Comments, reviews and articles on life as viewed from an island off the West Coast of Scotland.
AlexMatheson's Articles
September 7, 2005 by AlexMatheson
Cats and dogs were falling from the sky that lunch time. Falling so heavily that they were bouncing back off the pavement as we hurried back to school. We were not happy as there was a long way to go. And the rain did not look like stopping before Christmas. There were three of us, all neighbours, all wishing we didn't have to go back to school - ever again. There was me and D, and T. As we were about to make the turn onto the first of several very long streets that would take us there, T ...
September 7, 2005 by AlexMatheson
Cats and dogs were falling from the sky that lunch time. Falling so heavily that they were bouncing back off the pavement as we hurried back to school. We were not happy as there was a long way to go. And the rain did not look like stopping before Christmas. There were three of us, all neighbours, all wishing we didn't have to go back to school - ever again. There was me and D, and T. As we were about to make the turn onto the first of several very long streets that would take us there, T ...
September 5, 2005 by AlexMatheson
Never ones to miss an opportunity, it appears that virus writers are capitalising on the aftermath of Katrina. Under the guise of a bulletin offering updates on the disaster, you're taken to a web site which passes a virus on to your PC. You have been warned! PS, Why is it that mankind is so quick to use the fallout from disasters as a means of doing further harm? Anyone looking in from the outside must be thinking: What a sick species! Stay away from planet Earth!!!
September 1, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I've watched with a mixture of horror and amazement the events in and around New Orleans in the last week. It is painful to see so many people left stranded and homeless. And it was equally painful to watch President Bush not coming across very well in interviews following on from this disaster as his administration looks for a solution to the devastation left in Katrina's wake. I really feel for the victims and survivors of this event and wish that every one can recover some of what has been...
August 23, 2005 by AlexMatheson
A dozen pairs of gleaming eyes reflected the beam of my torch as I swept around the cellar. Their feral brightness startled me and the hairs on my neck bristled. "Rats!" "So what if we are?" a high pitched voice squealed in challenge. I inhaled sharply. "Rats can't talk," I muttered as I peered along the beam. "Who's there?" "They can too talk," a second voice squeaked back. I gasped again and paused and re-evaluated my earlier statement. My long held beliefs on the nature of t...
August 23, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I stood at the top of the gentle incline and studied the grazing herd. I had been tracking them for several days and was now tired and very hungry. My furs were damp and muddy, leaving me feeling cold and uncomfortable. "Well, here goes nothing." I raised my club above my head. Then I screamed as loudly as I could and launched myself down the slope. The club began to whistle as I whirled it through the air. Several of the beasts looked up but, showing supreme disinterest, returned to th...
August 23, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I looked down from my tree and saw a large, furry animal feeding upon the remains of a smaller but equally furry animal. At first I felt sickened but quickly mastered the urge. "Nature must run it's course," I declared. "Cobblers!" the green and red parakeet I shared my perch with exclaimed. Silence enveloped us once more and we watched the red sun sink slowly beyond the distant horizon. "Night," said I, once twilight had come and gone. "At last." Perhaps, I thought on, it will get ...
August 23, 2005 by AlexMatheson
Every once in a while, I do a little bit of writing. Usually short stories but sometimes other little bits and pieces some of which may come across as being somewhat off the wall. I long time ago, I worked for the computer division of a large Scottish bank and the work - computer programming and systems analysis - was sometimes very dull. In one of these troughs, I penned three very short pieces of rather silly prose which I gave the overall title of "Segments". I thought it might be a laugh ...
August 18, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I watched with some pleasure as Scotland conjured a 2 goal lead in last nights international friendly against Austria in Graz. In the first half, the Scots played well and were actually performing as a cohesive unit. Kenny Miller's opening goal in 3 minutes was very sweet, as was Gary O'Connor's low drive on 39 minutes. At half time, I was thinking that if they maintained that level of performance, they could slot another couple away in the second half and give the side a much needed injectio...
August 8, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I didn't get to either watch or listen to this game at the weekend but the result and match report suggest a team rich in Eastern Promise. Check out the link below for more details. What I can say is that things are looking up with the arrival of Shunsuke Nakamura and the continuing goal scoring form of Messers Hartson and Beattie. All we need now are for a few other ducks to be broken. I'm sure that if Shaun Maloney and Maciej Zurawski can get on the score sheet we'll see more from them. ...
August 5, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I encountered one of life's little ironies this morning on my way to work - that's an 18 mile drive from the village in which I live into the main town on my home island. Having left the house at 8 a.m., I wasn't in any hurry so was doing a fairly steady 60 m.p.h. along the road. There were no cars in front and none behind, which is nice after having lived amidst the chaos and confusion of various big city sprawls. Then I spotted a blue car in the rear-view mirror, some way back but approachi...
August 2, 2005 by AlexMatheson
Well done, Celtic. And way to go Gordon Strachan!!! Okay, so the Bhoys haven't managed the turn around that would have stunned the football world and seen them make it into the next round of the Champions League but they have done themselves and their manager proud. WGS has done his job just as well as MON and in the space of a week has shaken things up and brought the team back to life. A clean sheet and four goals, some very fluid play and a work rate from all the players that would p...
August 2, 2005 by AlexMatheson
I listened to the Celtic game on the radio last Saturday afternoon and was all smiles by half time thanks mainly to the goal-scoring prowess of John Hartson. A hat-trick by half time and people are saying he isn't good enough to play?!? They've obviously forgotten who the SPLs top scorer was last season. And, the Artmedia thing aside, three goals in your first two games is a good start should he want to retain that crown. Anyway, 3 - 1 up at half time and we should have been cruising. But ...
July 28, 2005 by AlexMatheson
Artmedia 5 - 0 Celtic?!?!?!? This was the worst performance I can remember by a Celtic side in Europe or anywhere else for that matter. Sure there have been some disasters at home against Rangers and Caley Thistle to name but two, as well as the crash against Nuechatel Xamax... So, what did go wrong this time? Well, some will say it all went wrong when Chris Sutton was stretchered off. This certainly had an impact but it not enough for us to lose so heavily. There are also some co...
July 22, 2005 by AlexMatheson
As London is once again subjected to a terror attack - which failed and makes the terrorists look not so much frightening as foolish (though let's never forget they remain a threat) - I wonder about the UK Government's proposed Identity Card scheme. Can such a scheme really serve to prevent this sort of attack? Well, I don't believe it can. Especially as it seems that this latest wave of terror is being perpetrated by UK Citizens, born and bred. Or will there be a box for us to check when ...