Getting the low-down

I took a wee foray north again today, only to find that flying out of Edinburgh can be a challenging experience. Some passengers are ‘selected’ to undergo a full-body-scanner check – which except for exhibitionists (especially the extremely well-appointed) is surely a sufficient invasion of one’s privacy – followed by a ‘voluntary’ questionnaire seeking personal information including one’s religion. Unfortunately there seems some doubt whether the staff always get round to mentioning it’s voluntary.

Continue reading “Getting the low-down”

Bunkered

No I’m not teed off, just a bit putt off maybe. The competition links are need of a some attention, maybe ‘ead’ittin’, although that’s the wrong game.

The latest photo comp and pome comp are both due for adjudication after 31st March, if any cherished creators can drive themselves to compete.

Can anything be dune about it, please? Thank you and see you at the nineteenth.

In New France.

Last week I went to Québec for a brief holiday; to be more precise, Montréal and la Ville de Québec. Other than a few difficulties in Minneapolis and at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport the flight to Canada went well. Not wishing to fly with a domestic carrier, US carriers make flying British Airways seem like a journey on a luxury spa, I spent a few extra quid to fly Air Canada. It was not an unpleasant experience. The first flight, from Minneapolis to Toronto, was 2/3 full. The air hostess was a comely young Québécoise with an odd accent. A native speaker of French to be sure, but her trilling of “r” was a bit unusual. Service was polite and efficient. Nothing spectacular, but drinks were provided. Continue reading “In New France.”

Home rule for everyone

I pop up to North Britain now and then, cybernautically speaking, to see what The Scotsman has to say. And today I see that some denizens of the Northern Isles would prefer to go it alone, perhaps as a Crown Dependency à la Isle of Man, rather than remain part of an independent Scotland. That would scupper the new Scotland’s financial plans which are based on oil galore, much of which is in the ‘territorial waters’ of the Northern Isles.

Which set me wondering whether this modern fad for home rule shouldn’t be allowed to benefit any community with enough wonga ‘of its own’. Knotty Ash, awash with treacle. Cornwall, replete with pasties. You get the idea. What about Knightsbridge and its resident billionaires? There could be hundreds of little Liechtensteins all over the country, independent in all but reality. Slackey Bottom would ally itself to Monaco and have the best casino ever.

Just a thought.

Front of House

One of the really nice things about the area we moved to last July is that there are many more restaurants nearby than there were where we lived before.

Yesterday evening, I decided that we’d try the local Thai Eatery. My daughter told me that the Food was good – but the Personality was pretty poor. ‘What on earth are you on about?’, I asked. ‘You’ll see’ she replied.

We were greeted by a tall, thin man with a long face who told us to sit wherever we wanted – and then wandered off. Continue reading “Front of House”