Blogs

Scots wae hae nae

Posted by celticman on Fri, 26 Jun 2026

After Brazil beat Scotland 3—0, without even trying very hard, John McGinn said in the post-match interview, ‘We gave everything.’ Steve Clarke said something similar. ‘We gave them the goals.’ Iconic Scottish commentator, Archie McPherson summed it up by saying this was the pishest Scotland team he’d ever seen—and he’s over 90. When it gets to a stramash, I tend to agree with Archie. It was nice being in the World Cup. There was none of the...

Story and Poem of the Week, with Inspiration Point

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 26 Jun 2026

This week’s picks have been chosen by marandina: A week brimming with great stories and poems. Thank you to everyone for their contributions. Highly recommended stories: https://www.abctales.com/story/soulfire77/less-miserables-break-board-1 https://www.abctales.com/story/turlough/strimmer-time-and-living-easy https://www.abctales.com/story/mark-p/train-glasgow1984-time-tunnel-5 https://www.abctales.com/story/alexander-moore/brothers https://www...

The Middle Aisle

Posted by purplehaze on Fri, 26 Jun 2026

You know when you pop into LIDL for one of their scrumptiously delicious seeded sourdough loaves, and you think to yourself ‘Do NOT buy crap you don’t need’, and you answer yourself (hopefully still inside your head), ‘Certainly not Stanley!’ Then you come home with your scrumptiously delicious seeded sourdough loaf, and a folding fire pit. What IS that? It is the lure of the middle aisle. It is the siren, nay, the Lorelei’s call of our times...

Es Scorchio

Posted by purplehaze on Thu, 25 Jun 2026

Englandshire, and Europe, are suffering under severe heat, forked lightning and flash floods. Most distressingly, folk are drowning in open water the length and breadth of the Continent, underestimating their strength or the effects of cold water on too hot heads. A day to open the windows and keep the blinds closed. Once upon a time, I’d have packed a picnic, and skipped off to the beach with a book. Even though it’s a good 15 degrees cooler up...

Scotland v Brazil.

Posted by celticman on Wed, 24 Jun 2026

A not very good Scotland team play a not very good Brazil team in the hope of qualification for the next round of the World Cup. The first time I remember this happening was the World Cup in 1974. We’d beaten Zaire 2—0 and we drew 0—0 with Brazil. Billy Bremmer had a great chance to snatch it late at the back post. We went home undefeated and with a certain glow. Scotland have already been defeated. Morroco won on merit. Quite simply, they were...

Bright Side

Posted by purplehaze on Wed, 24 Jun 2026

One of the many bonuses of being 65 is a £1 reduction on cinema tickets. It ain’t all liver spots and boycotts. Celebrated this windfall by going to see Steven Spielberg’s film ‘Disclosure Day’ - sans caramel Freddo, but coped marvellously with two cherry brandy choccies instead. (Most likely medicinal for the heart). Don’t read much about movies prior to seeing them anymore. Either fancy them or don’t, so go and see them or don’t. The pile on...

In Praise of Foibles

Posted by purplehaze on Tue, 23 Jun 2026

On waking up and jumping back into Life, capital ‘L’ life, not just inhaling and exhaling and worrying about THE OMEGA, I notice that my equipment could do with a refresh. This is not a euphemism. I have an iPhone7. The current model is 17. The only issue this actually causes is that apps like 'Vinted' (compulsory for selling stuff when you reach ‘Swedish-death-cleaning’ age) won’t work on iPhone7’s operating system. Who cares. I'm keeping my...

Chris Packham (2016) Fingers in the Sparkle Jar. A Memoir.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 22 Jun 2026

I watched an interview with Chris Packham in Edinburgh, promoting his book, after I’d read almost 400 pages of his memoir. He’s around the same age as me, but looks at least ten years younger. Most of us know him from the telly. For example, Springwatch with around four million viewers. Packham is erudite about birds and biology and you know you’re listening to an expert. I read lots of books. But, at first, I couldn’t really find a way into...

Carpe Deum

Posted by purplehaze on Mon, 22 Jun 2026

I turned 65 yesterday. I’d have preferred to have turned back time. Until what age though, and would I know what I know now? That’s as bamboozling as one of those super-power questions – would you rather be invisible or be able to fly? It’s obvious that invisibility is the option, sneaking onto private planes and such you could fly anyway. BUT, once invisible would you be able to switch back at will, or would you be stuck being invisible until...

Dead Letters: The Book on the Bench

Posted by SoulFire77 on Sun, 21 Jun 2026

Filed by Fletcher Moody — Literary Correspondent This is the only dispatch I have ever filed in which I am the villain. In the early 1970s I was acquainted with a journalist named George Feifer, an American who had spent time in the Soviet Union and written a novel out of it called The Girl from Petrovka — the story of an American reporter and a Russian girl, and the machinery of the state that ground down everything between them. It was a good...

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