• My Friend David

    I first met my friend David in Bruar Ward. He made a comment in reference to my t-shirt. In truth it was a T-shirt from Primark and I didn’t know what the emblem meant. It was a USA flag sort of in the shape of the main body of an electric guitar. David had a Read more

  • A morning at Inverness public library

    Today, I got out of bed quite late at 10am. My alarm went off at 7am but I ended up going back to sleep. I had breakfast and a coffee and packed my bag for the library. Since today is a Saturday it would be the public library rather than the university library that was Read more

  • The Number Three

    UHI Campus -> Falcon Square. 17th October midday (Number three service).  I follow an older man onto the white and light blue Stagecoach bus. ‘Town Centre’ I say and swipe my bus pass for a few seconds while the driver processes the journey. There are about 20-25 people of all ages sitting in silence, facing Read more

  • 16th October, A Grumpy Day in Inverness

    Woke up today at 5am, the dropped back off and woke back up again at 1030. However I didn’t get up until 1100. It was chilly in my bedroom and house. I skipped breakfast and immediately went to my local bakery for lunch. I felt irritable. The bakery was packed full of people, staff taking Read more

  • 14th October, An Autumn Funeral at St Andrew’s Cathedral

    Yesterday (the 14th) I ate some lunch quite early and then I had some crisps as a treat and headed out into the cool autumn daylight. I walked along the river from my flat towards the Islands and when I came to St Andrew’s cathedral I noticed a smart shiny hearse and remembered something one Read more

  • 12th October 2025, birding in Findhorn Valley and Carrbridge

    Recently I have been doing lots of book reviews on this blog. Although I started out by writing about a lot of my personal experiences it seems recently the only topics I have been inspired to write about are books, computer games and films. However I feel like I would like to explore my local Read more

  • ‘Ponti’ by Sharlene Teo

    One great book I picked up and read recently was ‘Ponti’ by Sharlene Teo. The author went to primary and high school in Singapore but then went to university in England. The fictional story is done from the perspective of an actress Amisa, the actress’s daughter Szu, and the actress’s daughter’s friend Circe.  The title Read more

  • Deux Ex Hong Kong bartender conversation

    Deus Ex remastered (the computer game) has just been announced a few days ago. This game will be a graphical update of the original plus there will be Steam achievements and a few other improvements on the original game by Ion Storm. I originally made a blog post about this game and I referenced the Read more

  • Wilbur Smith ‘Cry Wolf’

    An excellent little book that I picked up in my charity shop was that of Wilbur Smith’s Cry Wolf. An elderly American man was chatting to me one day (while his wife was trying on clothes). He asked me if I had ever read Edgar Allen Poe or Wilbur Smith? I replied I hadn’t heard Read more

  • Paperback Writer

    I want to dedicate this blog post to one of my all time favourite songs of one of my all times favourite bands: Paperback Writer by the Beatles. The Beatles hold a special place in my heart for multiple reasons. Not only are they a British musical icon from a few decades ago. Some of Read more

  • Europa Universalis 4

    Europa Universalis 4 A computer game that I have spent a lot of time playing is that of strategy game Europa Universalis 4. The game itself is designed by Swedish company Paradox Interactive. I have over 6000 hours of play time on my Steam account. The game itself is a historical simulator. You take control Read more

  • The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

    I attended mass this morning (September 21st) at my local catholic church. It had been a while since I attended. The two leading priests were American and Nigerian (men). The Homily (as read and explained by the American) was about that of the parable of the Dishonest manager from Luke 16:1. The story is an Read more

  • More on Paul Theroux

    I originally read ‘Kingdom by the Sea’ by Mr Theroux and reviewed it on this blog site. That book is especially funny and probably the book I enjoyed the most. However Mr Theroux does have some other interesting books especially his Dark Star Safari. This is the book where he travels from Cairo to Cape Read more

  • Charles Dickens

    It’s a very warm Friday here in Inverness and I am sitting inside in the cool shade of my bedroom on my laptop. Recently I have been reading the classic books of the brilliant Charles Dickens. I mostly read them when I am sitting around in the shop where I work. I have read the Read more

  • ‘I Capture the Castle’ by Dodie Smith

    A book I very much enjoyed reading was Dodie Smith’s ‘I Capture the Castle.’ The book is set in pre WW2 England (1930s) although there is no mention of the war in the novel. The story starts with the narrator who is the daughter, Cassandra, and who belongs to an impoverished but well educated and Read more