Category Archives: Uncategorized

Temple of Learning

Today I’m en route for Aracena, an hour north of Seville, and our tenth successive year running the Dark Angels advanced course. We’ve grown to love the sprawling red-roofed finca in the mountains, the early sun burning off the mist … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bamboo business

Earlier this week I went to hear a talk by a young neighbour who returned two weeks ago from a year-long, 15,000-mile cycle trip with a friend. Both recently qualified doctors, they had ridden from London to Singapore in aid … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Aqua vitae

Every two years we run a Dark Angels masterclass at Merton College, Oxford. I am there now. Three nights in a medieval Oxford college is in many ways a retreat from the world; but it’s also a sojourn in one … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

No turkey

Winter has arrived. In Birnam we’re frost-bound and wearing a light coat of snow. These conditions may persist for some time. The one drawback to this otherwise lovely place is that we’re down by the river at the bottom of … Continue reading

More Galleries | 6 Comments

A work of beauty

In the five-and-a-bit years I’ve been writing this blog it has brought me satisfaction, pleasure, occasional anxiety, occasional joy, and a lot of good connections. It can also sometimes feel tyrannical. Today is a case in point. (More accurately, it’s … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Ham central

My last post was written on the plane on the way to Spain, two weeks ago. The weather in the Andalucian hills is changeable at this time of year and the rain did not stay mainly on the plain. Still, … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Food of love

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

More Galleries | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Sticky labels

How diminished we are by the labels that people attach to us or we attach to ourselves. And how forcefully that has been brought home to me during the referendum campaign. Nationalist, Unionist. Yes, No. Scottish, English. None of us … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bad apple

A couple of months ago a friend told me about an extraordinary experiment that he and his family had tried. He’s a rational chap who runs a successful arts organisation and I was intrigued. When I got home I decided … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Data with soul

I’m writing this in the Scottish Storytelling Centre before I catch a train home from Edinburgh. Located partly in Edinburgh’s oldest house, on the High Street, it has a good café, a big airy storytelling space and a 99-seat theatre. … Continue reading

More Galleries | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment