Self Publishing

I have now self-published The Magic of the Sea ISBN number 9798375057354 – cost for download is $0.99 kindle or 2,88 paperback Scotland, Germany, and Austria by train, bus and folding bicycle ISBN 9798375060088 costs £0,80 for kindle or £1,70 paperback on Amazon if anyone wishes to download them. The first is about my father’s

“Go tell that to the Marines”

I see Germany has caved into America’s demands to send tanks to Ukraine – not that they are really needed but it shows the world that it is not AMERICA but ALL NATO members that are sending tanks – 300 if the figures are correct – to Ukraine’s theatre of war. This will do nothing

Hamish Brown “The fall of Singapore”

Been a funny old day and no mistake – the plumber arrived with a snagging list and spend a lot of time in my bathroom – still not sure what he did for I still do not have a control valve on my radiator so it is still going full bore at present. I had

The Endless Thread that is Freindship

I received this from an old friend (college chum) in answer to my last e-mail – and my reply – though it was worthy of posting. Ahoy! Sorry for the late reply, always busy dealing with offspring and dramas.  However, brief respite Saturday, managed to get in the sea at Silver Sands high tide at

Fedora

Loved the opera (Fedora) and the attendance was as much as I have ever seen at Met Opera at the Byre. Why, well, I don’t really know – could be it has been some time (before lockdown) since we have had Met Opera at the Byre, withdrawal symptoms maybe? However, more likely that since St

Shipping from early times has kept world trade afloat – now is shipping threatening to sink our world?

Not too many years ago I worked with steam raising plant, and we burned heavy oil, so viscose that heaters had to be attached to the pipes to keep it flowing. This oil was cheap about 50% cheaper than light oil, it burned fine, in oil-burning boilers and specially adapted heavy oil-burning engines even had

Or Voice Must be Heard

Are you not just a bit tired of the news broadcasts that invade our homes each day? Today it was the American spokesmen telling us how Russia is now using criminal gangs as mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, I’m sure they are, Stalin did, and America have used mercenaries in every war they have ever

“We’d rather be Red than Dead”

At the height of the cold war for many Americans, the threat of a nuclear war was very real – you had the Hawks in Government (mostly making big bucks from America’s war factories) and the anti-war protesters – one of the slogans, in response to if we do not stop Communists they will take

For the truth shall (always) set you free

A few years back there was a big hoo-ha about Britain’s involvement in the slave trade, the protesters wanted statues of men involved or having any connection with the slave trade to have their statues taken down and in one incident pulled down and dropped into the harbour at Bristol. All pretty stupid really. The

Electrician – Plumer and Story Telling

 Another drizzly day here in St Andrews, and the cold blustery wind is not helping things, still, Aldi calls. I bought some corn beef, so stovies for dinner. I had the electrician in this morning to fix the shower, pump would not start up so have had a paddling pool for a shower tray for