Custom House, 21 November

Come along to Custom House on 21 November: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/choose-life-choose-leith-a-conversation-with-tim-bell-tickets-77279696653 . It’s ticketed but free. I’ll be in conversation with Gordon Munro, man of Leith, city councillor and...

The clocks and Brexit

If we had crashed out of the EU at the end of the month it would have put the clocks back fifty years, never mind the annual ritual of putting them back by an hour. But we didn’t. I am not in favour of referendums, but I have come to think that this is such a...

Autumn leaves

As the colours of autumn begin to show and the leaves begin to fall, it’s time for some reflections. The book continues to do well, sales have been good and interest in it continues. Recently i have been dealing with a production company that is preparing a...

A good August

Thanks to everyone – 125 folk – who came on the tour this month. I hope you all enjoyed it; for me it was a pleasure to meet such a wide variety of people with their different interests in the Trainspotting story. Some were into the literature, others the...

Cheap journalism

Last week it was announced that the annual per capita death-rate in Scotland related to illicit drugs went through the 1,000 mark, giving Scotland the unenviable top position in not just the UK, not just the EU, but almost everywhere in what is called “the...

A midsummer dreamy time

After a busy May and June, what with the Leith Festival and a couple of book events, I have only a few tours in July before the August Fringe programme: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on#fq=venue_name%3A%22Custom%20House%22&q=*%3A* The two June events could...