Martin Fife

My new favourite music buy this year. Galen is Ayers, daughter of Kevin, Paul is Simonon, Clash legend.
Music they busked on the Spanish Islands, Visconti’s on the faders, Damon Albarn’s haunting Melodica.
Charming, eclectic, European, I love it after one day.

‘If that makes sense’
A useless phrase that’s come into our language over the last 20 years or so.
Because, unless you’re a fucking moron, why would you waste my time speaking gibberish to me?
Just decide it does make sense before saying it.
I thank you…

Hand them your book, ask if they’d like to read it while you listen to their music. Works every time 🙃

Sunday morning, cooking lunch, neighbour joining us, playing Rocksteady, as I get older, I’m playing gentler sounds more and more, can’t be doing with the fussing and fighting anymore.
Anyway, Rocksteady will save your life, just like Barry White 🙂
Happy Sunday, folks x

Potatoes, shallots and lemons ready for roasting, after 20 minutes add the salmon and mixture of parsley, capers, artichokes and stuffed olives. Roast another 10/15 minutes.
A cold crisp white is the bomb, a savoury overload I promise…

I’ve gone hardcore for this month’s dram. Ardbeg 10 is a proper Islay, the peatiest and smokiest of nips.
Sea spray, Tarry rope and an immense smoky quality is offered.
It sounds a proper handful, looking forward to it…

The salmon I think

'Society's in a good place when old men plant trees, the shade of which they know they'll never sit under'...
When people do things for others, that's when we know we're winning.
Just read that and thought I'd pass it on. 🙂

I picked up 3 recipe cards at Waitrose, so we made them over the weekend.
Lamb and courgette curry with chickpeas.
Sticky sausage and apple braise with honey and mustard
Roast salmon, olives and artichokes
I got the ingredients from Aldi and Tesco, didn’t cost the earth. Lovely!..

I was given the complete Shardlake novels for my 70th in January, it’s been a delight reading them again.
I started out with other books in between but since Revelation I’ve gone for it.
Sad there are no more, but what a legacy CJ Sansom left us…

Released yesterday, Ronnie Wood 1965/2025 career spanning compilation including Faces, the Stones, solo albums and his early years.
He’s lived a rock and roll life, top guitar hand, artist, raconteur and all round nice bloke…

Lamb casserole ready for a few hours in the Crockpot.
Lamb, shallots, leek, butter beans, celery, carrots, parsnips, cavalo nero, green beans, dried and fresh herbs, red wine, bit of love.
1 hour on high, turn down, be lovely about 5pm.

New dram day, I’ve gone for a 15 year old, there’s raisins, honeycomb, chocolate covered hazelnuts and cinnamon apparently. Glenmorangie is a Tain distillery, also home to an excellent blue cheese 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

A big pot of beef and pork ragu made up today.
Ground beef, smoked pancetta, garlic, mushrooms, pink and red onions, flat leaf parsley, carrots, celery, rosemary,
passata, tomato puree, dry Italian herbs, white wine, bit of love.

One of those days that perfectly describes Summer turning Autumn, Traquair getting ready for Apple Day with a fine crop, a good day in Scotland is as good as anywhere in the world…🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

Traquair House, Scottish Borders, the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. Lots of Stewart/Stuart connections, a lovely, homely feel to it. A must for Jacobites everywhere.
God save King James and damn the Union! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

A new dram this week, a relative newcomer, founded in 1898 by William Teacher & Sons (my old Dad loved his Teacher’s)
Lightly peated, vanilla, honey and spice.
This is the famous blend’s fingerprint single malt…

Haddington in full bloom today, real and knitted, really adds to the enjoyment of a dog walk…

September 1971, I was 16, and I went along to The Oval to see The Who, Faces, Mott The Hoople, Lindisfarne and few others. My first outside gig, it was amazing. The sound was shit however. Now, after all these years, they’ve rescued the 8 track tapes and put it out. Can’t wait!

This gem is also well worth a listen, In 1977, Elton did 6 nights at The Rainbow, solo except for Ray Cooper, I remember it was very well received.
Now, he’s put out a selection of lesser known tracks which are a joy to hear. I digest to this but I wish I had now!

Summer supper packed full of flavour.
Peaches, tomatoes, salad leaves, buffalo mozzarella, prosciutto, pesto, basil, black pepper, olive oil, bit of love…

Bucolic scene at North Berwick today…

ncwfa7

This is the code for a FPL League I’ve created, no prizes, just for fun 🙂

Today in 1982, ‘Come On Eileen’ was at No 1, what a tune, what a band, still running is old Kevin, more power to him…

Beautiful 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💙

New dram time again, this one is new to me, from Orkney, where the North Sea meets the Atlantic.
The prospect of floral aromas and light, smoky sweetness is appealing.
My current drop is Tomatin which I find a bit of a bully, so looking forward to this…

I read this year the UK will pay out more than £1bn in compensation to energy companies because the grid can’t accept the wind energy they’re producing. We pay for this with higher bills.
Maybe we should have fixed the grid first?
Whoever sanctioned this madness is a TWAT…

Look through any window,
What do you see?
Smiling faces all around,
Rushing through the busy town.
Where do they go?
Moving on their way,
Walking down highways and the by-ways
Where do they go?
Moving on their way...

The final fruits of a big trade of vinyl with A Love Supreme Records in East Linton includes some 60’s British swing from Kenny Clarke, Johnny Dankworth, Tony Crombie and some bluesy soul from California’s Chambers Brothers.
Lots more to come…

When your wife’s away, who wouldn’t say aye to a good steak pie?
And this is one of the best, The Golfer’s Restaurant, North Berwick…