Gozo I was in Malta this summer and on everyone’s recommendation, I opted to visit the island of Gozo. This involved a one hour bus journey from where I was staying to Ċirkewwa, the northernmost point of Malta. From there you catch the ferry to Mgarr Harbour, the port on the island of Gozo. The … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 106
Nick Mason I went to see Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets which is a massive deal for me. I’ve been a Pink Floyd fan for decades, have all the albums, special editions and several dozen books. As noted in Part 76 of this blog, I met Nick at a book signing in Edinburgh, at the … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 105
Edinburgh Fringe That’s my fifth Edinburgh Fringe done and dusted. Despite being described as a veteran now, it’s not got any easier. I chose to do a different show from last year which added to the pressure, but I’m pleased to say it went to plan. The audience were ninety-nine percent members of the public … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 104
Charles Rennie Mackintosh One of the reasons I love to walk wherever I can is, you never know what you might miss if you take the car. In cities, bus tours are a good option, because you don’t have to concentrate on driving, but even then, a bus tour round a city is only going … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 103
Limekilns If you manage to visit Culross – which I blogged about in Part 67 – it’s well worth taking the time to continue along the coast to the small village of Limekilns. It’s not on the Outlander trail as far as I’m aware so doesn’t draw in the number of tourists that Culross does. … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 102
CODI 2024 I managed to take in a fringe show this week about AI which was being performed as part of the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Working full-time, it’s difficult to fit these things in during the week so I was glad I managed to get along. The Cabaret is performing in … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 101
One Hundred Having reached a hundred posts in this series, I thought I would put down some thoughts to mark this milestone. It’s not my intention to give you history lessons. All I’m doing is outlining a couple of the basic facts as background to the places I visit as you can easily google them … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 100
Queen Mary’s Bath House Scotland never fails to amaze me with its many historical treasures tucked or hidden away in the most unexpected of places. In Edinburgh, Queen Mary’s Bath House is one of these buildings which has survived the almost inevitable destruction of the surrounding area that comes from modernisation. If you ever make … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 99
Dunfermline Abbey and Palace One of the great things about living in Scotland is, no matter where you stay, you are never far from an exciting and impressive site, steeped in tradition and history. It’s often remarked that many of us don’t appreciate what is on our own doorsteps, and for folk living in Central, … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 98
Linlithgow Palace In Part 90 of this blog series, I noted I often have the impression I’m following in the footsteps of Mary Queen of Scots. In keeping with this I decided to take a trip out to Linlithgow Palace, which is in fact the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. It is a bit … More Inside the Fiction Factory – Part 97
