Anyone for Cake?

I can't believe we have been at this for a dozen years.
BP 12 today!

(God almighty, teenagers...Ed!)

e Baa Gum Books!

Well then it's books!

I've been reading them, e-reading them, listening to them, commenting on them, reading about them in various forms and generally getting on like a pig in muck (Is that not too, how shall we say, agricultural a metaphor... Ed!)
It's earthy and a simile if you must;  moving  on. Your man in the Grauniad has a low opinion of the ebooky thingamyjigs.  However,  since he probably earns a good screw selling dead trees to people who should know better, he may have a point.
I grant you e-books have not:
- Brought about world peace and justice;
- Found a cure for cancer;
- Eradicated poverty and famine at a stroke;
- Brought democracy to Messers All & Sundry;
- Implemented a significant programme of renewable energy;
- Cut our carbon emissions by 90%...
(I think I catch your drift. Could we not take a break, sit down have a cup of tea and show a wee picture by way of  ***INTERMISSION *** ...Ed)

***INTERMISSION ***

If you are interested, and you should be, My Europe is a fine anthology of writing on Europe from Patrician Press. 

I'm sure that when all has come to pass, ourselves included, those that follow will say, mystified:-

"YOU DID WHAT...!?"

Deer, dear, dearie me!

An article in the Grauniad about the problem of the deer! To cull or not to cull?
A web of interests and lives.
Cull the landowners (humanely of course...Ed?)
But they include  the  communities such as the  Assynt Crofters’ Trust
Undoubtedly jobs  are hard enough to find and retain in such places.
Hat tip to Bob Mc F and the Grauniad for this
(Sensitively done I thought. Congratulations all round. We will make a blogger out of you yet...Ed!)

Yes. I thought the alternative title for this post:-
Wild swivel-eyed eco-communists destroy local jobs after instruction from long term beardie sleeper, Czech, mole!
was a bit long.

A Stickler

 It has been brought to my notice that certain, so called, bloggers, twitters, commentators and  no good scallywags have introduced a word of the day, week, month, year, Preston Guild in their somewhat lacklustre offerings.
However, I give you an illustrated and erudite alternative commencing with:-

A Stickler

It came up at dinner last night (unfortunate phrase there...Ed)
We deferred to Mr Chambers and his excellent book of words some of which you may care to use. The essence of the debate was -is there such a noun? If so is there a verb to stickle and, as a follow on, is it possible to unstickle?
I'm glad to report that there is a noun and it is possible to stickle but the jury is out on whether in this day and permissive age you are able to unstickle though if you indulge with a consenting adult in the privacy and comfort of your own home I am sure you can!
What does it mean I hear you ask well for god's sake if you can't be bothered to turn a few pages of Mr Chambers or Mrs Collins lexicons you have no business nosing about in these columns.
I will say though I was mightyly impressed by the definition - one who is a punctilious and pertinacious insister.
I can see it all now
- Which sibling is it that is both punctilious and pertinacious?
- My insister. (but I thought you were an only child...Ed?)
You have traduced the sacred commandment of this column not to reveal personal information which may be of use to the Tax or Prosecuting Authorities, consider your wages docked for the week. Lets say a round tenner!
(What is £ 0- £10...Ed?)
Minus £10.  You owe me a tenner and not one of those bitcoiny things you are always going on about!

Time Flies

Like an arrow. The SISKIN quartet.

Boy that should get you out of bed on these cold mornings

And in the Marxist Canon - Fruit Flies like a banana!
(I've trawled The Manifesto and Das Capital until I am sick, sore and tired of your man's verbosity but no bananas nor the dietary preferences of drosophila...Ed?)
Groucho rather than Karl. As you know there are no jokes like the old jokes and if you would like me to demonstrate this I have in my hand a banana...!

No Bad for a Friday night In!

As the weather, politics and the hope for humanity deteriorates a quiet 'Friday Night In'  trawling the old interweb looking for inspiration. A tweet  for a gig at Celtic Connections set me off.   I look forward to hearing it. I then stumbled across Duncan Chisholm who has a new CD out titled Sandwood. Duncan's reflections on that magical place are here  There is a U Tube vid here  
(Spot the old man,  Am Buachaille - The Shepherd, at 1.46. )
Then I tripped over a link to Bothy Culture & Beyond  at The SSE Hydro as part of Celtic Connections 2018. A rare bash if this wee U Tubey thing is anything to go by.

(Are you sure you have not been at the Devil's Buttermilk again with all this depression and stumbling and tripping over...Ed?)

Absolutely not, probably just dementia and in any case I cheered myself up by watching Calvary.  My second or third time of watching. Still not clear who killed the dog! Boy that's a laugh a minute.