• Munros - Outdoors

    The Fannaichs (West)

    The forecast was changing at every hour, though there was one unchanging feature: no rain predicted. I decided to take a gamble hoping for a cloudless day. As the forecast had given grounds for this before lunchtime I left home very early in the morning in order to be quite high up on the hills at sunrise. I started my hike…

  • Sermon

    The Exaltation of the Cross

    Moses needed some time to convince his compatriots in Egypt to leave that country and return to the land of their ancestors: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Initially they were pretty reluctant, moving towards hostility when Pharaoh made their lives harder in response to Moses’ demands for freedom. But his endurance and perseverance, mixed with cleverness and strong beliefs, eventually won…

  • Sermon - Year A

    23rd Sunday in Ordinary time

    It’s been a rather poor season this year for Andy Murray, our Scottish tennis player – if he were successful he would a British – seemingly sealed by his recent defeat at the US Open. But despite losing to Novak Djokovic his game was actually complimented by many commentators as of high quality, particularly in comparison with his earlier defeats.…

  • Munros - Outdoors

    The Grey Corries

    The Grey Corries drew my attention last year when I was climbing the Munros on both banks of Loch Treig. Their peaks and upper slopes were unusually white-ish as if covered with snow; in fact it’s eroded quartzite giving that unusual look. I predicted I’d need up to 12 hours to complete my route, so I decided to start as early as…

  • Sermon - Year A

    22nd Sunday in Ordinary time

    Sadistic. Sectarian. Barbaric. Savage. Bloodthirsty. These and many other similar words have been used recently throughout the media reporting on the current situation in the Middle East. Human nature is showing its ugly side in a dreadful and direct manner. To make it even worse, it’s all being done in the name of God and his Will by people with…