well, I'm on holiday, and have had a couple of shocks, first I found I couldn't spell Bamra!...went there very early one morning having awoken at 4.15 , took some photo's and then took out my sketchbook and had my first shock (the spelling shock came later), , I couldn't draw!

I blame the digital camera. I know some people speak of using their camera as a sketchbook but that's its a bit of a misnomer ...I think...( just checking my dictionary..) yes misnomer, and speaking of dictionaies I bought myself a book of emtymology, I think I did ...and if you haven't listened to the guitar solo in Aqualung by Jethro Tull and you claim to like gutar solos then you really should (not so sure of the actual song though) .

anyway: enteritis; enterprise, ah; yes, entemilogy spelled entomology, prefer emptymology myself.. study of insects, no no no, I wanted the study of the history of worrds,oh there it is, Blackies compact etymological dictionary although the book I was using is just called Word Origins. and did you know that 'nice' was originally negative, implying foolishness or ignorance?

As for the worrd nuisance which comes to mind (well the minds of any fmaily members present at the time) whenever I reach for my etymology book, originaly meant to do proper serious harm, not the minor irritation of a person explaining, uninvited, the meaning of words. did you know cretin was once a nice word (new meaning of nice) now its a nice word (old meaning, well nearly).

anyway I blame camera for shrivelling my drawing ability, so I must draw more. I used to go out with a sketchbook and come back with 2 or 3 sketches or 1 proper drawing- now I go out with a camera (or sometimes 2) and come back with 30 or 40 photo's.

MUST DRAW MORE, OR DRORE MAW.

Anyway on the way back from a short break in Coldingham near St Abbs (v. nice: new meaning)

Heather and I stopped at Holy I sland (1 sketch: 10 photo's) and went into the cafe whereI saw a mother with (what I took to be) her 3 daughters, husband and mother/mother in law.

This woman was wearing one of those t shirts that are made to read; on the front it just said: PROBABLY. Oh, I thought, in all innocence: probably what? then she turned and the rest read... the best fcuk ever. Readers I was shocked. Was I right to be shocked? then I was bemused: what kind of culture are we that it is ok to declare to the world or at least to the cafe with all family there that you are probaby....?

proper disconcerted I was, a sensitive soul .

went home did some drawing and a bit of painting then watched Heroes on telly.

went to bed and dreamed of being shot! strange.

Bambough! bamberg? Bamburg? how come the right spelling looks wrongest?