• Long-distance Walks - Outdoors - Speyside Way

    Fochabers to Buckie

    This stretch of the Speyside Way is the shortest, the easiest and somehow the dullest one. It comprises of two quite different parts. The first one, between Fochabers and Spey Bay, runs along the river Spey to its mouth. The second part goes along the coast to the town of Buckie, which is a bit strange considering the route is called…

  • Sermon

    The Holy Family

    Just before Christmas a new civil law, allowing same-sex couples to get married, took effect in Scotland. The Scottish media reported that a few of those in existing civil partnerships turned up at their local registrars to convert their partnerships to marriage. Quite likely there will be some more reports in upcoming weeks as the first same-sex couples get married.…

  • Long-distance Walks - Outdoors - Speyside Way

    Aberlour to Fochabers

    The Aberlour-Fochabers section of the Speyside Way was my choice for a Christmas walk. I left my car in Fochabers and was transported by a friend of mine to Aberlour; then I had no choice but to walk back. I started at the car park by the Victoria Suspension Bridge, following the old railway along the river Spey towards Craigallachie,…

  • Sermon

    Christmas

    The two-month-long mental torture is almost over; very soon there will be no more Christmas ‘evergreens’ played endlessly on loops in shops, no more ‘Jingle Bells’ every 10 minutes on the radio, no more sparkly glittery dust on the telly. I’ve loved all that, but I’m happy that it’s coming to its conclusion this year. I’m happy that now we…