Le Tout P'ti FC

You don't have time to try something new? Give Mogwai a bash, you might like it. If you don't, just try something different. I don't think you can easily dismiss Stuart Braithwaite as a non-entity. He's made a fairly abiding impact on the modern musical culture of our country: 25-years as a touring musician, typically playing arenas like Barrowlands or Alexandra Palace to big and indeed growing crowds. Their last album - As the love continues - was their first UK No.1 album. He's scored films and TV programmes. Most famously the Douglas Gordon film Zidane. Rock Action, his music label, have introduced various Scottish Album of the Year nominated albums. He's just released his autobiography Spaceships over Glasgow, and just this week had a tour of venues promoting its release. I was part of a sold out crowd at Monorail. Here's a picture of the promo CD of his musical influences, which he gave away that night. I suspect his musical taste may be closer to your own than you'd given him credence for? I'm a total Mogwai fanboy, so I'm hardly impartial on this, but I hope my intro has given you pause to rethink your "non-entity" comment as slightly ill informed, at best. He might not be to your taste, but he doesn't deserve being written off as some light pop act who will flash by. Go on, try them.

That's OK though. Gives you a perfect excuse to go back another time! Thanks for popping my pictures back up. A very nice memory! That was one of my favourite ever road trip days, from Ullapool until Thurso I practically had the country to myself. My jacket has even just about dried out now.

East Fife fans acting like they are presenting an episode of 'Homes under the Hammer'.

Didn't see the game yesterday. Was away at Saltcoats Victoria, which I do not recommend to East Fife fans. I couldn't get parked within 50m of the turnstile, their WiFi was appalling, and the refreshments hut was all out of Quasedilla when I arrived. And as for getting change from the day out of my £18 note, we'll that's just disgustingly cheap. How can they hope to progress? Following the "win with a frown on your face" comments here with some surprise. Most visitors to NDP have accepted it as what it is: an ancient stadium with some pleasing quirks, and some areas to be improved. Yet not surprised to see someone who watches their football every other week in an identikit, but rapidly crumbling, modern stadium being all for homogenisation. The mediocrity of their usual bland surroundings has clearly sapped their soul of creative thought. Perhaps instead of making small incremental improvements to NDP, as and when funds have permitted, Bonnyrigg Rose should have just phoned the guy who does the Littlewoods catalogue of the plastic and breeze block 'DumbartonEastFife stadium', with their signature "three-sided blank canvas" outlook? It's precisely what Scottish football has been crying out for after all, more of the exact same thing. The outright sneery behaviour here by fans of a team who have lingered in the lower tiers of Scottish football since Churchill was our PM is fairly surprising. Well done on your win.

I get that, it looks like Paris. It's definitely Saltcoats though.

Passed the statue of Bobby Lennox in Saltcoats today. Famous for having three caps for the Scottish League XI, and playing for Houston Hurricane.

Passed by today. Still a fair bit left to do.

Saltcoats Victoria 1 Renfrew 3. After an enjoyable walk around Irvine Beach, I decided to pick here fairly arbitrarily out of a choice of several games nearby. Renfrew went two up very early, then missed a penalty. Saltcoats gradually coming onto their game, eventually scored a decent long range goal, and then agonisingly missed a penalty on the stroke of half time. Game played in weather that would best be described as "foul". Heavy rain and gusty winds.

Rossvale 2 Irvine Victoria 1. Some exciting goalkeeping blunders are keeping this game interesting. The Irvine young team started strongly, but have simpered down as their E-numbers have worn off. Good second half. Three goals. Two red cards.

Good win last night. First goal was a belter. Superb cross and header, reminded me (at the time) of Kenny Dalglish against Wales. Unbelievable contrast in performance to Cliftonhill last weekend.

Starting to look ominous. Enjoyed my trip to Cliftonhill, as ever, but Bonnyrigg were not looking good today at all. Rarely threatened outwith a wee sequence of corners at the start of the second half.

Photos chopped off my last post.

Another wee development taking place at Linton Hotspur. A wee shed is going up over by the dugouts. Not a bad wee ground at all. Very scenic. Nice pies. Running water in the bogs. What more do you need? (No idea if they have aims for EOSFL, I'm not remotely ITK. The ground is up to scratch, but I'm not sure the club has any ambitions of going up to that level. If Easthouses and Ormiston can...)

Scotland 1 Northern Ireland 1. U21s friendly at whatever this park is called this season. Went to visit old Love Street (not much sign of its heritage other than the street names), saw a MASSIVE plane heading for Dubai, and noticed that a Scotland player had a ZZ top. First visit here. Tick.

Dalkeith 2 Easthouses Lily 0. Not much incident here other than the Lily goalkeeper playing on after his arm appeared to fall off after a particularly heavy landing. He was clearly in a lot of pain.

My direct debit has been reduced from £71 to £27. It has been a pleasant surprise to open that email. (I live in a house, a very wee house in the country, watching afternoon repeats with an air source heat pump, and can't remember how to switch the heating on. In the country.)

Will try that link again: https://www.calmac.co.uk/summer-timetables/berneray-leverburgh

Fairly dull drive through Lewis initially, then it becomes spectacular once the Harris mountains come into view and are then driven through. Next to nothing in way of amenities after Stornoway until you reach Tarbert. Recommend stopping off in Tarbert. A few food and drink options, I liked the Loomshed Deli for my coffee and lunch. After you leave Tarbert you come down to the string of Harris beaches. All of them are brilliant, I particularly like Nisabost and the very short climb up to Macleod's Stone. Must be nigh on impossible not to stop off at one of these if you have any time to spare. Your ferry will be from Leverburgh. Not particularly scenic but Calmac port towns seldom are. Timetable for the ferry is here: https://www.calmac.co.uk/summer-timetables/bernera-leverburgh. Would always recommend booking. The capacity is 34 vehicles only. Watch out for the section on that link aboce re tidal amendments. The ferry zigzags in and out of various rocks, meaning it's quite regularly curtailed due to tidal amendments. It's amazing how indirect the route the ferry takes is due to these hazards. Once you land on Berneray it is a straightforward drive on to South Uist. Causeways link the various islands so no more ferries needed unless you are heading on to Barra from Eriskay.

Keith 1 Cumnock 2. Scottish Cup first round. We're up for a birthday doo on Speyside this weekend, so this game came handily out the cup draw for us. Not a classic in Keith, but Cumnock were mostly comfortable throughout. Game played in heavy downpours. Occasionally football could be spotted through the gloop. Less so for the guys sitting in the wee supporters hut to shelter from a passing storm, the windows of which promptly steamed up. Managed two bonus Highland League grounds on my travels today. Rothes I've been to when passing through before, glad to see the robot lawnmowers are still going strong. Forres Mechanics I've ways driven past and shielded my eyes from the garish yellow adverts. But what's this, when you actually go into the ground it is indeed a lovely ground with a stunning old grandstand. Both grounds promoted up my "must visit for a match" list (which is very long and ever growing). Rothes was already highly positioned on there so I must right that soon.

Kingussie looking in great nick ahead of the final tomorrow.

I'm really looking forward to this! Hoping to get tickets to a Barrowlands show, and probably a weekend tour of some or all of Manchester, Leeds and Gateshead. Tickets on sale tomorrow.

Update: working my way down the list. Onto Brave New World. 7.0% West Coast IPA. Grapefruit. Outstanding.

Avoiding the Old Firm game in a cold tap room in Gala. Perfect. Liking the look of the 10.0% Mexicake imperial stout. Vanilla, cocoa, cinnamon, Chipotle, mulato chillies. Saving it for later.

Heart of Midlothian 0 Killie 1. League Cup, Second Round. I don't get to these shiny big grounds very often, so I enjoyed my trip to Tynecastle where their cute wee disco lights got an outing before the game. Killie were well worth the win. Taylor putting in an incredible performance at the back, and Killie looking so much better than last time I saw them at Montrose.

Never regret taking in a game there! Lovely setting. Did you happen to notice whether the Eddleston to Peebles cycle path has opened yet? I usually approach Peebles from the Neidpath end so I haven't been past Eddleston for a while. The cycle path was due to open in the Spring, but got delayed as our infrastructure projects always do.