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Santa’s reindeer are in Edinburgh until 24th December after trotting down from the Cairngorms. They were just having some supper before bed when we spotted them and the lead male was eating the lion’s share.
Santa was nearby in an igloo, handing out presents, and some children had got trapped in a snow globe next door.
There [...]

Here are some pictures from a walk from Leith to Cramond and back along the myriad of converted old railway tracks which criss-cross Edinburgh city:
This old lighthouse is near the gas works and new developments just before Cramond.
The River Almond near Cramond  has a salmon ladder to allow the fish to migrate upriver to breed.
Dean [...]

Please forgive me if, on some strange whim, you subscribed to our RSS feed at some point in the past two years hoping for a regular update as to my state of mind, or even some occassional outburst of mirth or merriment at some more of life’s foibles like in the good old heady days [...]

This article was originally published on the 4th June 2009 – and has had to be moved after Google bestowed the title “Lord of the Internet” upon me officially a fortnight later.
Yesterday was one of those days where I went through the soul-mangle and emerged, this morning, feeling inspired despite smelling of whisky and stale [...]

Penrith is a market town in Cumbria on the M6. Many people pass the town on their way between England and Scotland or the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District. There’s a castle ruin, an unusual Church and loads of tearooms and pubs.
If you’re looking for internet access, you can use a cafe on Devonshire [...]

Sunday 6th September 2009 saw the massive firework display which marked the end of the Edinburgh International Festival which had run since the start of August. To the sounds of Handel, thousands of pounds worth of pyrotechnics exploded and showered down from Edinburgh Castle ramparts. Speakers were set up at Inverleith Park and Calton Hill [...]

The Edinburgh Festival throws up some curious spectacles from busking opera singers in corsets to clowns doing monologues in the Radisson Hotel. The most strange thing yet, however, was the Cybraphon – a musical instrument whose tune changes depending on feedback given on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter and the like.
The instrument itself [...]

There are two procedural issues with the new UK Iraq War Inquiry which severely limit it’s ability to robustly investigate the issues surrounding the British involvement in the war. There are also two further issues which should set alarm bells ringing for observers and those concerned about possible findings.
UK Border Limitations
The inquiry is limited to [...]

Like many Brits, we had something of a “staycation” this summer, opting for a domestic break rather than face the unfavourable exchange rate by going abroad. Last weekend we headed over to the lakes with six friends and went camping at Coniston Hall Campsite under the cloudy summit of Old Man Coniston. The campsite is [...]

After running in the Sri Chinmoy race last week (click here to see the review), I took a couple of days off to recover and got back onto the training schedule today. What a bad time to do it! I have never run in such humid air. Up round Arthur’s Seat it felt like I [...]