Fresh Mint Tea for 1



On my own in the garden as my neighbour, Pedro is on honeymoon.

Animal Collective & Panda Bear

I am in 2 minds as to whether I view the Animal Collective as the new Beach Boys, the new High Llamas or the new Beatles as the harmonies & song structure leaves me in complete awe at their efforts.

In order to immerse myself in their work, I had stuck all their albums, including the Panda Bear solos onto my phone & listened outside on the hammock in the sunshine.

In addition, I have been listening to a raft of folk compilations, both old & new: Folk but not Folk, Beard, Bread & Bears Prayers, Gather in the Mushrooms, Golden Apples of the Sun, Fuzzy Felt Folk, Folk is not a 4 Letter Word & Folk Off.

By the Old Totem Pole

As the price of petrol makes running a car the privilege of only the very rich, I decided to get out on the bike.

Seeing the world from this angle again is so pleasant. Your area of movement is extremely limited, but perhaps this is a good thing.

I followed the canal down to the Bowling Basin, quite a feat if you are not used to cycling.

On the way I stopped at the Wildlife Reservation that is The Saltings, between the canal & the river. I thought it was funny, when another kind of reservation was evoked by the presence of a totem pole in The Saltings.

Hopefully, I will be doing this more often in the drive to keep fitter, but I am opening up to a slower pace of life on the canalside that reminds me of Iain Sinclair’s London Orbital book.

Grumpy Old Men & Women





Believe it or not the old folks pictured above thought at one time they could change the world.

I am so happy that they have remained my friends since those days. Peace & Love.

More Psychogeography

I am related to the MacAlpines on my grandma’s side & thus to the kings of Scotland, so it was only fitting that one of my sons should get wed in Dumbarton, an area of such rich historical importance.

Strangely enough, I often meet Simon Lennox, who’s father & he himself are colleagues at the college. Being named Lenox in this area has a definite historical significance.

As I looked around the younger males at the wedding, I flashed back to earlier times in history & I could visualise Jaime & David in period costume reflecting their hirsute appearance.

Naturally this idea was dropped into my head, as I was dressed in period costume myself, as were the other males in the wedding party.

I Know some might scoff at the crazy notion of a ‘sense of place’, ‘déjà vu’ & all that, but there was a ‘solid air’ around this event, there was a lot more going on than just a wedding. Perhaps, I am reading too much into this, but there was a total special atmosphere going on in the shadow of the rock & the castle.

I believe all the guests could sense this.

Personally, it gave me such an opportunity to meet up with some guests, who had not met since my own wedding 33 years ago. (There is that significant number again!).

I would like to thank my son & his wife (my new daughter) for allowing this gathering of the elders to take place.

There is a further sub theme going on here, as the Pacettas are very active on the pro-Palestinian front, when they were only a stone’s throw from the viscera of Robert the Bruce another king of Scotland, who always wanted to visit Palestine (for all the wrong reasons!) & who wished his heart to end up there (although it may have gone to Montrose?).

Also the elders & my own amigos all had a shared experience further up the river at the Gavinburn Bus Garage, where we all worked as bus conductors & where we forged this friendship that has lasted all this time. This are has also deep roots as it is the site of a large Roman fort & sits on the Antonine Wall, now granted World Heritage status.

Focker

The trouble with being the groom’s father at a wedding is that you do not get the platform to defend yourself when you are attacked by both the bride’s father & by the groom himself.

However the day was not about me, although the above 2 speeches seemed to suggest otherwise.

I know these unwarranted attacks were meant with love in their hearts.

Moreover, I fail to see how anyone can compare me with Dustin Hoffman in ‘Meet the Fockers’, but a hall full of 100+ guests seemed to disagree!

Mubai No 1


For tonight Only let us make this site a forum for the fathers of the groom on the eve of my younger son's marriage as we do not get a chance to make a speech on the big day.


Well here is my bit: on the stag do journey up the a9, my son's soon to be father-in-law wasinformed by me that I was a former Bombay taxi driver.

The scariest part was that I am sure he believed this!

Blows Against the Empire

Yes, I can see myself in my flares, puffing on a chillum, when someone would dare suggest that almost 40 years later, I would now be groovin’ to the sounds of the 5^th Dimension & The Free Design.

At the time they were so uncool, easily dismissed as we slipped more Jefferson Airplane or the Dead vinyl onto the Dansette.

Now I am actively searching out those albums. What does that mean?

Incidentally, the groom caught me grooving to the 5^th Dimension this a.m. & he thought it was Petula Clark. Yesterday in a brave attempt to try & tidy up my loft I did have a Petula Clark cd in my grubby mitts. It’s a strange old world innit.

Talking about remarkable coincidences & the rest, one of the Happy Highlanders, who had not visited this blog for a few days & had left out some cds to play during the day, ones he had not played for ages. He then went to work & checked the blog to find me raving about the Blue Nile. Yup you guessed right, one of the cds he was about to play, for the first time in years was: Blue Nile.

Krautrock Album Covers

I just realised today that although I am extremely fond of krautrock & because most of this stuff appeared in the 70s & on vinyl with a huge canvas to create artistic works of art, they did not.

I know we are primarily concerned with the music, but have another look at the artwork, it is so awful.

However, you might point out that this is what made them stand out in the record racks, the sheer ugliness of the jackets.

Osaka Bridge

How cool does our own Bill Wells look in this month’s ‘Wire’ magazine. The picture shows him with a guitar, not crouched over keyboards.

He is such a pleasant person & should be Scotland’s Minister for Japanese affairs.

Did He Jump Or was he Pushed?


Maybe it was the effect of too much java or the excitement of getting the hammock repaired & 2 weeks hols (where has the sun gone?) or it could be the thought of finally getting rid of one of those wee toerags that calls me paw, but I did a very stupid thing on Sunday evening.

I was clowning about climbing my railings, when my slippers (not ideal acrobatic footwear!) got caught in the railings & I took a tumble head first & hit the ground!

I have lots of bruises, cuts & a very delicate dent in my ego. Pride comes before a fall.

The most annoying bit was the fact that my wife & the groom drove away completely ignoring me as if I had not diced with death & almost missed the wedding.

Will my bruises show up under my kilt?

Rooftops, railway stations & rain

I went last night to see Glasgow’s best kept secret. Yes you guessed right: the Blue Nile @ Concert Hall.

I have waited a long time for this opportunity & I was amply rewarded. The sound was astonishing as was the performance & Paul Buchanan has that voice that pierces your heart especially in the songs he sang with minimal accompaniment.

A Walk Across

As I get older, I have discovered, I am now easily moved to tears. This is no disgrace, even in the West of Scotland, it just happens & I am glad that it does.

I am becoming my father. In his later years I could see his eyes watering.

What really does it for me in a musical framework are some really great singers. I know this wouldn’t be the case for everyone, but I just thought I would list what vocalists do it for me.

Paul Buchanan of the Blue Nile, Andy M. Stewart & Jackie Leven (all Scots!) & Scott Walker.

Librarians Love Lists – Discuss

I recently found my old prison notebook & I had made lists under different headings that were important to me. I thought I would share them here. See what you think:

· British jazz

· 60s Psychedelia

· Krautrock

· Lounge/Easy Tempo/Exotica

· 70s Reggae/Dub

· Pork label

· Japanese noise/Other noise

· New Psychedelia/Freak Folk

· Soundtracks

· Gilles Peterson related items

· ‘Wire’ magazine related items

· Bollywood

· Brazil

· French Pop/Ye – Ye

· Finnish Underground

· World Music

· Sublime Frequencies label

· Italian Easy Tempo

· Library music

· Ghost Box label

· Funk & Soul

· Glitch