Everywhere I have travelled on this island people have been keen to welcome me as a fellow Celt and assure me of how similar our two countries are. They’re not that similar. At bottom the Scots and the Irish think differently.
Getting Back from the Official Future
It was the eighties. We loved the place and we feared the time. At school we were fed a diet of free milk and warnings of when the Russians attacked. At nine years old I had already seen images of what their bombs would do to us.
Getting my Money back from the Swimming Pool
Never in a million years would I get my €120 back. That was gone, but – on principle – I was sure as hell going to fight for my €3.50. Up I went with my used and wet cap and explained that this wasn’t really my cup of tea, and, as a show of good faith, requested a refund. It was refused.
Are You a Victim of Optimism?
Follow @UrFhasaidh We might as well call this the general ignorance round. While taking in a few of the splendid beers Belgium has to offer, during our fortnight in Flanders, we were frequently accosted by the advertising banner for The Wipers Times beer, and it is only now that I am making the connection. ‘Wipers’ … Continue reading Are You a Victim of Optimism?
Futility and Farce at the Menin Gate
Remembrance is the lifeblood of modern Ypres. Every night of the week military and paramilitary style bands flock to the Menin Gate to pay homage to the dead. In many respects this is a noble gesture, and few can pause beneath the lists of the butchered engraved on the panels of the gate and be unmoved by the scale of the slaughter.
Some Gentle Professional Advice for the Ladies
I strongly recommend a nursing mother to attend to her household duties. She is never so happy, or so well, as when her mind is moderately occupied with something useful. She never looks so charming as when she is attending to her household duties.
Another Brilliant Adventure of Skye the Parakeet
Follow @UrFhasaidh Skye has been uncharacteristically sociable of late. On his escapes from his cage he has taken to landing on the desk and playing with pens and assaulting the laptop screen. He hasn’t behaved like this since before he got himself a girlfriend. At first I thought that this was a sign that he … Continue reading Another Brilliant Adventure of Skye the Parakeet
Adventures of Skye #1
Follow @UrFhasaidh At this stage Skye the parakeet pretty much has the run of the house. It doesn’t bother him that Ambrose, the porky Jack Russell, also has the run of the house. The world exists in three dimensions for Skye and Jura. They have all the floor space and when wee Ambrose comes along … Continue reading Adventures of Skye #1
Random Public Journal 