Mitchell and Webb @ King's Theatre

I first came across David Mitchell and Robert Webb in Peep Show, which is probably the funniest show on British TV at the moment.



The BBC has also recently been airing the sketch comedy show The Mitchell and Webb Look. While a bit hit and miss, the hits are hilarious. We saw they were doing their sketch show live in Glasgow and had to check it out. I've never seen sketch comedy live before, but I loved it. These boys are pure class.

Glasgow Holiday

So Fi went off to Portugal for a week. Now don't get me wrong, I love her company and all that. But I was well up for a week with the flat to myself, though in the end I was hardly there. A few of the boys were given leave from the missuses, so some proper pub time in town was on order. And of course, a couple of ace gigs:

Phoenix @ The Arches: These guys have already clinched the top spot on most of my 2006 Best Of lists already (Album of the Year, Best Jacket by a Bass Player, Best Band Whose Lead Singer is Hooked up with a Famous Film Director, and it goes on...) but damn didn't they also just go ahead and get gig of the year too. This was magic -awesome crowd, amazing sound, and the band was just so much more tight and comfortable with the audience than the last time I saw them in Glasgow. Mix with a few pints and voila - fantastique! Even this video is brilliant.



Right, enough of the Phoenix love.

Rifles @ King Tuts: Didn't know too much about these guys going in as I went on a tip from a mate. Good tip though - indie rock that sounds a bit like The Jam. It was the day after Phoenix, so I was feeling a bit rough, but a few Magners at Firewater got me well in the mood again.



Of course it was nice to see Fi when she returned. And our first gig together for a while was soon upon us...

Flaming Lips @ SECC: This could never be as good as the legendary show they put on almost three years ago since that was a much smaller venue compared to the cavernous SECC. Plus, I sort of knew what to expect this time. By now you've probably heard about what a Flaming Lips gig is like - confetti and balloons and lasers and costumed dancers and Wayne Coyne rants, and sure enough there were no surprises. But hell, it is still proper feel good stuff - you'd have to be dead or a right asshole not to enjoy this. Good old Google Tube - some excellent clips from the show:

An Apple A Day

My visa and Leave to Remain applications were both recently renewed, though due to the joys of British bureaucracy the latter was not approved until a few days before my old one expired, making for a few tense days. Then again, maybe some paid leave to Ireland wouldn't have been so bad after all?

So now that I'm all legal for another few years, I thought I'd get a few other things sorted. With my OHIP coverage well and truly a distant memory, I finally got around to registering for the NHS (the British publicly funded health care system). Turns out I was eligible way back when I received my first visa. How about that, eh? Since I don't have a file, I get to look forward to a physical next week. There is something distinctly uncomfortable though with the idea of walking into an office to give a vial of my urine to a nurse the same age as me, and then making small chat while sitting on a table in my boxers getting prodded at 8 in the morning.

Turns out I'm eligible to vote too! Unfortunately, the political options are equally as unappealing as they are back home. Yes, Labour is as stale as the Liberals ever were, but do you really vote for the Tories instead? No thanks. Maybe I'll just support the Scottish Independence movement instead. Vive l'Ecosse libre!

Val De Loire

Needing a bit of a getaway, we decided to rent a gite in France for a week. We found a great old converted farmhouse in the Loire Valley and decided to invite both sets of parents along, all of whom took us up on the offer. A bit of a scary plan in theory, but it worked out fine in execution! The holiday in a nutshell: eat, drink, and visit old stuff.

La Vieille Ferme in Cléré du Bois, south of Tours. Proper rustic in the middle of nowhere - cheese, red wine and boules svp.

The River Indre flowing through the medieval town of Loche. Right out of fairy tale.

Chenonceau, probably the most famous of the Loire Châteaux.

The town of Azay-le-Rideau. A wee wander between châteaux and cafés.

The château of Villandry complete with stunning gardens.

The village of Montrésor, one of "Les plus beaux villages de France".

Three Shows

The Electric Soft Parade @ Brel: One of the bands that I was introduced to several years back by the Global Pop Conspiracy. This was an acoustic set in a small pub/restaurant in Glasgow's West End. I love the idea of an acoustic show, but for some reason there is always a group of people in the crowd that just loves to talk and annoy others around them. Why are these people even there if not to hear the band? Anyway, the set was still fantastic and looking forward to seeing them again soon (but perhaps plugged in this time!)



The Automatic @ ABC: Proof that the crowd and the atmosphere can make all the world of difference. The band arguably had the anthem of the summer with their single "Monster", so that combined with a well up-for-it crowd, healthy beer buzz and the general buzz that was T in the Park ensured that their set was the highlight of the festival for me this year. Flash forward a few months. Monday night, annoying and subdued student hipster crowd, and sans beer buzz made for one of the more dull gigs I've ever been to. We even skipped the encore so that we could get home sooner. "Monster" is still a great song though.



The Dears @ Oran Mor: What can I say - pure class all the way. This band is definitely one of Canada's treasures, and still a bit of an undiscovered one in these parts. But this intimate gig was full of the converted, and nobody was disappointed. The albums are great, but the live experience allows you to appreciate the songs in a whole new way. Murray Lightburn's voice has to be heard in person to be believed. A strong candidate for gig of the year.

Sometimes In The Fall

Autumn has always been my favourite season, despite (or because of?) the melancholy associated with it. You know, end of summer (which was especially good this year) and new beginnings (must be all those years of starting school in September). And the weather is ideal with a freshness in the air that requires the wearing of a jacket.

I can't quite believe how fast 2006 seems to be flying by. August especially. Managed to catch several events in Edinburgh during fringe season, including a wonderful play called Past Half Remembered and the Tattoo. A few concerts too including Editors, Metric, and the always awesome Maximo Park. The Dears opened for Editors and damn near upstaged them and can't wait to see them do their own show in October. I was also introduced to The Research who opened for Maximo Park. Loving this song in particular.

Congratulations to the MacMillans (first baby!), Sara (married!) and Andy (also married!).

Good results on this year's Great Scottish Run. Achieved my PB on the half-marathon (01:49:36) and Fi made it in under an hour in the 10K. Thinking about stepping up to the marathon in Edinburgh next year...

Over 10,000 page views? Thanks Mom!

And with most folk finishing off their holiday allocation, I feel like I'm just getting started. Off to France shortly and can't wait! Pain au chocolat s'il vous plait?

Speyside Way

I hadn't done a long distance walk since the Great Glen Way back in May '05, so I was very keen to get another one under my belt. Scotland has five official long distance walking routes, of which I have now done three. This time it was the Speyside Way which covers a distance of 65 miles from Aviemore to Buckie, and more or less follows the route of the River Spey until in joins the sea at Spey Bay. The Speyside region is famous for its whiskies (Glenlivet and Glenfiddich among many others) though admittedly I didn't touch a drop on this trip!

This was probably my most ambitious schedule yet, covering the 65 miles in only three days. The last two days in particular were tough going, with 11 hour days and very sore feet, so after a meal and a pint I was ready for bed. That said, completely worth it. A great combination of beautiful views, physical challenge, and brilliant company. They say a picture is worth a 1000 words...

Day One: Aviemore to Grantown-on-Spey (17 miles)

Through the woods near Boat of Garten


Sheep farms approaching Grantown


Day Two: Grantown-on-Spey to Charlestown of Aberlour (23 miles)

Several sections of the trail follow the trackbed of the old Strathspey Railway, and many of the old stations have been restored, including this one at Cromdale.


Another section of the old railway, just past Ballindalloch.


Day Three: Charlestown of Aberlour to Buckie (25 miles)

Spectacular views of the Spey and surrounding valley after climbing beyond the treeline near Ben Aigan.


The old vine-covered stone staircase making the descent into Fochabers.


Where the Spey meets the North Sea at Spey Bay.


Very happy to see this after 25 miles!

Russian Futurists + Peter Bjorn and John @ Nice N Sleazy

Hadn't seen them since 2002 back in Toronto, so I was pleased to see that the Russian Futurists would be playing Glasgow promoting a new compilation CD to introduce them to the UK market. Fun set - nobody does low-fi synth pop better.



I'd bought these tickets simply to see RF, but since that time headliners Peter Bjorn and John have picked up quite a buzz on the strength of their catchy as hell single Young Folks. Didn't know what to expect really. Most of their set sounded less like their single and more like Twice Removed era Sloan (which is a good thing!). Great tunes - looking forward to hearing the album.

Antrim Coast and Derry

One of the advantages of bringing the car over on the ferry of course is that we were able to see a bit more of what Northern Ireland has to offer.

From Belfast we drove to the North Antrim coast. As the pics hopefully show, the coastline is absolutely stunning. Above is the view you can get after crossing Carrick-a-Rede, a rope bridge 30m above the sea, to Carrick Island.





A temple on the grounds of Downhill which overlooks the sea. We could see Scotland on the horizon.







The Giant's Causeway: naturally formed rock columns by the sea. I much prefer the legend - that giant Finn McCool built the causeway to get to Scotland in order to fight his Scottish equivalent.




Downhill beach as seen from the clifftops.




After a few days on the coast, we arrived in the walled city of Derry. Many old pubs to be found including one where we finally got to sample some proper Irish folk tunes (fondly known as fiddle-dee-dee music)






Walking along the old walls, you can see the same contrasts as you see in Belfast. Some areas prosperous and modern or filled with cosy wee pubs, other areas burnt out with sectarian graffiti. No surprise that evidence of the Troubles remain here as Derry is where Bloody Sunday took place in 1972.

Belfast

When announcing I was going to spend a few days in Northern Ireland, I received more than a few surprised looks. With the Troubles being so recent, many folk would still not consider Northern Ireland a place they would choose to spend their holiday time. However, things have changed and with all the recent investment, Northern Ireland is fast becoming a choice destination.

Thanks to Fi's brother-in-law, we were able to get a free trip (and bring the car) on the ferry to Belfast. Belfast is a beautiful city, and it is reaping the benefits of all the recent investment. However as we quickly discovered, the city has a strange juxtaposition of the old and new.

While the city is undoubtedly modern and funky while still showing off the Victorian charm, there is still a lot of evidence of the Troubles and the sectarianism which still lies beneath the surface. Just a quick walk from the Cathedral Quarter, an up-and-coming area with modern pubs and galleries, and you'll be in West Belfast, home of the Catholic Falls and the Protestant Shankill areas where the neighbourhoods are still separated by barbed wire rimmed walls. A pleasant walk to the Botanic Gardens near the university interrupted by an Orange Walk (where despite the colourful costumes and music is a thoroughly unpleasant thing to behold). And as we were told during a city bus tour, the reason the city centre is so modern is due to the fact that only a decade ago many of these buildings were bombed out, thereby making the property easy to reclaim and refurbish.

But these contrasts make up much of the experience that is Belfast. Mind you, so does watching England get knocked out of the World Cup at the pub with a Guinness in hand.

Since it was early July, we were close to the 12th of July celebrations (where the Protestants celebrate William of Orange's victory over King James II). Even knowing this, I was still amazed at the number of Union Jack flags flying on seemingly every street in Shankill. The picture to the right is one of many massive bonfire sites being prepared all across the country to be set ablaze on the night of the 11th. The wall in the background reads "Ulster will always remain British. No surrender."

One of the many murals found in West Belfast.

City Hall in the centre of Belfast

Bridge over the River Lagan.

The Crown Liquor Saloon: looks like a novelty Irish pub, but this is the real deal and more or less the same as it was when it opened in 1839.