Author Archive

15th of August

by on Wednesday, August 15th, 2018

Hi Folks, last weekend Susie and I took a trip to see some Pictish stones with friends Alena and Bruce visiting from Georgia. Alena’s family have hosted me umpteen times near Dahlonega, each time taking me bass fishing on their lovely property so it was great to return at least a small part of their hospitality. The stones are around Aberlemno, a hamlet near Forfar and in the heart of fertile Strathmore – that was the epicentre of the Pictish kingdom and culture. The stones were carved around 800 AD, a turbulent period when the vikings were beginning to ravage the coastline of Scotland and the Scots (from Ireland) were establishing a kingdom in the west that would eventually overpower and replace the Pictish hierarchy. The stones are virtually all we know about the people who were named by the Romans due to their body paintings or tattoos – Pictus. We also visited a small museum in Meigle that has a collection of stones that have been moved indoors to protect them from the weather. It’s amazing how well preserved the outdoor ones are considering…

Susie and I are doing a concert in Inchture (between Perth and Dundee) on Thursday evening (16th of Aug) check my website concerts page for details.

 

 

9th of August

by on Thursday, August 9th, 2018

Hello folks, just a wee report on a festival I appeared at down in the south of England last week. It was at a lovely little town called Wickham (Jane Austin fans will surely have heard of it) which lies in the flinty Meon Valley between Southhampton and Portsmouth. My Dad lived near there for many years before he retired from running a school so I am fairly familiar with the area. The head organiser is a great guy called Peter Chegwin who regularly attends events in Scotland and has many Scottish acts at his festivals. He is very keen to look after the artists and put me up at the wonderful New Place Hotel (the handsome and historic brick mansion house behind its own cricket pitch). The weather was extremely hot and so people were sheltering within two of the large tents enjoying the great music. Having your own seat was an absolute must. It was a very pleasant experience, very well run and friendly. I don’t do much in England these days, but this was very encouraging and they certainly love their folk music!

17th of July

by on Tuesday, July 17th, 2018

Hello Folks, I’ve been a bit quiet on the interweb for some time now, but I’m going to try to be a bit more active for the rest of the year. Here is an interesting ad from an estate agent in Stromness on the mainland of the Orkney Islands. We had a great trip there back in June when the days never really end and the hills and meadows are lush and green. Looks like a great opportunity for some one who loves the islands and doesn’t mind living somewhere with a rude name!

3rd of April

by on Wednesday, April 4th, 2018

The first brown trout of the 2018 season, caught after great effort and safely returned. The flyfishing season has had a dreadful start with winter lingering long after everybody is heartily sick of it. April so far has been like February, it’s snowing right now! I am getting ready for a trip to the Midwest of the US and I’m excited to catch up with many great folks and folkies that I haven’t seen for quite a wee while. Hopefully the midwest will be a bit more spring-like than here. Bonnie trout though…

 

 

 

22nd of February

by on Thursday, February 22nd, 2018

Well folks, I’m home from my West Coast US tour, which has been a great trip. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me on the way and made it such a great highlight of my working year. I also had some very pleasant days off both down on the beautiful coast and up on the snowy mountains of the Cascades. I return to Scotland with plenty inspiration for the year ahead including some possible new events back in Scotland. The picture is of the sunrise at Clear Lake in northern California. I wish all the folks of the west a great year and I hope to be paddling in your ocean and sloping off to your slopes again next year.