracks: it’s the same tune (My Lagan Love) transmuted into a Fairport Convention version.
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
Nice day Where I Am so going for a long walk in the woods. I live quite near the Cadzow Oaks, very old trees which look like something out of Middle Earth/The Entwood. I was standing among them one October when I kept hearing strange noises around me but could see no animal or person. Eventually I worked out that the acorns were falling out of their cups and landing softly on the ground about me: quite spooky until I realised what was going on.
Hadn’t heard of Iron Claw but saw Writing On The Wall on one of Grampian TV’s self-produced music shows around 1970. The song I remember had a repetitive chorus, like ‘Lucifer go down’.
Dear Brian and Tinto,
Yes, I meant to say Iron Claw and Writing on the Wall are both quite heavy. Proto-metal as it’s called now. As a big fan of Black Sabbath I particularly like Iron Claw. Apparently they went to an early Black Sabbath gig, taped it, and tried to emulate their sound they liked it so much! As far as I know both bands were quite short-lived although Iron Claw did reform and released an album in 2011.
I listen to all kinds of music tending to prefer the heavier side of things, but in these troubled times folk, jazz, reggae, classical and ambient music can all be a balm for the mind. Dröne are a soothing ambient/drone band, if somewhat eerie, who are worth checking out, and a lot of their albums are available for free:
link to godvoice.bandcamp.com
I chanced upon this rather old post on a football supporters’ website and it clicked somehow with Saffron Robe’s “handle”.
Some of the btl comments are quite amusing for a fans’ forum……
link to steelmenonline.co.uk
Talking of folk music, Pentangle are perhaps my favourite folk band who I have seen many times live, most memorably at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh. All their albums are good but I particularly like “Solomon’s Seal”. The Incredible String Band are another folk band I enjoy, especially their album “Earthspan”, although they can verge on the slightly twee at times. However, Clive Palmer of the Incredible String Band released an album under the name C.O.B, (Clive’s Own Band) called “Moyshe McStiff & the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart”. I don’t know what it is about it exactly, except its uniqueness perhaps, but it has always held a special place in my heart and is well worth a listen:
link to youtube.com
link to normanlamont.com
@SR: wow! Very unusual stuff from CP, the Ivor Cutler of progressive rock, apparently. I actually enjoyed it, but I’m hardly mainstream myself 😉 .
Talking of ambient music, this may be classed as such. After a slow start, it really takes off about 7.20:
link to youtube.com
Thanks for the link, Tinto. I used to listen to Tangerine Dream quite a bit in my younger days although “Rubycon” is not an album I’m familiar with. The only album of theirs I still have is “Cyclone” which I like as it’s so different to all their other albums and the only one with vocals. Klaus Schulze’s solo work is good too. I have “Timewind” on vinyl which I think is one of his best albums. The explosion of sound towards the end still makes me jump!
link to youtube.com
And nice to hear mention of Ivor Cutler. Life in a Scotch sitting room and all that!
Rubicon was the only LP I had of TD. It was very popular at the time and I used to annoy my parents with it.
I’d never heard of Schulze before but that would have been a great soundtrack to a Sci-Fi film like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
A quick dose of Ivor in case anyone else is still out there: link to youtube.com
When The Scotsman was still a newspaper, I loved the musings of Albert Morris, another purveyor of off-beat, douce surrealism.
Grate Thott No.1 I had while walking through the lockdown-ravaged streets of Glasgow on Wednesday:
First we were customers, then we were consumers, now we are mere walk-ins.
Don’t have any TD but I was introduced to this German album by a girlfriend in 1978, whose hobby was analysing Jon Anderson lyrics.
As there are no lyrics on this album, I find it useful to put it on for ‘eyes closed’ relaxation and mind-wandering.
link to youtube.com
@BDTT: great stuff. Most of the recent tracks posted here could be dismissively described as “spliff music” but what’s not to like, particularly in these authoritarian times?
This is one of the best Chill Tracks ever by Air, those lovable French scamps. I’m not posting the pre-earthquake San Francisco footage often linked to it because I keep wondering who amongst all the folk in it died four days later, and it saddens me:
link to youtube.com
This track is my favourite “snoggin'” track. You know, when you’re having a snog but feel relaxed and looking for no more than a snog.
link to youtube.com
I’ll have to download that ‘Air track. Thather good.
“You know, when you’re having a snog but feel relaxed and looking for no more than a snog.”
What, like a Pot Noodle or something?
Hi TC.
That mention reminds me of this:-
link to youtube.com
(My original comment is stuck in moderation limbo so I have tried to edit it by hopefully removing the trigger words.)
Brian,
I never could quite get into Ash Ra Tempel for some reason although I do enjoy their album with the then in exile Timothy Leary:
link to youtube.com
Can are one of my favourite krautrock bands if rather avant-garde. Popol Vuh and Embryo are also very good and I really enjoy the obscure “Crawling to Lhasa” by Kalacakra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4–LBnwFAU
The self-titled album by the mysterious German Oak is interesting and has had a big influence on the underground scene, the metal community in particular. It sounds like it was recorded in a concrete bunker and I actually think it was – an air raid shelter apparently! The unfortunate speech samples and album iconography were added without the band’s approval (although there is a version available on Amazon which has the speech samples removed and is preferable in many ways):
link to youtube.com
A couple of really excellent albums with more of a folk tinge are by Bröselmaschine and Hölderlin. All the nicer, I think, because a lot of the tracks are sung in German which was unusual for German bands seeking international recognition at that time:
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
@BDTT: I really shouldn’t have started this, should I 🙂 ?
Naw Tinto, you really shouldn’t have started this. Goodness only knows whit BDTT can dig out of his files.
Onywho, hope you’re all well folks in spite of all the nonsense around us these days. Getting harder to keep your sanity.
@Marie: I pure ken. I fear another one of BDTT’s infamous blondes might be produced or Valerie Leon doing her Hai Karate adverts.
Sanity, you say?
link to youtube.com
Hi TC.
Famous blondes. My Mum used to sing this to me. The singer was a wonderful looking wummin in the late 50s/early 60s.
link to youtube.com
Onnyhoo… when I first watched this on that TV, I was LOL. It’s worth revisiting. Where the Liverpool team of 1991, playing for the first time in black and white, take on the Arsenal team of the 1930s.
Charles “Charlie” Charles is a ‘talent’.
link to facebook.com
Doris Day? She always seemed much too wholesome for me. Didn’t Groucho say he knew her before she was a virgin?
Some of those Cholmondeley-Warner spoofs were excellent, e.g. “Vote Labour, Vote Lice!”
Thanks for that BDTT LOL for the first time in a while. Class act that Arsenal team, and stylish too, whit aboot they shorts, my my my.
Hi Marie.
You’ll probably like the other “Cholmondley Warner” and Harry Enfield ‘documentaries’ that are on Youtube. “Women: Know Your Limits!” is particularly good.
You can click on them here:-
link to youtube.com“cholmondley+warner”
SHAZBOT!
That url isn’t a clickable link (misses what’s after the =). You’ll have to copy and paste it rather than click.
I forgot about TinyURL.
The link above,
link to youtube.com
doesn’t work.
This one does –
link to tinyurl.com
Well that’s weird. BOTH links are now working!
Disgusting filth which undermines faith in one of society’s most important foundations:
link to youtube.com
I enjoyed that clip, Tinto. An interesting anecdote: I went to the same school as Stanley Baxter! As did Alexander Trocchi, who was friends with Leonard Cohen, and whose novel “Young Adam” is a classic of Scottish literature.
@Saffron Robe: Stanley was such a talented guy. Pity he “came out” as a No in 2014 but I suppose it was mainly an age thing.
Trocchi’s life from the outside looks incredibly sleazy. I heard he blamed his later heroin addiction on the trauma of school dinners at Hillhead HS 🙂 .
Snowing now Where I Am. The birds in the garden are panicking now and a big family party of long-tailed tits is on my feeders: beautiful wee helicopters.
Afternoon, Tinto,
I was going to mention the controversial nature of Stanley Baxter’s personal life, particularly his advocacy of a “No” vote in the 2014 referendum. On the other hand, I do try to separate an artist from their personal beliefs, otherwise I couldn’t listen to half the music I listen to for instance!
There definitely was a sleazy side to Alexander Trocchi but I think a lot of that may have come about because he didn’t get the recognition he deserved. “Young Adam” is a classic not just of Scottish literature but world literature, and I have heard it described as one of the first modern novels. I forgot to mention Trocchi was also friends with Allen Ginsberg. I have a nice photo of them sitting together along with other assorted Beats!
I must confess I’ve never read “Young Adam” (and me an intellectual tae!). I should get a copy. MacDiarmid called Trocchi “cosmopolitan scum” at one point but they seemed to write to each other after that. Heroin addiction is a terrible thing so I think he could be cut some slack.
I have finally decided not to delve too deeply into the lives of my heroes. There are usually too many skeletons in their metaphorical cupboards and it tends to put you off. Ignorance is bliss.
link to youtube.com
Heroes, is it?
link to youtube.com
I’m a bit of a sucker for these old town views, in this case before the Nazis came to power. Things were so primitive in those days: clean streets, urban infrastructure, ordered cityscapes und so weiter.
link to youtube.com
Thank God that today we have our pronouns in order and can vaccinate primary children against a non-existent threat to them.
Never mind, the First Minister’s heart sings at their “inoculation”.
And so we go on…..
Hi TC.
I don’t usually watch all of that type of video but that was rather fascinating. I was flitting between the curling on the TV and the video on the Mac.
I found myself drawing a mental comparison with a video I found years ago. Shot by an American cameraman, it shows Würzburg in May 1945. Würzburg is twinned with Dundee. I was there in 1968.
link to youtube.com
Here’s the background…
link to hartford-hwp.com
You are quite correct: right up to the end the RAF was vindictively plastering German towns of little strategic value. It was more like simple revenge bombing and Bomber Harris (Butcher to many of his own crews) should have been in the dock for it. No wonder he legged it to South Africa after the war. And that’s before we consider Dresden…….
The Bombing War by Richard Overy is an excellent account which shows Harris’s indiscriminate carpet bombing failed in its two main objectives of breaking German morale and destroying its industrial base. It also caused the deaths of about 56,000 of his own air crew.
Hi TC.
The thing that got me was that I didn’t find out until years after my Würzburg visit, the destruction that went on.
I was in The Residence. It looked authentically “old”. I didn’t realise that it had been rebuilt. My overwhelming memory is of “Tiepolo ceilings” None of the German classmates ever mentioned what had happened in 1945.
Wildlife update:
Today I had a good look in the tupperware box containing the elephant hawk moth caterpillar chrysalis.
I check it every few weeks and sprinkle a few drips of water over the leaves and grass to keep a little bit of moisture around it as don’t want it drying out completely.
Well I teased away a bit of the foliage cocoon the caterpillar had made around itself to have a closer look, and to my surprise the chrysalis gave its tail a twitch!
So I guess there is something going on inside.
Just another few months till May to wait then hopefully I’ll be able to witness this.
40 seconds of bonnie pink and olive moth emerging from chrysalis.
link to youtube.com
@BDTT: amazing to think they could recreate those ceilings. Rococo à gogo!
Magnificent creature, Dan, but what if it self-identifies as a butterfly? Hope everything goes well in May. Speaking of that month, ever seen a May bug/cockchafer (ooh, matron!). Once saw a very large sawfly emerging from an old log in Skye and it was most impressive.
Btw, any truth in the rumour Sam Brinton is applying for a primary head teacher post in leafy Bearsden? I hear RT are reporting that some UK nurses have been sacked for questioning in which wards trans women should be placed.
Awoo, werewolves of London!
So this is where everybody hides in order to escape from Ruby.
@Stuart 4.36 pm
The first rule of Off-topic…..
Hi TC,
I guess you found this?
link to wga.hu
@BDTT: no, I didn’t but I shall pouch it in my faves so thanks for that. Rococo is a bit strong for a simple Romanesque (e.g. Lamington Kirk) Lanarkshire lad like wot I am but you have to admire the skill.
Meant to say: according to Overy, Harris said only about a quarter of the RAF aircrew were any good, and the rest just target practice for German gunners. I’m sure my uncle and his crew would be glad to know they perished over Hamburg for such an aerosol.
@Stuart MacKay: just saw your comment.
Ruby isn’t the first name to spring to mind tbh (she’s been posting here since at least 2015) but we all have our faults.
I’ve always enjoyed your intelligent perspectives from Portugal, and Graf Midgehunter’s from Germany. I once thought my children and grandchildren were sure to live in an independent Scotland but I see little prospect now short of a cataclysmic meltdown of The Sturrell Supremacy. Alba seems too timid and reluctant to expose the Empress’s lack of clothing, unfortunately, although the MSM will never give it a fair crack of the whip anyway.
May The Force be with you.
Difficult to stop the feet tapping to such rhythm:
link to youtube.com
Dark times at the moment but the community spirit here is quite inspiring.
Ye ha Tinto, my wee legs are pure sair noo wi a’ that dancin.
It’s no whit ye wid ca’ elegant, but by jings they were a’ enjoying it, young and old.
A lot of that tradition in America comes from the immigrant Scots and Irish, our step dancing and music. Great fun. I just love tae dance, makes you feel better.
Hope yourself and Mrs TC are well and the grandchildren too.
I wonder what BDTT will make of this, and what he might come up with?
Wow. We really enjoyed watching that, Tinto. Foot tapping indeed. And cheers one up – don’t we need that!
I did have a go at the dancing but was hampered by our terrier standing on her hind legs, on my feet…
Hi Sarah.
In my DJing days, I got a lot of mileage out of this at all sorts of parties.
Just makes peeps want to get up off their @®$e$.
link to youtube.com
You’re right, BDTT, of course – straight up off the settee, and the dog enjoyed it too!
Hi Sarah.
Did you let it play on?
Agadoo came up next on my machine.
link to youtube.com
You may enjoy this one. It was a single I played at The Bowlin’ Alley when I was creating a “hot summer night” atmosphere. Like the following ones.
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
link to youtube.com
By hear Brian that’s a walk doon memory lane. I can remember (just) dancing away to some of these tunes, beach baby seems to stand out for some reason.
Good man yourself Brian, you never let us doon.
@ Marie and Sarah: glad you ladies enjoyed the jiggin’. I can’t get that fiddle music out of my head. I have sent Brian to his room for playing Agadoo.
AOK at Tinto Towers apart from the usual childhood coughs and stomach bugs: lockdown seems to have weakened the wee ones’ immunity a bit so when they go back to nursery or playgroup they pick up every thing going. Hope you afishionados and conyoshenty are both well.
There is an interesting short documentary on the dance footage:
link to youtube.com
The wee girl with the short hair has such a lovely, natural smile it fair cheers you up, innit?
Well thanks for that Tinto, I am now cream crackered for the rest of the day. Had tae dance again did’t I.
Good wee youtube watch. The two young dudes were what Jed Clampet used to call as ” cutting loose with the fancy footstompin”, a touch of the Shetland backstep in there too.
Such happy smiling faces really enjoying it, loved the auld guy sleeping on the sofa, ah bless.
Nowadays I feel like him but without the liver spots 🙂 .
Hi Marie Clark.
Mention of Jed Clampett. This is worth a watch. Mark Knopfler’s on it.
link to youtube.com
It’s actually a clip from the film “UHF”.
Brian, you never cease to amaze me the things that you can dig oot the files, yer some man.
Right, here I am again, Brian and all – worn out from bopping in the kitchen while the tea brewed. Been otherwise occupied the last few days so no time to indulge myself.
Agadoo is particularly gripping, sorry to say – they don’t write them like that anymore! Or do they? I’m so out of touch.
I remember and liked the “Going to Barbados” – would warm up a Dundee winter. Mind you, could do with some of that warmth here today – snow back on the hill opposite, down to about 1500′.
My husband posted the Appalachian film onto his facebook – oddly it only garnered one reaction, from an American neighbour of ours. As you say, Tinto, the rhythm and sound of the fiddle stays in ones head. The occasion is so appealing as well – just like Scottish occasions when all the generations get on the floor and no-one is left out [unless asleep!].
Wish I could say the same about the liver spots, Tinto!
Hi Sarah.
So you’re from Dundee? You may enjoy this version of a well known tune.
I bought this and still have it – 7″.
link to youtube.com
Hi Brian,
I have a cousin between Perth and Dundee and visiting in winter was the coldest I’ve ever been! I stay in balmy W Ross – ameliorated by the Gulf Stream, so they say.
What was the “well known tune” – I got up to dance, of course, but not being hugely musical I can’t say I know the tune. I know I will be embarrassed when you tell me!
Hi Sarah.
You surprise me!
You didn’t recognise this?
link to youtube.com
Told you I’d be embarrassed! Blame it on 50 years in England…
“Wish I could say the same about the liver spots, Tinto!”
Think of them as wisdom stigmata, Sarah: problem solved.
@ Tinto: framing is always the answer! 🙂 🙂
Indubitably, m’dear 😉 .
Heard this on my crystal set yesterday and was reminded how unusual and profound she was:
link to youtube.com
And of course there’s this one too:
link to youtube.com
She’s still going, too…
Bugger: meant to include this ‘un: link to youtube.com
I’ve been browsing old posts on my Facebook page and found this one from August 2020. Don’t know if I ever posted it here.
link to youtube.com
“Don’t know if I ever posted it here.”
Dontfinksae: I think I would have remembered 😉 .
I’ll raise you this classic:
link to youtube.com
Bellisima, Tinto. That made the hairs on the back of the neck stand up, and a wee tear come into the eye.
Just wonderful, thank you for that wee gem.
Aye, Marie, a great voice and he doesn’t do too badly attempting the proper Scots pronunciation either, certainly better than some supposedly Scottish “bools in the mooth” artists of yesteryear (no names, no pack drill).
I remember the first time I put it on here that Thepnr/Alex Clark of immortal memory warned I might get into trouble from The Watchers for posting a Red Army choir recording. He was only joking then but now I’m not so sure: it’s a mad mad mad mad mad mad mad world out there.
John Bonham gets the best out of Rita Hayworth and even that old stiffy Fred Astaire:
link to youtube.com
That was rather good, TC.
Reminded me of the vid-ayoes that Disco 2 and Colour Me Pop showed back in the day. Couldn’t find any examples on Youtube but did find this… (Saw them live in the Caird Hall in 1968.)
link to youtube.com
BTW: wee factoid…
Lemmy, when roadie for The Nice, gave Keith Emerson one of the knives he used on the keyboard.
Brian Doonthetoon says:
15 April, 2022 at 10:35 pm
BTW: wee factoid…
Lemmy, when roadie for The Nice, gave Keith Emerson one of the knives he used on the keyboard.
—
Warfare for the common man. (I’ll get me coat)
I first heard this piece of music by Pärt as a soundtrack to footage of someone walking through the mysterious woods of British Columbia. I found its repetitive structure quite calming and simple, almost hypnotic in fact:
link to youtube.com
However, it seems simple it ain’t:
link to linusakesson.net
Whodathunkit?
Just having a rummage around Youtube, as you do, when I came across this. Done with humour and lots of laughter at the absurdity of it all.
Look where we are now, looks as if they were ahead of their time. It’s still all bonkers, absolutely mad, but you can do this now and expect to be taken seriously.
Sometimes I’m quite pleased that I’m old, I don’t think that I care for for the way this world is going now.
Great blog by Iain Lawson this morning if anyone cares for a wee look.
link to youtube.com
@Marie: may I offer you more sexist filth from those Vile Ronnies?
link to youtube.com
I had to laugh at Mhairi Black lecturing us about unsavoury male behaviour in Raynergate while she was quite happy with Flow Job visiting primary schools.
Grate Thott for Today: it’s a small world but I wouldn’t want to paint it.
P.S. the grasshopper warblers have arrived Where I Am.
I remember that well Tinto. Ah the two Ronnies, what a delight on a Saturday night. Good entertainment for all the family. I think one of my favourites was the Phantom Raspberry Blower of Old London Town. Oh those were the days eh! good innocent fun and nae woke brigade to tell you you were offending this that or the other group. Total killjoys, they’re as bad as the wee frees.
Moff oot tae the jigging the nicht, catch you later.
@Marie: if you’re out on the pull, don’t pull a muscle 🙂 .
Hi Tinto, naw, nae pulled muscles I’m pleased to say, but a very enjoyable social night, It wiz guid.
As for the other kind of pull, well, the nice thing about being older is, you don’t have to bother with any of that now. Quite happy to go home to the beloved, although he is in the dog house at the moment, so he’s feeling a bit sorry for himself since I gave him a right telling off yesterday morning.
Onywho All’s well at Tinto Towers I hope. We don’t get grasshopper warblers about here, but the swallows are arriving in numbers. I love to see them and watch them swooping about at speed. It’s a nice time of the year with all the wee lambs as well. Aw the nice.
AOK@TT, apart from a great grinding of teeth as I read Stu’s epic listing of our glorious leader’s fantastic “achievements”.
No Alba candidate Where I Am, but lots of canvassing and leaflets from the blue and red Tories, with SNP apparently struggling to get boots on the ground and having to use RM delivery. When I think of all the time and shoe leather I expended on what turned out to be a totally bogus Sturrell prospectus………
Same where I am Tinto. No ALBA or other genuine independence party standing. All the Britnats as usual, a woman for SNP and a cooncillor who was SNP last time but standing as an independent this time to appeal to a wider audience, whatever that might mean. I can’t find out whether he has left the SNP or still in, very suspicious.
I think for the first time in my adult life I’m not going to vote.
I get what you mean about the time and the shoe leather out leafleting etc. Sad, really sad to be led up the garden path like this.
Agree completely. Just to cheer us up, a classic from last spring, when it first appeared on O/T:
link to youtube.com
🙂
Warning: not for those of a nervous disposition…..
(No, it’s not footage of Gordon Brown)
Hell’s bells Tinto that’s gruesome, you sure it’s no Broon escaped from the crypt again.
Dontfinksae, Marie. Old Leatherstocking could at least play rudimentary banjo, whereas Broonie could…….
Best not to speculate, short of doing jail time.
I bring sad news. Just discovered Jeremy Vine (bring out the garlic and crucifixes) nominated this as his all-time favourite track:
link to youtube.com
It used to be one of my faves but I’m not so sure now 😉 .
This dropped into my YT gander-bag yesterday. Doubtless a lot of these Reaction vids are rehearsed but this lady seems to go from frivolously patronising to deeply affected by five guys from Newcastle singing an American song back at her:
link to youtube.com
Burdon is epic as you would expect, but Alan Price is like a JS Bach on Speed and the Honey Monster bassist, Chas Chandler, became Jimi Hendrix’s manager.
Bonus track: master of the slide……….
link to youtube.com
May The Force, etc.
Hi Tinto, hadn’t heard that song in a wee while. Poor lassie, I thought her eyeballs were going to pop out of her head. Fair dumbfoonart at the end. didn’t know what to say.
I suppose when I look back at things that I was lucky growing up with all the music that was around, all the groups and singers. One of my granddaughters, ( she’s 19) always said to me she wished that she’d grown up in that era, the music and the clothes, mind you the clothes were a bit off the wall sometimes. We went to dances with a group playing and met with others people, mibbies got a lumber for the way home. Aye the old rose tinted glasses are great whiles.
Thanks for the memories.
Hi, Marie.
Story is The Animals got all their stuff on a train to London, lugged their kit into the recording studio, had a run-through and then did it all in one take before doing the reverse journey to Newcastle, and not an auto-tune in sight.
They would have been massive in The States if Alan Price hadn’t been so scared of flying. I love the last part of their vid with Valentine Hilton (lead guitar) grinning like a baby-faced killer behind Eric (Who are you looking’ at?) Burdon.
This is a daft early video but Stevie is a master of “Dirty Hammond” funky/blues/gospel keyboards:
link to youtube.com
At least he and I have the same kind of exquisite cheekbones: ye canna buy that kind of bone structure 🙂 .
MTFBWY
Sorry, Rev Stu.
I forgot to strip out an “https://” but moderation of the edited comment is a mystery…
AH! More than 4 links, perchance?
As you can probably gather from my comments preceding this one, I posted a comment on Thursday evening at the back of 10 which is still in moderation.
As there was a natural break in it, I’m gonna repost in 2 parts. Here goes…
—————————————
Oh TC, you are a naughty boy!
Catching up with “off-topic”, I’ve just spent slightly under two hours watching your link to the reaction to HOTRS – and ALL the follow-ups that appeared.
What struck me was how ignorant they all were of a single that got to #1 in the UK and USA. Maybe they don’t have an equivalent of BBC Radio 2 in the USA?
Onnyhoo, I remember it well. Went to BB camp at Camserney, outside Aberfeldy, at the start of July for a week, with the Animals at #1. When I returned home, The Rolling Stones were at #1 with “It’s All Over Now” (complete with the handclaps). (Or maybe I’ve got them transposed in my memorybockers.)
link to officialcharts.com
This track is on more than one of my 60s “snooze” playlists.
link to youtube.com
And so to “Gimme Some Lovin’”.
There are two mixes in circulation – the original UK single and a remix for the US market. When I first bought it as an import at Bruce’s in Dundee, my first impression was that there were steel drums on it.
The UK version –
link to youtube.com
The USA version –
link to youtube.com
What can be fun is to have each version in adjacent tabs, synchronised, and play them simultaneously. I’m sure S Winwood forgets what verse he’s on in the US version.
I’ve just done the 2 tab trick. He definitely goes awry with the vocals on the US version! BTW, the UK version is slightly faster so has to be paused for a microsecond two or three times during playback.
Onnyhoo, found this decent TV performance (Live In Finland) during my YT search.
link to youtube.com
Now I must go and prepare my evening nosebag, which tonight, will be mostly Spag Bog and half a garlic baguette.
————————
That was my Thursday evening.