A stream of consciousness by Laurence Hughes

On Saturday my friend Mick called to give me the shock news that our mutual friend, Kerso (Graham) had passed away. I’ve known Kerso for around 26 years, since I worked in Bomba records. He was a force of nature, a generous soul, a good guy. I and all his friends loved him.

Some of my favourite Kerso memories include him bounding into the shops where I worked (either Bomba or later Sound Control) on a Saturday afternoon, big broad smile and dressed immaculately, embodying the feeling that the weekend had landed. Or at club nights and parties or when he was on the decks, always a bundle of energy and a blur of hair! There was the time he bought me a signed copy of Neil Lennon’s biography for my birthday, having queued to get Lenny’s signature despite not being a fan himself (to put it lightly) but because he knew I’d love the gift. Then there’s his 40th birthday do at the Sub Club, a legendary party and where Clair and I met. I could go on, and on.

He was an integral part of many scenes – music, clothes, trainers, football and beyond – and had many, many friends. We’ll all miss him dearly.

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Mick had been saying for a couple of years that I should join him, sister Jenny and brother-in-law Barry on one of their jaunts to the annual Spirit of Alba festival at Kirkintilloch Town Hall. I’d always felt it’d be a nice opportunity for us to hang out (with the added bonus of whisky tasting) so yesterday I took him up on the offer.

Last time I was at Kirky town hall was probably for a disco as a teenager and I must say the venue and surrounding area are looking nice after recent work. It’s cool that my hometown has a whisky festival given its historic role in whisky’s global story – see Rita Cowan and the Japanese brand Nikka for more. It’s also quite the turnaround given Kirky was a dry town til the 70s.

I don’t have the constitution to go straight into the hard stuff so my first drink was Das ist ein lagerbier, a Helles from Upfront Brewing. It turns out that amiable owner Jake lives near me in the southside. It was then onto whisky tasters from The Glasgow Distillery’s lovely 1770 range, Angels’ Nectar and JG Thomson.

I also tried a couple of rums including a Dorchadas (from East Neuk Spirit Co) which they served as a shot with their own apple mixer. (Their website also handily contains lots of cocktail-making tips). That was so nice that I was close to buying a bottle as a souvenir of the day. But instead I plumped for Cihuatan Indigo, a delicious rum from El Salvador and Jenny’s top tip.

It was great to hang out with everyone and we capped the night by walking to Jenny and Barry’s lovely house for a curry. There was a colourful conclusion to the night but I’ll keep that particular tale to myself.

Sláinte to all concerned!

I got home from Friday morning’s dog walk to find some records in the post. I’d recently deleted my Discogs wants-list having realised twenty years too late that it is far too addictive, and as a last hurrah had earmarked a last few key wants. One of those was The Blue Nile’s Tinseltown in the rain – a slice of Scottish pop perfection on Linn records – and I enjoyed a brief listen before heading back out.

On this morning’s park walk with Rudy, he had an anxious bark at a passing dog. I was caught in the crossfire and got a wee bite to the leg. Now, a while back that would have been unremarkable – he’s had long-term lead anxiety which appears aggressive and has given me some cuts and bruises. But, we’ve worked hard on it and he’s been doing brilliantly, so it was a surprise and a disappointment.

But since my initial reaction, I’ve come to realise a couple of things and wanted to reflect on them here so that I can understand them and progress.

Firstly, a word on how it felt. The small bite itself ain’t much fun but I think what’s sorer is that I love that wee guy and put a lot into him and it feels like a harsh return. I also feel disappointed in myself for allowing it to happen. Okay, it feels good to have noted that!

On reflection I think I can be a bit less hard on both of us. While I’m really confident these behaviours will continue to become rarer, they’ll occasionally happen… and that’s okay. I’m happy that me and my dog-pal are both doing our best!

With that said, I have some good ideas about why this particular one happened and how to improve things.

Recently I’ve been particularly vigilant when Rudy passes the first other dog on the walk. And I’d been sure to give him a small pre-emptive lead and vocal correction when he shows too much interest. Importantly that’s before it has a chance to develop further. This comes from the training we did and has been working really well. It also serves a dual-purpose by setting the tone for the rest of the walk. I realise I had forgotten to pay particular attention on that first doggy drive-by and now know I can fix things by incorporating it again.

I also realise I was distracted – a work issue was preying on my mind. Slightly different territory here, but the lesson is for me to literally say aloud “I’m annoyed at this thing and I realise I’ve let it frustrate me and hog my concentration even outside of work. That’s pointless and I’m gonna let it go.”. I did that today and immediately felt better and more relaxed. Not only will that help with my concentration, I’m also pretty sure that “calm Laurence” is gonna promote “calm Rudy”.

The last realisation is that during his best behaviour he’s been sleeping elsewhere but last night I gave in to the puppy-dog eyes and let him sleep on our bed. Time to stop that one. It’s not just that i get a better sleep minus the furry hot water bottle. Importantly, when he sleeps and relaxes on his own (in his own space) it’s better for his all-round confidence and behaviour.

It was helpful to reflect on that. I’ve been enjoying a lot of blissful, peaceful walks with the wee guy recently and long may they continue.