My head has been turned… Dogs. Woman’s best friend and part of the family? Or an expensive inconvenience that would get in the way of my life and my freedom? Until a couple of months ago, when Murphy, the golden/red fox Labrador puppy from Fort Augustus came into our lives, I was firmly and forever… Read more »
Posts Categorized: HNM Column
Our human connections to Afghanistan
The scenes that we are witnessing in Afghanistan are shocking. I’m writing this on Monday after a weekend of increasingly worrying news. The Taliban have taken control of Kabul, and I’ve just watched news footage of thousands of Afghans storming the airport, desperate to leave the country. There is the sound of gunfire, and reports… Read more »
The hunt for Nessie is over!
The search is over. Nessie has been found! Regular readers will know I’m fond of dunking myself into lochs around the north of Scotland. Back in the good old days we used to call it swimming – it now seems to have attracted the tag ‘wild’. But whatever we call it, I like getting cold… Read more »
River Ness… plus crafty Tom & a writing comp
River Ness – is it back to earning its keep? Most of the world’s great cities straddle a river; London has the Thames and Glasgow the Clyde. Prague grew up either side of the Charles River, which it relied on for trade and transport, and Paris would be nothing without the Seine. Inverness may be… Read more »
Typewriters, resurrections and sport
Murder, she wrote? When I was eight, I got a typewriter for my birthday. It was bright orange and was the very best kind of birthday present; a complete surprise, and one I hadn’t even known I wanted, until it was mine. It came with a selection of coloured ink ribbons and a promising ream… Read more »
We loved that car… plus Eden Court & Peppa Pig!
The point of no more repairs? £3000 ago. We scrapped our car this week, Mr Marr and me. It failed its MOT (again) and with an estimate of £700 plus VAT to carry out the repairs, we had reached that point of it being foolish to spend any more. In all honesty, that point of… Read more »
Back to ‘normal’. How has it been?
Back to ‘normal’ – but how has it been for you? Does it feel like it’s almost over? South of the border restrictions will be almost non-existent from Monday, and Scotland could follow in a few weeks’ time. Last weekend, Mr Marr moved back to Edinburgh after a sixteen-month stint working from our dining room…. Read more »
Clarkson. He’s growing on me…
Jeremy Clarkson. He’s (ahem) growing on me. It’s easy to have an opinion about Jeremy Clarkson; he’s been part of our lives and making a fortune from it for the past 35 years. Last week I’d have told you he was outspoken, obnoxious, irrational, and untrustworthy. But something changed. My opinion today? He’s funny, self-deprecating,… Read more »
Ste, The Pride of ScotRail
The Pride of ScotRail We’re not likely to see The Pride of ScotRail train north of the central belt as it’s electric, so would run out of juice around Stirling. That’s another column for another day… diesel carriages dirtily puffing around the north of Scotland is hardly conducive to achieving net zero. But the launch… Read more »
There’s a clear winner in our sibling rivalry stakes
The strength of sibling rivalry It’s never a good idea to compare ourselves to others. We know this to be true when it comes to filtered posts on social media, and when we sacrifice happiness to ‘keep up with the Joneses’. But a competitive mindset is ingrained within us all. It’s why we love sport,… Read more »