Author Archives: alasdairflett

About alasdairflett

German & English Literature graduate. From Orkney. Interested in alternative and indie music, language, writing and politics.

English Road

Posted on 30/08/2023 by alasdairflett

I wouldn’t exactly recommend the Camino Ingles in England, even though overall it was enjoyable. The route follows what is thought to be the path taken by pilgrims from the south before they departed from Great Britain and onto mainland … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Personal experience | Tagged Camino Ingles, England, life, Orkney, pilgrimage, Reading Abbey, River Itchen, Santiago, Scotland, Southampton, St James, Winchester | 1 Comment

A Tale of Two Wheels

Posted on 20/08/2023 by alasdairflett

“Nice bike, pal,” a fellow Genesis owner heckles to me on the north bank of the Clyde as I make my way back to the office from Glasgow Sheriff Court. I quickly realise the reason for the compliment and mumble … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Personal experience | Tagged bike, cycling, Falkirk Wheel, gravel, life, technological sublime | Leave a comment

The deserts of Scotland

Posted on 24/06/2023 by alasdairflett

I’d always wanted to read Walter Scott. In fact, I’d attempted to before – embarking on a free Kindle version of Waverley which was abandoned for whatever reason; probably the dense prose style that strains the attention of a restless … Continue reading →

Posted in Review | Tagged Frankenstein, highlands, history, language, Law, Literature, mythmaking, politics, Review, Rob Roy, Scotland, Scots, Walter Scott | Leave a comment

Well World

Posted on 04/06/2023 by alasdairflett

In three months I will start my legal traineeship which lasts two years and at the end of which I will become a qualified solicitor. Meanwhile, I will be known as a “trainee solicitor”. Before then, though, I’ve been asked … Continue reading →

Posted in Review | Tagged defilement, Haruki Murakami, Japan, Japanese, Literature, paralegal, Review, Wind Up Bird Chronicle | 1 Comment

Ambiguous forks and subtle alienation

Posted on 01/05/2023 by alasdairflett

My trip to the Republic began in the Confederation. Specifically the Confederation of Helvetica or CH for short, otherwise known as Switzerland. Acceptable names for geographical entities would be one of the first things to learn as I disembarked from … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Personal experience | Tagged Chablais, France, French, frontaliers, Gaul, Geneva, Haute Savoie, Holy Roman Empire, Lac Leman, life, Saint Francois de Sales, Switzerland, Yvoire | 2 Comments

A bestiary of Buendias

Posted on 29/04/2023 by alasdairflett

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is unlike any other book I’ve read. It took me some time to get into though. I wasn’t hooked by the first page by any means. There was time to tune … Continue reading →

Posted in Review | Tagged family saga, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Literature, magical realism, One Hundred Years of Solitude, politics | Leave a comment

Grey Granite: Grassic Gibbon revisited

Posted on 29/04/2023 by alasdairflett

I wrote this piece in early 2020 pre-lockdown and never published it at the time. Please enjoy this B-side from the Flett-cetera discography. Lewis Grassic Gibbon was the short-lived novelist most famous for his Scots Quair trilogy. Sunset Song, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Review | Tagged capitalism, Ewan Tavendale, freedom, Grey Granite, history, Lewis Grassic Gibbon, revolutionism, Scots Quair, socialism, strikes, violence, workers | 1 Comment

Friends and Adversaries

Posted on 21/03/2023 by alasdairflett

Formal university education is finished for the foreseeable. Three years of study have culminated in two mediation Saturdays, a debate on interim interdict, an employment tribunal cross-examination, sorting out a casino licence, a personal injury claim negotiation and a mock … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Personal experience | Tagged diploma, Glasgow, Law, life, Strathclyde, University | Leave a comment

(Re)tracing my steps

Posted on 24/12/2022 by alasdairflett

2022 has been an improvement on the success/happiness/fulfilment scale. In comparison with the slow awakening of 2021, this has been a year of activity and spontaneity. The fear of looming lockdown has dissipated and we are left with the legacy … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Personal experience | Tagged career, Charlemagne, French, Germany, holiday, Holy Roman Empire, language, Law, life | 1 Comment

The materiality of faith

Posted on 20/12/2022 by alasdairflett

Working in a Cathedral, I think, does push one to examine Christianity and its various forms more often than the average person. Probably I am the sort of person who thinks about Christianity on a level above average for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Personal experience | Tagged atheism, Calvinism, cathedral, Christianity, Church of Scotland, faith, life, materialism, materiality, pilgrimage, rationalism | Leave a comment