I did not win the Stirling Castle photo competition, but: ” Gillian [the manager] also very much liked  Sven Wifstrand, of Sweden’s, cleverly taken photo of the outer defences through the battlements.”  Not bad for a tourist with a pocket-size camera, eh?

No more 18th century royal palace in a lovely park by a peaceful lake. From now on, me and two other guys run our accounting firm on the uppermost floor of this building in a south-west suburb of Stockholm. From the looks, it could be in Siberia as well.

Now to the advantages. It is much nearer to our homes.  No antiquarian will tell us what we can’t do, but only the proprietor must approve if we want to restyle the interior.  I’ll get back to you about that!

The real Robert Roy McGregor ended his life in peace, although there had been so much violence around him. The film starring Liam Neeson is about other episodes from his life than those in Walter Scott’s novel. The novel is somewhat difficult to read because of the Scottish dialect. I like to hear it spoken, but reading it in transcription not that much. I leave the last word to Andrew Fairservice, the worthy countryman:

Our ain reek’s better than other folk’s fire.

Our own smoke is better than the fire of others. There is no place like home.  It is Friday night, and soon I will put my TV on to watch the crime series  “Taggart” – from Scotland!

“I beg a truce to your terrors in the present case, Andrew, and I wish to
know whether you can direct me the nearest way to a town in your country
of Scotland, called Glasgow?”

“A town ca’d Glasgow!” echoed Andrew Fairservice. “Glasgow’s a ceety,
man.–And is’t the way to Glasgow ye were speering if I ken’d?–What suld
ail me to ken it?–it’s no that dooms far frae my ain parish of
Dreepdaily, that lies a bittock farther to the west. But what may your
honour be gaun to Glasgow for?”

“Particular business,” replied I.

From Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott,  vol II chapter 1.

I am reading it right now, and sure it brings memories!

From a  shop window in Stockholm, “House of Artisans”.

Could someone tell me why we haven’t Ψ  (psi) any more? What a terrible loss to the graphic potential of the western world! Have a PeΨi in PoughkeeΨie and think about it.  WhooΨ, I did it again!

I promise to tell the truth: approximately half the truth, and a lot of other things.