Greetings readers! I must apologise for my prolonged absence from the typewriter but we’re back on track now and I will once again lead you into the light of my goings-on.

So what’s new? Well, I’m back at school again; a couple of new faces and many gone for good. Over the summer I attended a sound engineering course on Fridays where I learned how to set up and mix for live bands. This led to a purchasing of a Yamaha Stagepas 300 portable PA system which I acquired with the extensive riches accumulated through the graft of dish-washing at the Standing Stones Hotel.

As of yet I have not used this for any enterprising schemes, or even addressed the public with it but I plan to make money out of it somehow. Whether that means public performance of some of my material published over the summer (https://soundcloud.com/alasdair-flett here’s the link if you’re curious) or putting myself up for hire for parties as DJ, I don’t know. Anyway I do have one gig lined up entertaining the WRI (Women’s Rural Institute) but that’s a while off…

Basically I’ve been having fun playing around with that. I have continued to volunteer with the Pier Arts Centre on Saturdays which entailed helping out on their stand at the County Show and helping out at workshops during Shopping Week among other things. I have also been attending “Pier group” meetings which have led to an exhibition to do with the changing view of Stromness with the Copland’s Dock Developments and by extrapolation, what “the view” represents. I was gifted some interesting books with pencil drawings by Diana Leslie of the view from Brinkie’s Brae and an entertaining book of quotations from “famous” Orcadians on what Orkney would be like in the future.

So yes, work is starting to reduce as things get less busy, the Stromness Pool where I train (don’t know whether I’ve mentioned that) has closed for maintenance so I’m through to the fancy new Kirkwall pool at the Pickiquoy Centre on Tuesday mornings and my piano teacher is moving to Spain. Things are changing and I’m not really sure where I’m going next but hopefully everything will turn out okay. Anyway, waffling. Cheerio.