whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside

So Young Ben and I were playing chess the other day and I tried to get him with the old four move Fool's Mate. "Do you think I am only five months old?" he chuckled contemptuously and proceeded to destroy me with his Latvian Gambit. When you teach someone how to play a game of any skill, you know that the first time they beat you is the beginning of the end. Your own victories will become rare after that until you reach the stage of a "pity" victory. At that stage it is time to start playing a different game.

I speak from bitter experience here with three sons who show no compassion when it comes to beating their father at anything and I don't expect any different from Ben (not that I would want it any other way)

I have written previously about our family holidays in Rothesay and it was during evenings here, with no computers and only a small black and white television, that our game skills were honed. This was where my sons were introduced to the delights of dominoes, various card games and some games which I think my dad made up as he went along and altered the rules to suit.

Games such as pitch and toss which did nothing for the skirting paintwork, shove ha'penny and my own personal favourite which we just knew as "coins" or "matches" where each player has three coins, puts his hands behind his back and brings forward a closed fist with either 0,1,2 or 3 coins in it and the object is to guess the total number of coins produced by all players. My dad was a master of tactics here and introduced "bluffs" where he would scratch his face with his "free"hand leading you to believe that he had three coins in his closed fist (when in reality he had left coins behind his back) or even the "double-bluff" where he actually did have three coins in his fist. Watching my young sons take this in and try to introduce their own tactics was a special time

I notice that my sons still use the "rock/paper/scissors" game to decide certain major decisions in life such as whose round it is, who is going in the shower first and probably some decisions that it's best I don't know about.

As years went by in Rothesay we became more civilised and prepared and would actually take board games with us. I recollect fondly the joys of Connect 4, Battleships and Guess Who. "Does your person have glasses, red hair and a beard?" ..."Yes"..."Is it Sue?"

Being a football family we obviously also had Subbuteo but there was not really enough room for that which resulted in major on-field casualties. Some players were broken and put back together again more often than Steve Austin (that's The Six Million Dollar Man not the wrestler). These poor chaps ended up looking more Jimmy Johnstone than Peter Crouch but some just never played again after being knelt on from above

Then as the boys grew older we would progress to Cluedo, Monopoly and the horrendous Risk or the more sophisticated Balderdash and Pictionary but in truth I think we were always happiest with coins behind our back or throwing them at a wall

In rainy days in Rothesay the old Panini Stickers Books were also a Godsend (strange that a devout atheist would use that word, maybe there's hope for me yet). These could prove expensive however, when you had three sons each with their own sticker book and 32 teams at a World Cup with about 20 players per team that's a lot of stickers and you had to keep buying them until all books were complete even if you had 14 Terry Butchers by that time, we still needed that Egyptian defender whose name I cannot remember. Hopefully by the time Ben starts doing Panini Stickers Scotland might actually be back at a World Cup

Anyway I am off to brush up on my baccarat skills. I haven't taught Ben that one yet and I need to beat him at something while I still can

as I stood there in the morning rain, I had a feeling I can't explain

So, Young Ben is flying out to Tenerife next month with his mum and dad and this had me thinking how attitudes to travel and holidays have changed over the years.

I was in my twenties before I was on a plane for the first time and even that was a short hop from Newcastle to Amsterdam. It wasn't the first time I had been abroad but up until then I had always gone by Ferry across the Channel. I remember one time in the Sixties I went with my mum and dad and my eldest brother to France and we set off from Ayr in a Mini. My dad had constructed a "home-made" metal roof-rack and within a dozen miles or so it had slid off the back of the car and our luggage was strewn across the A76. My dad was fairly pragmatic about this kind of event, so the roof-rack was dumped in a ditch along with any other non-essential items, the boot lid was folded down and the luggage strapped on and off we set again, heading for Paris. To the best of my knowledge that roof-rack was never retrieved and may be dug up by some future generation and heralded as a great discovery. The thought of travelling to Paris nowadays by road sounds like a nightmare but back then it was a great adventure.

In contrast my own children were flying abroad on holidays from a very early age including a 24 hour flight to Australia when my youngest had only just turned two. I should point out here, they were accompanied by their parents and not just sent off somewhere from time to time.

I had never been to The States until we went there as a family to do the whole "Disney Experience" in The Nineties. For some reason I had always put off going to The States but once I went I was "blown away" and have since been back several times. On one of our trips we took my father with us. It was strange to see a man in his seventies on Space Mountain and Splash Mountain but if he went on a roller coaster it meant there was no way that I could "chicken out". I had to maintain some form of credibility. I recall losing my baseball cap as we hurtled down Splash Mountain and when I went back to the starting point to see if it had been handed in the staff opened a door to a shed filled with hundreds of sodden caps. Obviously I was not the only one to suffer this fate

In more recent times I have been back across The Pond on my own. When I turned 50 I fulfilled a promise to myself and had a holiday in San Francisco. As a child growing up in The Sixties, San Francisco had always carried a mystical quality and I must say it did not disappoint. I think it is my favourite place in the world. Walking across The Golden Gate Bridge with the sun shining, looking over the bay...it just doesn't get any better than that. Add in Cable Cars, Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf,Pier 39, Coit Tower,trips to Sausalito, Monterey and Carmel...I could go on all day. It's just a special part of the world

I have since been to New York twice and it is also an amazing city (and much easier to reach). Walking across The Brooklyn Bridge with the wind in your face (yes I really like bridges)...it's not San Fran, but it's a close second. The first time I went, I arrived on Thanksgiving Day and my hotel was just off Times Square. That night it seemed to me like the busiest spot in the world and the atmosphere and lights all around from the advertising signs just took my breath away. I recall taking the open top bus tour and singing "Across 110th Street" as we headed for Harlem. The second time I went was with my mate for his 50th and we were there the night The Giants won The Superbowl. That was a fun night.

I leave you this week with my Top 5 Florida Theme Park Rides

1. Tower Of Terror ...the attention to detail in the hotel and the drop give it top spot
2. Jaws...may seem a bit tame now but at the time it was (j)awesome
3. Back To The Future...where we're going we don't need roads
4. Splash Mountain...lulls you in to a false sense of security with the gentle pace and music, then whoosh...hold on to your hats
5. Kumba at Busch Gardens...now that's what I call a roller coaster

Special mention here to It's A Small World at Magic Kingdom which wins the award for most annoying ride and song. Anyone who has experienced it will now be singing the song for the rest of the day (I know I am even as I type this)

yeah darlin' gonna make it happen, take the world in a love embrace,fire all of your guns at once and explode into space

As a change from the Cricket World Cup Young Ben and I were watching the wonderful Vintage TV Music Channel the other morning before our walk and who should come on but Led Zeppelin followed by Steppenwolf. This took me back to the first real live music I ever saw back in 1970 when as a 15 year old my two older brothers took me to Bath Festival. We were living in Ayr at the time and they hired a car for the weekend and off we went. To an impressionable teen like myself it was a fantastic adventure and when I look back now at the line up of artists it is understandable why it was so special...Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Moody Blues, Santana, It's A Beautiful Day, Frank Zappa, Jefferson Airplane and my own personal favourite of the time Steppenwolf with their classic "Born To Be Wild". The only slightly sour note of the weekend was that on the way home after driving through the night,we stopped in Cumnock, some 16 miles from Ayr, to phone our mum to start making the bacon sandwiches and as my brother was exiting the car a passing wagon clipped the door of our car. No one was hurt physically but the I seem to recall the loss of the deposit seemed to cause severe pain to my brothers at the time.

After this I regularly went to concerts and in the 70s when we lived in the North East of England I would often travel to Newcastle to see the likes of Genesis, Roxy Music, 10CC, The Who, Cat Stevens and Steve Harley. I remember seeing Roxy Music in Newcastle with Leo Sayer as supporting act. This was when he wore the full clown's outfit and performed songs from his Silverbird album including the excellent "The Show Must Go On". I also recall seeing The Sensational Alex Harvey Band at The Locarno in Sunderland and that was entertaining

I recall in 1974 travelling down with friends to Wembley to see Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Joni Mitchell and The Band. Although I have always been a big fan of Joni I think I only went to that concert because I thought Dylan might turn up to play with The Band. Unfortunately he did not. Dylan was my main man until Springsteen came along and I finally saw him for my one and only time at Earl's Court in 1978. He did not disappoint.

As I have mentioned before I consider The 80s a fairly barren time for music and concerts attended during that time with my then wife and friends included Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Simply Red, Dire Straits and the hugely disappointing Prince. During this time however Mr Springsteen was a solitary star shining in an otherwise black sky and his 1985 Born In The USA concert at St James Park, Newcastle remains to this day the finest concert I have ever seen. I have seen him since in Paris, Glasgow and twice in Manchester but that first time was definitely the best

After years of seldom going to concerts I started to take an interest again in the 2000s and saw and enjoyed James Blunt (yes, saw and enjoyed), Damien Rice, Eminem and The Killers. I also saw half a Paul Simon concert when my mate said there was no way he would be on at the specified time obviously not aware that Mr Simon is an extremely punctual fellow. Fortunately I was not late for an Art Garfunkel concert in Edinburgh as he was on and off stage within the hour. In 2008 I finally saw one of my other great favourites when my son and I saw Stevie Wonder at The O2 arena. He was superb.

Recent concerts have been more sedate. At The Glasgow Concert Hall I saw Glen Campbell, who at 74 could still put on a great show but unfortunately not remember his own son's name who was part of the backing band and last year Brian Wilson, who was also excellent if slightly frail.
The most bizarre concert I saw in recent years was Steven Seagal and Thunderbox at The Renfrew Ferry in Glasgow. Let's just say that his singing made his acting look accomplished

I have tried to talk Young Ben into coming with me to see Neil Diamond at Hampden Park this summer but he says he is washing his hair that night. Strangely I haven't actually told him what night it is but it looks as if I will have to Sing my Song Blue on my own that night

I was bruised and battered and I couldn't tell what I felt, I was unrecognisable to myself

So, Young Ben and I were watching The Oscars last night whilst his mum and dad were out gallivanting. He was not too happy that "The King's Peach" won best picture as he was definitely rooting for "Toy Story 3" but neither of us had any complaints about Natalie Portman winning Best Actress and I promised him that when he was old enough I would let him see Natalie in one of my favourite films "Leon". He was also disappointed to learn that "The Black Swan" was a movie about ballet and had nothing to do with one of his favourite books of the same name by Nassim Taleb explaining the Black Swan Theory. His bedtime story is always a toss-up between this and The Gruffalo.

The year I was born "On The Waterfront" won Best Picture and Marlon Brando won Best Actor and I am quite happy with that

Best Picture for the year I was married was "Kramer Vs Kramer" which turned out fairly prophetic but "Apocalypse Now" was also nominated that year which would have served just as well

My three sons were born in the 80s which was about as good for movies as it was for music. My eldest son was born in 1980 when "Ordinary People" and not "Raging Bull" won Best Picture although at least De Niro did win Best Actor for his role in "Raging Bull"

In 1982 when Ben's dad was born Best Picture was won by "Gandhi" and not the wonderful "ET-The Extra-Terrestrial" but at least Best Actor was won by a Ben (Mr Kingsley) and when he was young Sean did have a blow-up ET figure rather than a blow-up Gandhi one.

My youngest son was born in 1986 and had the cheery "Platoon" as his Best Picture but the legend Paul Newman won Best Actor for "The Colour Of Money" and Michael Caine Best Supporting Actor for "Hannah and Her Sisters"

In 1987 when Ben's mum was born Best Supporting Actor was won by SEAN Connery, showing that you can always find a tenuous link if you look hard enough

Best Song in my year was "Three Coins In A Fountain" and my opinion of 80s music is not changed by the winners from the four years mentioned above...1980--"Fame"...1982---"Up Where We Belong"...1986---"Take My Breath Away"....and 1987 ..."(I've had) The Time Of My Life. At least Young Ben has "We Belong Together" by Randy Newman from Toy Story 3 so it will be a song he is familiar with

I leave you this week with my Top 5 Best Song Oscar Winners from down the years (I may struggle to find 5 here)

1. Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen (1993)
2. Shaft by Isaac Hayes (1971)
3. Moon River from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961)
4. The Way We Were by Barbara Streissand (1973)
5. Do Not Forsake Me , Oh My Darlin' from High Noon (1952)

I said it would be a struggle. I cannot believe that neither "The Graduate" in 1967 or "Midnight Cowboy" in 1969 had any nominations in The Best Song Category

as morning breaks the heaven on high I lift my load to the sky, sun comes down with a burning glow

Young Ben and I were chatting yesterday and I was recounting tales of his dad when he was a boy. I was telling him of the many summers we had in Rothesay and what great times we had down there over the years.

One of the great attractions of Rothesay was that you went on a ferry to get there and although you were only an hour and a half from home crossing the water made it seem like another world. There was only a small black and white TV in the flat we stayed in and no telephone so you felt cut off from the outside world (this was in the days before everyone and their granny had a mobile phone)

The flat overlooked the promenade and had a fantastic view out over the bay but more importantly it overlooked the finest putting greens in the West of Scotland. Many a hole in one I sank on those greens and also unfortunately many a par busting four after a disastrous "half way Harry" first putt. The prize for the winner (and everyone else for that matter ) was normally a Knickerbocker Glory at the ice cream shop and then on to further adventures

We would often cycle out to Ettrick Bay and partake in the great family tradition...Crab Hunting (I look forward to taking Ben on his first Crab Hunting expedition). No rock was left unturned in search of a "beauty" and I recall one sunny afternoon we turned over a sheet of corrugated metal and there underneath was the Holy Grail...Crab City. There were crabs of all sizes everywhere who had been disturbed by the Gods above but after we had picked up and inspected a few we returned them to their home and carefully put back the cover to their world so they could once again go about their duties and tell tales to their crab grandchildren of how they repelled the giant invaders from above.

On the way back from Ettrick Bay we would pass through Port Bannatyne which for some reason used to have flags of the world on poles all along the prom. This proved to be very educational for my sons and their flag knowledge now is far superior to mine (admittedly, at first, it did help if the country had played in the World Cup)

Heading out of Rothesay in the opposite direction is Craigmore and we would regularly walk out to the excellent cafe situated there. Along the way we would skim stones in the sea and play another of our home made games where you stood on the prom and had to land stones on top of the the concrete pillars which were situated on the shore. They had metal hatches partly covering their tops and I recall you were awarded 3 points for landing on top of the pillar but 5 points if you landed on the metal hatch. I admit it is not exactly an Olympic Sport but it did keep us entertained

Further down this coast is Kerrycroy with it's maypole. This was a great spot for picnics and games of rounders and french cricket. I can remember the boys jumping into the sea here off the stone jetty. I think I did it once and realised even back then I was getting too old for that kind of reckless abandon

Another favourite spot for a picnic was St. Blane's Chapel which is beautifully isolated. I am not a religious man but there is an aura to that place which touches even my cold heartless soul

I recall one evening when I was having a well earned pint in Mac's Bar the locals were talking about a whale being washed up on Scalpsie Bay on the other side of the island, so next day we set off to see this. As we came closer the whale looked absolutely huge and it was only when we reached it and touched it that we realised it was actually a fake made from fibreglass for use in the updated version of "The Tales Of Para Handy". We later saw them filming the show at Kilchattan Bay but we did not manage to persuade them to give any of us our big acting break

Putting was not the only sport available to us on Bute. At Kingarth I remember my dad trying to teach the boys the finer points of Bowls. He fought a losing battle here I am afraid and their bowling action was more Ian Botham than David Bryant

And then there was the 9 hole golf course at Stavanna Bay. If all golf courses were like this I may even have taken up the game seriously. It was open to the public with a Courtesy Box for payment for your round. The "greens" had fences surrounding them to stop the cattle from wandering on to them. Their were stone dykes across the "fairways". One of the holes has the beach as most of it's fairway unless you are extremely accurate (which we were not) and your ball would often disappear from sight never to be seen again, down a rabbit hole, into a burn or into clumps of bushes which had their own life forms inhabiting therein. You needed a vast supply of golf balls when you played this course.It was wonderful and the scenery was breathtaking. On a fine day looking across towards The Sleeping Warrior in Arran you would not wish to be anywhere else in the world

My word I feel like I am writing for the Bute Tourist Board here but I think Young Ben and I may have to take a trip "doon the water" fairly soon

Is it the cry of the river with the moonlight shining through, that ain't what scares me baby, what scares me is losing you

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways
1,2,3,4,5...

So Young Ben and I were writing our Valentine Cards yesterday. Well actually I was writing my Valentine Cards and he was preparing his e-cards and updating his relationship status on Facebook. The days of SWALK and HOLLAND are apparently long gone. When I was researching Valentine's Day online (touch of irony there) I learnt that many of the acronyms used at this time of year originated from letters sent during the Second World War. A soldier would send home a letter with the message ITALY (I trust and love you) or the more tasteful NORWICH ( knickers off ready when I come home...KORWICH just would not have worked so well) and hope not to receive the response CHIP (come home I'm pregnant)

...6, 7, 8...

The card I received last year from Angelina had a nice rhyme included

Roses are red
Violets are blue
If you don't stop stalking me
I'll have a restraining order put on you

At least I know she has noticed me

Valentine's Day is not always a time of peace and love however. In 1929 the infamous St. Valentine's Day Massacre took place in Chicago with the murder of 7 gang associates of Bugs Moran. See what happens if you forget a card or flowers.

..9, 10...

And on February 14th 1779 the great explorer Captain James Cook was killed by natives in Hawaii. Steve McGarrett is never there when you really need him

Also on 14th February 1876 the lawyers of Alexander Graham Bell filed a patent for the telephone. Typical Scotsman, invents the telephone so he does not have to bother sending a Valentine Card

A few years ago I decided to have a nice romantic Valentine's night with my then wife. I booked a table for 8pm. She was not impressed. How was I to know she didn't like snooker

...11, 12, 13 (how could I forget 13)

Not for the first time I turn to Mr Burns to convey what I could never attempt to with regards to love on this special day

O my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile!

Well said Rabbie.For my small contribution I leave you this week with my St. Valentine's Day Love Song Mix

1. Secret Garden.....Bruce Springsteen
2. Love Minus Zero/ No Limit....Bob Dylan
3. Your Song.......Elton John
4. If I Fell............Beatles
5. Truly, Madly, Deeply...Savage Garden
6. If You're Not The One...Daniel Beddingfield
7. Aime.....Damien Rice
8. This Guy's In Love With You....Herb Alpert
9. Cupid..Sam Cooke
10. How Can I Tell You...Cat Stevens
11. Still Crazy After All These Years....Paul Simon
12. Constant Craving...k.d. lang
13. Love And Regret....Deacon Blue
14. Woman.....John Lennon
15. The Wonder Of You...Elvis Presley

...14 (I think that's all the ways I know)

every step of the way will find us, with the cares of the world far behind us

I was saddened to hear of the death of John Barry last week, a man whose music has been gracing films for my entire life, with the likes of Born Free in 1966 to the haunting theme from Midnight Cowboy in 1969 and an Oscar winning score for one of my favourite films Dances With Wolves in 1990, which I watched again recently with Young Ben (or Child Who Has Grandfather Wrapped Around His Little Finger to give him his Sioux name)

However I imagine John Barry will be best remembered for his connection to the James Bond Movies, so as a tribute to Mr Barry I give you my favourite James Bond linked list

Best James Bond..........Sean Connery (so good he even has the same name as Ben's dad)
Best Bond Movie................Goldfinger
Best Bond Song........We Have All The Time In The World by Louis Armstrong from the vastly underrated On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Best Bond Girl.....Ursula Andress in Dr No
Best Bond Villain....Oddjob and his deadly bowler hat from Goldfinger closely followed by Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love (if only he had not made the schoolboy error of ordering red wine with fish)
Best Bond Gadget.....Jetpack in Thunderball
Best Quote......."No Mr Bond I expect you to die" by Auric Goldfinger
Best Fight Scene....Madagascar Chase Scene with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale
Best Bond Car...Aston Martin DB5 (you guessed it...from Goldfinger...but, own up, how many of you over the years have not wished at least once that your car had an ejector seat that could remove a tiresome passenger?)
Worst Bond Movie....Moonraker...just awful
Worst Bond Villain...Grace Jones as Mayday in A View To A Kill
Worst Bond Song....The Man With The Golden Gun by Lulu

It is fitting that I write about James Bond this week as my good friend Kevin from Dundee celebrates his 50th birthday on Friday and is himself a bit of a James Bond aficionado and has on more than one occasion turned down the opportunity to play 007 due to work commitments and the fact that he would need to have a haircut

I leave you this week with my Top Ten Items not to buy Kevin for his 50th (this will mean nothing to anyone who does not know Kevin, but he has always been a good friend and he does read my Blog every week and you are only 50 once unless You Only Live Twice....see what I did there?)

1. Official Match Programme of the 1980 Scottish League Cup Final
2. Concert tickets to Ricky Ross Deacon Blue reunion concert
3. Free table for life at annual Burns Supper in Glasgow
4. Giovanni Di Stefano Autobiography
5. Arab costume for Halloween
6. Weegies v Edinbuggers book (to show how we Central Belters are the best)
7. ELO Greatest Hits CD featuring extended version of Mr Blue Sky
8. The SFL Official 25 Point Survival Guide
9. DVD of Euro 2008 Qualifier Scotland 1 Italy 2 (time to let it go Kev...just let it go)
10. Hair Brush

His name is Knox, Kevin Knox