Family affair

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

Yesterday I went to visit Scotland’s oldest family-owned business. In their industrial unit in Auchtermuchty, Fife, they have a pair of iron beam scales (a simple weighing device) stamped with the date 1715. These are presumed to have been made … Continue reading →

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Be prepared

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

It’s nearly book festival time again – by which I mean the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Every August, Charlotte Square Gardens sprout canvas and are transformed into a kind of intellectual carnival of some 800 events that seem between them … Continue reading →

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Bamboo business

Posted on July 31, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

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 →

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Nudge, nudge

Posted on July 24, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

Until yesterday I had never heard of the government’s Behavioural Insights Team, otherwise known as the Nudge Unit. Last night I watched a news item about how they have been changing the way officials communicate with taxpayers and consumers to … Continue reading →

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Finish your stuff

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

Thanks to everyone who responded so thoughtfully to last week’s post and my dilemma. The outcome was roughly two to one in favour of not singing the song at all, and most of those who thought it was still feasible … Continue reading →

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Six-letter word

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

I have a dilemma. It involves a song and a six-letter word. It’s a song I’ve always loved, not just because of its melody and rolling New Orleans piano style, but because of its bitingly brilliant irony. The dilemma arises … Continue reading →

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Sonnet with Indian

Posted on July 3, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

Perhaps one is more aware of it as one gets older and looks more and more for meaning in things, but serendipity seems to me to strike with increasing frequency and impact. At our recent Dark Angels gathering we asked … Continue reading →

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Company of angels

Posted on June 26, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

I love Moniack Mhor, the Scottish writers’ centre near Inverness. I’ve often written about it here. Some of our most memorable Dark Angels experiences have taken place there, though none quite so memorable as last weekend. To start at the … Continue reading →

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Summer in Scotland

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

There are times when writing this blog feels beyond me. No matter how much I promise myself that I’ll start mid-afternoon on Thursday, it’s invariably 5.00 pm before I get going and then, on a normal Thursday, I’ll go for … Continue reading →

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Flower appreciation

Posted on June 13, 2015 by Jamie Jauncey

There is nothing quite so wonderful as one’s children’s success. I’m still glowing from Thursday’s evening’s The Flower Appreciation Society book launch. Dalston Eastern Curve Garden is a jewel, hidden away from busy Dalston Lane behind a high wooden palisade. … Continue reading →

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