Twice in the last couple of weeks, I have gone out Latin dancing. As many of you will know, I love to dance, but I hate going out when it is cold and dark so, except when it’s summer, I mostly just dance around the living room. However, after talking about it since the start of the year, I finally went out with some folks (well, one person) from my church missional community (read: house group) and we had a fab time! Muscle memory is a wonderful thing, and even though I may not have danced salsa or bachata in about a year, my feet still remember what they are supposed to do.
This one is mainly for the members of my missional community (read: church house group) who are mostly based in Dennistoun, eighth coolest neighbourhood in the world, according to Time Out. We sometimes call it “the Den” for short. I have a habit of changing the lyrics of songs, as my nieces can testify, so here is my alternative version of Freddy Mercury’s Living on my Own. If you’re not familiar with the song, there’s a lyrics video at the end.
It’s been a while since I did any talks related to Hugh Macdonald, the Victorian Glasgow journalist whose book I annotated in 2022. Last year seemed full of them, when the new edition had just come out, but this Saturday was the first in a long time, and possibly the last (although I’m still open to invitations).
Many of you will know that I am a bit of a bridge enthusiast. How it happened is a long and not especially interesting story, but suffice it to say that I am now writing a book on Glasgow’s history told through its bridges. So naturally, I was very excited by the opening of the new Govan Footbridge (or the Pointy Bridge, as I insist on calling it).
Just a quick one to say that I’m giving a talk to the Old Glasgow Club this Thursday, 9th November, at the Renfield Centre, 260 Bath Street, G2 4JP. The talk is called Rambling Round Victorian Glasgow with Hugh MacDonald (although he will not be making an appearance in person).
My recent book talks and book trails went very well, and thank you to everyone who has asked about them. It didn’t even rain on the book trails, which was nothing short of a miracle!
After being somewhat secretive about it last year (it was a surprise for my father), I am now making a screeching change of direction and telling all and sundry that I have a new version of Hugh MacDonald’s Rambles Round Glasgow coming out.
This post was composed in collaboration with my old friend, fellow A-ha fan and English teacher extraordinaire, Susan Main. We recently took a wee trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as it used to be) and encountered many of these phenomena.
It’s been an up and down sort of a year. It started during a miserable winter lockdown and has ended with lighter-touch restrictions back in force and the threat of more (thanks, Omicron), but there has been quite a lot of good stuff in-between. I found a lovely wee flat and moved back to Glasgow, which was great (because however nice East Kilbride is, it’s not Glasgow) but then got new neighbours with some seriously anti-social dogs. The year was bookended by failing to get two writing/editing jobs that I wanted and that would have paid decent money, but on the other hand I finished the novel I was working on and had a few smaller pieces published.
K C Murdarasi 