Category Archives: Music

Wayfaring strangers

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

When I got home at lunchtime today there was a large and magnificent-looking book sitting on my kitchen table. It was warmly inscribed to me by its author, my close neighbour, Fiona Ritchie. Fiona is the presenter of The Thistle … Continue reading →

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Food of love

Posted on July 19, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

This gallery contains 1 photo.

In the 10 years that we’ve been running our writing courses, many good things have come out of Dark Angels. Along with sharpened senses, there have been new friendships, changes of personal direction, and the  publication of writing of all … Continue reading →

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Things that make me cry

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

‘Are you turning into a marshmallow?’ asked Sarah the other night. The answer is probably Yes. I seem to cry more easily as I get older. What’s curious though is what makes me cry. It’s not so much the things … Continue reading →

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Sound advice

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Jamie Jauncey

I’ve always found it intriguing that the beginning of all things is expressed so often in terms of sound. Science talks about the big bang. In the beginning, according to the Bible, was the word. For Hindus the moment of … Continue reading →

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To the letter

Posted on December 6, 2013 by Jamie Jauncey

Last week I spent a day with members of the housing team of a local authority. We were looking at the letters they send out to tenants on a variety of subjects, ranging from noise to rubbish to gardens to … Continue reading →

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Tennis elbow

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Jamie Jauncey

This is a bit of an experiment. I’ve got mild tennis elbow and I’m trying to give my arm a rest, so I’m dictating via the voice recognition software that I’ve used over the last few years when writing books. … Continue reading →

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Music and silence

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Jamie Jauncey

I have two piles of books beside my bed. On top of one is A Book of Silence. On top of the other is The Big Music. I’m reading the first, the second has just arrived. Their juxtaposition is serendipitous, … Continue reading →

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Holding back

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Jamie Jauncey

I was ready to be moved to tears at the Dunfermline Crematorium, but I wasn’t expecting Steely Dan. Beloved of musical anoraks for their technical precision, and of anyone else with any pretensions to being cool for the two fingers … Continue reading →

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In praise of Randy Newman

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Jamie Jauncey

On Wednesday evening, on Radio 4’s Front Row, Mark Lawson introduced a short reading with these words: “This passage from the book contains offensive sectarian terms, although clearly they’re reported rather than endorsed by the author.” The offending words were … Continue reading →

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Spell-binding

Posted on October 4, 2012 by Jamie Jauncey

Extraordinary things happen on Dark Angels courses. That is because the people who come on them are extraordinary. In truth, everyone is extraordinary if only given the chance to be him or herself. And that is perhaps the most unfathomable … Continue reading →

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