Author: John Mackie

Sorry about this. I feel the need to share what happened today with those whom I consider to be cyber friends.

Last night, I finished my post awarding the 14th Photographic Competition on ‘Boadicea’s Chariot‘with:-

‘Captain Lawrence Oates was a fine man, by the way. I intend to follow his example for a while.’

I thank everybody for their kind comments on that post and feel, especially after today’s events, that I should explain. My planned and temporary waygoing was nothing serious but just something that I felt that I had to do for the sake of both myself and Mrs M. Continue reading “Goodbyes”

Good evening.

As Prince Charlie trudged back from Derby on his way to defeat at Culloden or as Napoleon scuttled back to France from the gates of Moscow and to his Waterloo, you can’t help wondering if their overwhelming thought might have been – Big Mistake!

If it was, I know how they feel. I was surprised to win #13 but I then made the effort to check previous topics to make sure that I was not re-iterating. This, for the record, is the result of my research for the next winner:- Continue reading “14th Photographic Competition Result”

Today’s the day for my major immersion in the Edinburgh International Festival.

Obviously, I attend all Mrs M’s performances, although she has let me off ‘Daphnis & Cloe’ because I think that it is a total load of Boleros and because I have already watched the Proms performance this year on BBC 4. Got a good review but I still don’t relish Ravel. Continue reading “Cultural Experience”

Well, since everybody else is talking about them, I thought that I would lob my thoughts in.

It is always difficult to know what is unacceptable in a different culture. If truth be told, it still rankles a wee bit that I got called to task for using ‘keech’ which is, I assure you all yet again, a totally innocuous word in Jockish. Whatever, water under the bridge and JulieT took it in the spirit intended, being a Jockess. Haven’t spotted her yet at the Embran Fringe/Festival, by the way, but I hope that she has/is enjoying it/them.

Recently returned from Oz, I am in awe at their relaxed attitude to absolutely everything, particularly their humour and their ability to poke fun at everybody, including themselves. Sometimes in robust language which I was able to cope with, having had an induction course from Bearsy and Donald. Mrs M was occasionally at sea with the whole thing.
Continue reading “Sweirie Words”

As some of you may remember, I agonised before my Antipodean trip as to whether or not I should conduct certain scientific experimentations whilst almost upside down. In brief, should we risk importing Brit Mars Bars and Marmite to check them against their Aussie counterparts?

As it turned out, we went with the Mars Bars but chickened (beefed, vegetarianed, whatevered) out of the Marmite v Vegemite debate. To be blunt, I did not personally feel that Vegemite was worth the necessary intellectual rigour.
Continue reading “The Great Experiment”

Sorry for taking so long to set the next competition. To be frank, the news was getting me down. I am usually a right little Pollyanna but all this nonsense was getting to even me and my Jockish bedrock was beginning to poke through.

So, yesterday my short-list of subjects for the next photo competition included ‘Despair’, ‘Doomed’, ‘Disaster’ and ‘Apocalypse’.
Continue reading “14th Photo Competition”