Last weekend i was in Glasgow which is like a second home in a way, as i have family living there. On arrival your mouth waters with the decision “Indian, Japanese, Mexican or maybe Thai or Chinese” This is a treat for most Hebrideans, as unless you can cook your own the only other choice is buy a horrible tv dinner from the local supermarket, Yugh! But i love cooking. Its a funny thing “Haggis neeps and tatties” although the Scottish national dish, are rarely eaten except On Robert Burns night, but afterwards you always think “ why don't we eat this more often” Maybe if i lived in Glasgow again the novelty of these restaurants might ware off a bit.

Trips away usually take in guitar stores, computer retailers, and useless gadgets that you simply cant live without at the time, until you get home and fire them into a drawer and probably never use again. I think i have a magpie gene in me, if its small shiny and has flashing lights, i buy. Strange thing i swear i can hear people rub their hands together when i enter a gadget shop, hmmm. Once you have bought your guitar tuners, strings, pics, and other useless junk, you then try and navigate your way through the main street past the Hari Krishna's, market researchers, big issue sellers, and credit card reps, wheew! But too name a few. If you were weak willed, one could be shouting “Goranga” filling out a market research form in between reading the Big issue, and wondering what to buy with your new credit card. The secret is no eye contact, if you look at them once, thats you. I have also tried the “I don't speak English” routine which just makes them try even harder, and they then scratch their head and wonder at how you are very fluent in swearing under your breath. Maybe what i should do the next time im in a city, is carry an A4 binder with a pen and look like im doing a survey, i bet i wont see them for dust.

After that, you drive back to the flat to find all the parking spaces have been nicked by the local students, so you park the car in an Evil Kenevil fashion, then climb out the sunroof and unload the days shopping. Heading home to Islay is a relief, but remember the traffic diversions, speed cameras, caravans and road works etc.

Back home the closest thing to a traffic jam is two locals parked side by side on a single track road catching up on the day to day, which i do myself. Total bliss, no round abouts, traffic lights, speed cameras, i tune into the radio just to listen to the travel reports for a laugh. The strange thing is after some weeks i miss the city and then look forward to my next trip, i know, strange or what?

Hello and welcome to my blog, I always wondered who reads these things, and here i am now writing one, “if you cant beat them you might as well join them” isnt that what they say. Every other person has a blog these days, so I thought I might run with all the other lemmings too.

Well, I managed to survive the annual Islay whisky festival, when the island famous for her now 9 distilleries resembles something from the D day landings, with every nationality you can shake a stick at appearing for a week or two, for some an annual pilgrimage. I am now thinking on hiding the car in a shed for that week next year, as i have nearly collided with three different foreign cars at blind turns on single track roads, im sure there is a sign somewhere that tells you to drive really fast and eratically and scare the bejesus out the locals, its just I havent seen it yet. Judging by the pile of broken tail and head light glass on the road to the pottery i think i might buy myself an auto repair truck for the next festival. The funniest sign i have seen to date was a Swiss MG open top at Bruichladdich with a sign taped to the dash saying “Remember to drive on the left side”

I designed a jug for the whisky festival which can be viewed in the online shop, its called a Greylagg christened so by my brother Donald, who said it had a similar shape to the Greylagg geese who arrive on Islay every winter. It took the best part of 7 years to get the the jug to work as it has a very unique filling and pouring system. The only problem I have had with it is I have to demonstrate it to nearly everyone, otherwise they think its a paper weight or a salt shaker etc. There is a small 10 second demonstration movie.

As I write this the heat is searing hot, which is nice for a change, the two panting and puffing cats in the pottery can testify to that. Spock the three legged character was nearly a speed bump today, as he was laying in the shade parked snuggley under my back wheel of the car, he may only have three legs but he can run like hell when the engine starts. In dispair he climbed into the old fishing boat which I am building a new wheelhouse for.

Well, thats all for now, tune in for more tales soon, Arra.

We are happy to inform you that our Online Pottery Shop is ready and invite you to have a look around. We have a total of 53 items in the shop from which most of them are available in several different colors. A colorchart is available from the Shop's mainpage.