Jim Malcolm

Had a great gig in New Haven CT on Sunday, special thanks to hosts Bob and Susan Frew. Bob is Scottish and they flew to Glasgow yesterday for the remembrance service of an old friend and will be sampling the heightened tension… I’ve had a couple of days off in New Hampshire getting humiliated by the local trout. I only managed to catch one small fish – I hope it is not a bad omen for tomorrow. Saw some lovely scenery though, it’s a really beautiful state.. Thanks to Mike Stiers for taking in a wandering minstrel. This is Lake Winnipeasaukee.

Caught one small trout here on the Contoocook river. Have a picture but it’s embarrassing…
Having trouble coping with the indyref now.. so close after all this time. absolutely no idea which way it’s going to go…

Had a really great show with the Old Songs folks in Voorheesville NY last night, thanks to all the gang especially Andy and Bill. It was an absolutely horrible day of rain so no snaps I”m afraid, though Bill took a bunch during the show that I’m hoping to get a look at.
A couple of people were talking about the Outlander series on TV at the moment which is set in Scotland during the 1745 Jacobite Rising. This is the Actual stone that inspired Diana Gabeldon’s first novel.  It is at Clava Cairns near the harrowing Culloden battlefield. We visited there back in June. Strangely the hit series is not being broadcast in Scotland. I wonder why?

Off on tour to the US. No were 20 pts ahead in the indyref when we began organising this trip…I thought being out of Scotland when yes got crushed was a good idea. Oh me of little faith! Here is a shot of the Lower Manhattan skyline from Newark Airport….with the replacement tower to the Twin Towers rising like a great phoenix….

Rick the piper was rattling out some great Scottish tunes to welcome folks to my show in Montague MA. My first gig went extremely well, thanks to all the good folks in the Amherst area especially Louise.

Rumour has it that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (though only the first of Scotland, and yes we are touchy about it) is troubled by current events in her northern kingdom and has been strolling through her beautiful Balmoral estate in this casual little number. Actually this is a photograph from the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh that we visited back in June.
Oh and congratulations to the Earl and Countess of Strathearn who are expecting another baby. (That’s what they are known as in this here kingdom, see touchy  above….)

Sorting out photos from earlier this year and found a ridiculous self portrait on the banks of the Tay.