This is wonderful. It's true that Scotland invented the passing game, but probably only so that players could keep moving to avoid the need to wear a topcoat.

They're quite sought after now.

End block of the Crathie Court flats at dusk last night, the balconies and round windows illuminated against the darkening sky, like the end of a cruise ship.

An early Glasgow multistorey, Crathie Court in Thornwood. Eighty-eight bedsit flats over eight floors, built by Glasgow Corporation in 1952 specifically to house unmarried women. Inevitably they became known as the "spinster flats".

Dark clouds above, the trig point of Beinn Narnain on the right, Ben Lomond in the clouds beyond

April Skies by The Jesus and Mary Chain as a photo.

Bullfinches mate for life, so it's nice to find this old couple are back at my feeders again for another year.

Are you not entertained?

Programme for Scottish Ballet's production of Starstruck, based on Gene Kelly's ballet Pas de Dieux that he choreographed for Paris Opera Ballet.

Scottish Ballet are managing to be imaginative and very original these days in the work they do. Really enjoyed seeing Starstruck tonight, a version of a ballet Gene Kelly did for Paris Opera Ballet in 1960. The orchestra, staging, dancing, and music were all fabulous.

*tap...tap...
Is this thing on today?

Poster showing you the way to the Riso Club 100 exhibition. Last day 19th April.

Pink print of the famous techno viking

Four prints by artists from Damascus

Worth catching the last days of the Riso Club postcard exhibition in Glasgow this weekend if you can, at The Glue Factory. Riso prints by 400 artists from 100 different cities.

If it takes a man a week to walk a fortnight, how many apples are there in a barrel of grapes?

From cover of the book Mr Ma and Son by Lao She.

Text from book "The mere fact that Chinese people inhabit the place is enough to draw the voyeurs. And all because China's a weak nation, every crime under the sun is attributed to this community of hard-working Chinese, who are simply seeking their living in a strange and for-eign land. If there were no more than twenty Chinese people dwelling in Chinatown, the accounts of the sensation-seekers would without fail magnify their number to five thousand. And every one of those five thousand yellow-faced demons will smoke opium, smuggle arms, commit murder - hiding the corpses un-der their bed - rape women regardless of age - and commit an endless amount of crimes, all deserving, at the very least, gradual dismemberment and death by ten thousand slices of the sword. Authors, playwrights and screenwriters are prompt to base their pictures of the Chinese upon such rumours and reports. Then all who see the play, watch the film or read the novel – the young girls, the old ladies, the little children and the King of England - firmly imprint these quite unfounded pictures upon their memories. Thus are the Chinese transformed into the most sinister, most foul, most loathsome and most degraded two-legged beasts on earth. In this twentieth century, people are judged according to their nation. The people of a powerful nation are people; the people of a weak nation are dogs."

Enjoying this book by Lao She, set in London of the 1920s where the author lived for 5 years. The racism that the main characters experience in the Britain of a century ago is obviously a reflection of what the author saw, but is so recognisable from today that it's utterly depressing.

Massive Attack and Tom Waits?
Who saw that coming?

share.google/KpTBLN6OcKOD...

Film poster outside Glasgow Film Theatre for The Stranger.

L'Étranger / The Stranger on at the GFT in Glasgow just now is worth catching, a new film of Albert Camus's book. I was distracted by keeping score of whether he'd drink more cups of coffee, smoke cigarettes, or drink glasses of red wine.

I can't remember my wee brother or me being as upset as you, but I do remember my mum crying as we passed La Scala cinema on Sauchiehall St the following day as she got flashbacks. I've still got the 7 inch single of Bright Eyes, although I'd doodled on the cover so it may have dents in it.

Daredevil episode 4 just gave us an idea of how it would look, with the Pope in white as Kingpin, obviously.

A man breached security at Shannon Airport in Ireland, climbed onto a parked C-130 Hercules, and damaged it with a tool.

He was arrested.

Partick Thistle supporters behind the goal today at Firhill Stadium with a banner saying "LITTLE BRAINS. KEEP RACISM OUT OF FIRHILL!" The banner in front is the "Ultras Thistle" banner that's there at every game.

Anti-racism banner from Partick Thistle supporters today in response to Raith Rovers fans who vandalised the stadium and scrawled racist graffiti last week, when they were here for their cup final match.

I know I'm not the only person that had "Tunnocks!" as their first thought on seeing the Artemis II splashdown.

Valve house on a water pipe for the hydroelectric scheme from Lochan Breaclaich. A wee concrete room upon a big blue pipe in an empty moor.

Scottish plumbing.

Blue skies over snow topped Ben Lawers. Loch Tay in the foreground

Ben Lawyers and Loch Tay today. I shall enjoy it while it lasts.

Five thousand year old human figure from Scara Brae Neolithic site in Orkney. They called him ‘Buddo’, the greatest nickname ever

‘BUDDO’

Government pamphlet issued to all homes in the UK telling you how to survive a nuclear war.

I will. Then I will go home and dig out my old copy of Protect and Survive that I've still got.

I just watched this again recently. It's horrendously prescient.

Train coming up the line towards Corrour Station, one of the most remote train stations in Britain. With no road access here it's the best way to reach the mountains around here.

Leum Uilleim mountain in the distance, across the moorland, as seen from the edge of the station platform, which has "Mind the step" written on its edge.

At the high point of the train line around Rannoch Moor, Corrour Summit, marked by a large metal sign, viewed through the 'O' of the sign on the other side of the tracks.

Leum Uilleim covered in snow, a solitary pyramid when viewed from the station. With warmer weather on the way, the snow won't last.

Finally the sun comes out as I'm waiting for the train home, down the West Highland Line. A braw day.

Pyramidal, snow-covered mountain in wet peat bog at Corrour.

The train that goes over Rannoch Moor, heading to Fort William reaches its highest point at these signs for Corrour Summit. Snowy mountains beyond

Summit cairn of Leum Uilleim, covered in snow today

Views across to snowy peaks from the summit

Took advantage of the fresh dump of snow over Scotland yesterday to have one last winter walk of the season before it all melts. Leum Uilleim, the one that they didn't climb in the film Trainspotting, from Corrour Station.

Is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band the official opposition in America? Are they the only checks and balances in the American constitution? Is that how it works there?

Any checks and balances in the American constitution, or any rules based international order have clearly been illusionary. He's committing crimes in plain sight, and there just appears to be no consequences.

Walking around it, shaking their heads and sucking in through their teeth. "Nope. It's a no from me".

Ordnance survey map of the ridge leading up to Leum Uilleim. One point indicates the position of a cairn, about 400 yards away another point is described as a pile of stones.

Making plans for tomorrow when the weather over the Scottish hills seems clearer. Struggling to imagine why some summit piles of stones are called a cairn, whilst others are called a pile of stones. Is this an immature cairn? Art?

The planet Earth being flipped off

the Artemis II crew just posted a new photo. what the fuck