Journal

It’s been great to have a change of scenery, a wee bit of sun and some downtime.

I caught up on some listening: Cillian Murphy on Desert Island Discs, Jon Ronson’s Things Fall Apart, Adam Buxton interviewing George Monbiot (I’ve since resolved to buy Monbiot’s book Regenesis) and some excellent Gilles Petersen shows, firstly in interview with Michael Franks and secondly an amazing feature on J Dilla with Pete from BBE. The latter includes a lovely old mixtape from Dilla. I love how he just roughly chopped in the main hooks of tunes in a way that’s low on polish and high on fun.

Also on the headphones were The Smile – both their 6 Music Artists in residence sessions and their new album Wall of Eyes which is great.

My book of choice during the trip was The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey.

As always, every day I took a long walk along the Paseo Maritimo (the promenade that looks right onto the sea, Gibraltar and Morocco in the distance). With its scenery and mix of walkers, cyclists, dogs and restaurants this walk always makes me feel relaxed and happy. A couple of the days I took a detour to Buena Vida for a tasty breakfast wrap and coffee. There’s a Scottish guy working there – he’s from Shetland if memory serves me rightly.

After my daily walk I enjoyed chilling on the balcony and occasionally even snuck in a wee afternoon glass of vino while listening to some music. Ain’t gonna lie – that is a nice way to relax on your holiday.

When hanging out in the apartment on my own at night I watched The Creator which was fun, a bit of Curb your enthusiasm (final season) and some Shogun.

Food-wise, when on my own I kept it simple with dinners at Venta las Pacos – they do stuff like Supa de Mariano and pepper steak with chips. It’s cheap as chips and full of locals arriving post-work. Cibo is also decent, the Hamberguesa Casera at Asador Nagüeles is banging and there’s a wee joint (name escapes me) near the harbour where I had a cheap but perfect morning coffee and croissant and could just enjoy watching people pass by going about their business.

Once Mark arrived we took a walk into the old town and, during a downpour, decided to try Restaurante El Cortijo. They make it clear from their signage outside that they serve authentic Andalusian food and “no tapas, pizza or pasta!!!”. And it was great. We had monkfish clams with prawns in an almond (almost curry-like) sauce – the owner’s great grandma’s recipe, washed down with beautiful Tempranillo wine. With the weater atrocious we decided to also treat ourselves to dessert: Home made apple cake, and crème brûlée. I’ll be back!

Clair was next to arrive. The three of us paid a visit to the Trocadero for late lunch. We had delicious clams, chicken salad and even curry, with a glass of Marques de Riscal Verdejo which definitely hit the spot. It’s a great place.

On the Sunday three of us visited Kala Kuala Chiringuito in San Pedro for another seafood special – more clams, this time with paella. It was then the long-ish walk home along the Paseo Maratimo where we were merry enough to belt out a Pet Shop Boys medley, taking especial pleasure in saying “Che Guevara and Debussy to a disco beat” in the style of Neil Tennant. We stopped in at Victors beach bar where DJ Luis was playing Kerri Chandler (I could recognise those beats from half a mile off!) and we got talking to him and his Londoner friend (another Laurence). That was a great wee vibe. To finish the night we played pool at That’s Life and did Scotland proud by emerging victorious over our Spanish rivals.

After Mark had left, Clair wanted to scratch her itch for Chinese food and we had a lovely meal at Hong Kong restaurant.

Last thing to mention is that I am gradually learning more Spanish. I’m gonna keep going and see how far I can get. Vamos!

Clair and I just had paid a visit to a relatively new local eatery, The Old Fruit Shop. And it lived up to expectations. Given the date (it’s St Patrick’s Day tomorrow) they were offering The Irishman as a breakfast special so I plumped for that and it was delicious – especially the black pudding. They also do a nice line in coffees (their house coffee is Thomson’s TEAM) and cakes. With bridies, pies and lots of lovely wines and spirits on display too there’s definitely more to explore – maybe in the evening next time. I also loved the location near Linn Park at Snuffmill Bridge, the cosy interior and the friendly service. I’ll be back!

This was an interesting read, recommended by some experienced players at my table tennis club. (The book focuses on tennis but most of it is transferable). This tip came at a good time, as I’m looking to reduce tension from my game.

Here are a bunch of great tips and resources for creating charts and graphs, condensed into a 6-minute read.

It’d be interesting to look at the key recommendations in this article and compare our web-based charts at work against them.

This retelling of an incredible story featuring unbelievable examples of human skill, endurance and hope is the best TV programme I’ve watched in years.

Growing up, I recall my Dad often used the old Scots phrase mony a mickle maks a muckle and I’ve always loved it. It’s about the value of taking care of the little things because if you keep it up you get something bigger.

It’s true, and here’s a good example. Over the last six months I’ve made lots of small changes to my life and I’m feeling an overall benefit.

When chatting with a consellor in January about some bouts of low mood and mental fatigue, I described one symptom as a strange sense of disconnection. And while the recent lockdowns during the pandemic were obvious contributors to that, they didn’t feel like the full story.

Pitchfork’s review of Jeff Mills’ seminal mixtape is the best-written and most enjoyable music article I’ve read in years. The mixtape in question is also very close to my heart.

Had a great catch-up with my friend Doug last night. We went for dinner at Gaga in the west end, where co-owner Mark (who we know well from years gone by) gave us a warm welcome and a complimentary cocktail on our arrival – cheers Mark! Food-wise, small plates were the order of the day so we tried fried chicken, prawn toast, sweetcorn fritters, lamb curry and more. Gaga has a great atmosphere and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

From there it was onto a nearby pub we both know and love, The Thornwood Bar. There, another well-kent face, Scott, served us and also passed on his latest obscure techno tips (always welcome).

Over a few hours we had the chance to talk family, music and life and I’m feeling all the better for it.

Had a lovely catch-up with Gayle over lunch while in Edinburgh for work today. We went to Maki and Ramen and I had tonkotsu (broth, egg and noodles) with some vegetable gyoza. It was all pretty tasty.

Gayle and I have been friends since university back in the nineties. Having only exchanged texts of late without seeing each other, a catch-up in person was long overdue.

It was great to hear that she is happy, her business ticking along nicely and that she’s keeping her mind occupied with wider side and societal interests as always. Gavin is recovering well from a recent health scare and mostly back to normal. Her mum, who I’ve met several times, is moving from Glasgow to close by in Edinburgh and that sounds like a sensible move all round, albeit it’ll require adjustment. The kids are doing great and still full of energy.

They now have a wee dog too, although I can’t remember its name or breed. I do however remember Gayle’s horror story about their previous pet guinea pigs and some foxes in the night. The only way they could console the kids is with the introduction of a wee dog!

Loved catching up and hopefully the next one will include Clair and Gavin and we’ll eat out somewhere nice.