Three Concerts in a week

I always cast an eye over the local entertainment guides and a couple of events appealed to me. A Syrian-born classical guitarist at the Carnegie Hall Studio and a choir performing a selection of Robert Burns songs in Dunfermline Library. A third concert was added to the list when Nicole announced she'd scored free tickets for a Celtic Connections session at her alma mater Glasgow Caledonian University. All three shows were set to take place within a time frame of four days. First up, a solo trip on a Sunday evening to see Ayman Jarjour.

The concert was part of a season organised by Dunfermline Music Club and tickets were £11. The Carnegie Hall Studio has a bank of 52 seats but a couple of extra rows of chairs were laid out, taking the capacity above 70. The venue was well filled and the stage set consisted of precisely one seat and footrest for Ayman. No amplification or lighting effects. Production cost zero. The club chairman introduced the proceedings, pointing out he normally tells visiting musicians they've finally made it by appearing at the hallowed Carnegie Hall - but the argument wouldn't wash with Ayman as he'd already played a rather obscure venue in New York with the same name. I hadn't watched a classical guitarist before but thoroughly enjoyed every minute. It was certainly not po-faced and there was plenty of humour from Ayman during the introductions. After performing his own arrangement of a traditional Syrian tune, he launched into a more familiar Bach piece, saying "this next one is by a better composer". All the material was played from memory with no sheet music in sight. Now based in Scotland where he is also involved with the Refugee Council, Ayman studied in New York and Madrid and has taught in several countries. He delivered a wide range of contemporary and classic material with various global influences. There was a bit of string twanging and soundbox slapping going on, proving that even the purest forms of art have a showbiz element in a live setting. The night consisted of two 45-minute sets with tea and coffee on sale during the interval. Ayman received a rapturous round of applause at the end, coming back to perform a quick encore, informing us he'd played the Glasgow Celtic Connections festival the previous evening. He reeled off a traditional Scottish arrangement followed by Asturias - the one classical guitar piece that every man and his dog knows. A great evening's entertainment and a new experience for me. I haven't listened to many classical guitar players over the years although I've long been a fan of Julian Bream.

The next show was an evening of Robert Burns songs at Dunfermline Library, performed by a local women's choir called the Queen Anne Singers. Also present was veteran Edinburgh baritone Ivor Klayman who has been active on the Scottish opera scene since the 1960s. My mum accompanied me to the concert as she is a lifelong admirer of the work of our national bard. Although he certainly had a few character flaws, Burns's output is astonishing when you consider he was only on this earth for 37 years and always had a day job. He wrote 400 songs during his lifetime - several of which are known internationally. His poetry and lyrics are celebrated all over the world on or around the 25th of January - the day of his birth. Haggis, neeps and tatties are de rigueur in our household on Burns Night. The event took place in the beautiful Canmore Room and the choir was in fine voice - aided superbly by Klayman who was clearly a singer of professional standard. The songs were interspersed by readings about the great man's life. Good to support a function in the local library.

The following evening I headed to Glasgow straight after work for the Celtic Connections on Campus show at Caledonian University. Nicole had travelled through earlier and I drove to Forth Valley Hospital and jumped on a bus. There are no parking restrictions at the hospital after 4pm and the flat rate for leaving your car in Glasgow doesn't apply until 6pm. The bus proved the most sensible choice and gave me a chance to unwind with a newspaper. We went for a bite to eat at Walkabout, an Australian themed chain pub. The grub was good value with a bacon cheeseburger and coke costing £6. We shared a large plate of chicken wings and the bill was just over £20 - not bad for dining in the middle of the city.

It was a short walk up to the university campus, which is directly opposite the bus station. Nicole virtually had a door to door transport service from our home in Cairneyhill. The concert venue was the main bar in the student union building. We found a couple of seats at the end of the third row and the compere announced the proceedings were being streamed live on YouTube via Trad TV and broadcast on Celtic Music Radio. Three acts were scheduled to play and first up was Lewis McLaughlin & Friends. Playing a quirky but eloquent modern style, Edinburgh-born Lewis reminded me strongly of Paolo Nutini in the voice department. A multi-instrumentalist, Lewis has a lot of charisma and a slightly goofy yet magnetic stage presence. I thoroughly enjoyed his set and must check him out on Spotify. One to watch as he looks to be just in his early 20s.

The next performer was 51-year-old Shelagh McKay Jones who plucked her guitar in true singer songwriter style. Possessing an ethereal voice, Shelagh's repertoire evoked bucolic themes and social fairness. All tonight's musicians were students and Shelagh took great delight in telling us she'd qualified due to being enrolled with the Open University. The audience were encouraged to sing along with the last couple of numbers and Shelagh left the stage to thundering applause.

An instrumental trio stepped up for the final slot. Jocelyn Pettit (Canada, fiddle) and Ellen Gira (USA, cello) were joined by in-demand Scottish folk guitarist Ali Hutton (I think it had been a while since he was a student!). The musicianship was top-notch and they delivered a rousing traditional set. Jocelyn danced all over the stage (and occasionally off it) as she played while Gira was kept busy with the bass work. The cello isn't a common instrument on the folk scene, although certainly not unknown. Ali stuck mainly to rhythm duties but also began a couple of numbers with some haunting picking. An incredibly talented bunch. A wonderful night out and we should make more effort to attend traditional music events. We set off for home, having a close call on the A985 just before Cairneyhill when a car overtook us on a bend, narrowly avoiding a collision with a stream of vehicles coming in the opposite direction. An idiotic manoeuvre and a close shave for all concerned.

Maggie Duncan's Stone

The case of West Fife witch Lilias Adie has been well documented in the local media and has received national attention via newspapers and the Channel 4 series Britain at Low Tide. Lilias is unique among those accused of witchcraft as her exact burial spot is known. She died in custody before her "trial" could take place and therefore didn't suffer the usual fate of drowning or burning, instead being unceremoniously dumped under a slab on the foreshore at Torry Bay. There are witch memorial stones across the land and also objects commemorating fictional characters - as in the tale of Maggie Duncan.

Ordnance Survey maps show a minor mound named Maggie Duncan Hill near the Gartarry Roundabout where Fife meets Clackmannanshire. When researching a route to the summit, I came across several references to the hill on websites dedicated to trig-point bagging. Not only did they describe the way to the top, but also the appearance and condition of the pillar. This was a new one on me. Ronnie Collins from the West Fife Woodlands Facebook group had previously posted about his attempts to locate Maggie's Stone. The Forestry Commission map of Devilla places the memorial (#6 top right in above picture) on the fringes of this territory but Ronnie reported he'd had no luck in tracking it down, suggesting the rock isn't actually sited at the spot depicted in the literature. The brochure also has an inset black & white photo of the stone, which can be seen bottom right on the above diagram, along with a few words about the legend. Maggie is said to have been carrying the huge boulder up the hill but weakened as she neared the summit. The stone was scarred by her apron strings as it slipped from her grasp and rolled back down. Information about the stone online was extremely scarce - a rarity in this day an age. I found the same old photo but no others. I saw a YouTube clip of a man standing at the stone but he didn't reveal any directions and I couldn't unearth a single set of route instructions. I would just have to hunt it down.

I decided to cut through the western end of Devilla Forest past Peppermill Dam. The plan was to view the old pump house on the way. Somehow I had missed this structure on previous visits. Just when you think you're done with Devilla, something else pops up. From there I would have a look around the base of Maggie Duncan Hill and perhaps climb to the top. It was still dark when I set off for Kincardine and there was just enough light to allow me to navigate the forest paths when I arrived. The woods were deserted and a nice red glow was spreading across Peppermill Dam as I stood at the water's edge. I had spotted the sign for the pump house on the way and decided to view it on my return journey when the illumination would be more favourable. I made rapid progress and skirted a couple of sheep fields to reach the area where the edge of the forest merged with the bottom of Maggie Duncan Hill. I had cut across the corner of Peppermill Dam as walking on the access roads around the reservoir would have added an extra two miles to my trek. To reach the hill summit, I would have to negotiate more fields and logic was telling me if a massive stone had tumbled down the slope, I wouldn't locate it by gaining height. So what now? I had a sudden brain wave when I saw white ribbons dangling from a few trees. A similar trail had led me to other treasures buried within Devilla, such as Keir Well and the curious stone circles (now identified as shooting butts). I'm pretty sure the way to the plague grave was also marked by cotton strips.

I emerged from a patch of dense woodland via a style but there was no sign of a large rock, despite the promising sight of the hillside rising gently away from me. I backtracked and spent a good couple of hours traipsing around the forest boundary, finding nothing. Eventually I called time on my stone hunt and headed back towards the car, taking in the pump house on the way. A little sign slung around a tree indicated the path to follow. The crumbling remains of the pumping station lay around 300 yards distant and a helpful laminated information sheet had been pinned to a wall. The text was written by local historians Bob & Meg Smith who also produced an excellent map of the forest back in the 90s. I discovered the pump house had been built over a natural spring in order to pipe water to Tulliallan Castle back in the days when the area was a private estate. I pieced together more parts of the Devilla jigsaw upon reading the original main residence was Keir House. On a previous walk I had come across what I suspected to be the remains of an old walled garden and now my theory was confirmed in writing. The owner subsequently moved to Tulliallan Castle which is now part of the Scottish Police College. Very interesting, and perhaps I have now seen all of Devilla's hidden delights but this magical old forest has a habit of keeping you guessing.

I was back at square one as far as Maggie Duncan was concerned. I resumed my internet searches and found reference to the stone in a booklet about Clackmannan heritage trails. One of their suggested routes included a two-mile extension along the cycle path that follows the old railway trackbed to Dunfermline. Apparently the stone could be viewed here but - infuriatingly - there were no further details. Now, I've walked (and cycled) this path several times but had never seen any evidence of Maggie Duncan's Stone. The mystery deepened. I tried asking on the Fife Witches Remembered Facebook page but only one person responded. She claimed it was in Devilla near Peppermill Dam, although my hunch was she had never actually seen the stone. It sounded as if someone else had misinterpreted the Forestry Commission map. Finally I found a discussion on a Clackmannanshire Walking group. People were indeed mentioning the cycle path - I was on to something. One lady cleared everything up by stating the way to the stone was to take the old avenue next to Slack Cottage, near the point where the cycleway passes under a minor road. Bingo! I knew the exact location of that cottage. I drove across the next day and parked near the old Bogside Station, now becoming increasingly overgrown. This place is on the far fringes of Devilla and from here I had over a mile's walk (away from the forest and across the main road) to Slack Cottage. Ronnie Collins had been correct in his theory that the stone wasn't really in the suggested location.

Slack cottage was actually in the process of undergoing complete renovation and the access road was barred by temporary fencing. No problem - I simply hopped into the adjacent field and re-joined what indeed was an old estate avenue - a tree lined route with dry-stone walls on either side. There was no formal path but the going was straightforward enough. After a quarter of a mile I spotted the stone to my right, just as the old road met open pasture. It's impressively big and I could only just peer over. No wonder poor old Maggie hadn't managed to carry this rock all the way to the top of the hill. So heavy, it bounced back down into the next county! I felt a real sense of achievement. There's definitely something special about tracking down a location yourself rather than following signs all the way. I had a spring in my step on the way back to the car. I briefly checked out the nearby Brucefield House, an A-listed mansion. Surprisingly, it didn't look too fancy to me and I guess the devil can lie in the architectural detail. I posted pictures of the stone on the Fife Witches page and received a flood of likes. Nobody else claimed to have been there and someone asked for directions. I was of course glad to help. I met Ronnie a week later at a history talk (ironically about Lilias Adie). He told me he used to play on the stone as a little boy but hadn't been able to recall exactly where it was. A successful day's hunting and home for a slap-up meal.

Christmas Beer

I have two weeks off every Christmas and we either stay in Scotland or fly to Germany. When at home, I like to get a supply of ale to keep me going over the festive season. This often involves a trip to Aldi as they sell a good range at bargain prices. Williams Brothers beers are widely available in the stores near me and I like to support this brewery as it is the last one standing in Alloa - formerly the brewing capital of Scotland. Williams make different styles and there's something to suit every taste. Aldi don't always stock every Williams brew but there's enough variation to keep me happy. Curiously, it's actually cheaper for me to buy my bottles from the supermarket (usually £1.49) than from the brewery directly. It seems it doesn't always pay to cut out the middle man. Naturally, a retail chain has the clout to buy in bulk and negotiate a substantial discount. Given that Williams don't sell from their own premises, offering delivery by courier only, it makes little economic sense to pay extra charges for ale I can easily obtain within a 10-minute drive from my house.

Alloa lies in the neighbouring county of Clackmannanshire but I also wanted to source some Fife beer for my larder. Yes you read that right. Bottled ales - especially darker styles and bottle conditioned varieties are best served cool rather than chilled. The optimum temperature is around 11 degrees. This allows more flavour to emerge when drinking. The Limekilns Brew Shed is a one-man operation in a coastal village three miles from me. I met the owner Steven Hope at a Burns supper and his produce is readily available in a couple of local convenience stores. I wasn't aware he also manned a weekend stall at a nearby farm shop and bakery complex until we happened to drop in by chance. The beer counter had just closed when we arrived for a browse but I made a mental note to return. Fast forward a few weeks to the Christmas run-up and we stopped at the same place for a coffee. Again, I had just narrowly missed the opening slot for the beer stall so instead I headed a mile along the road to the Crossgates Village Store. This corner shop has stocked local beers for a few years and I knew I would find Brew Shed bottles here. Rather than being tucked away on a bottom shelf, I was impressed to see the shop had created a dedicated display showcasing beers from a number of breweries. I grabbed a few Limekilns ales and also reached for an 80-shilling style from Coul of Glenrothes - a new one for me. Beath Brewing (Cowdenbeath) are also featured regularly in the shop and their ales are more experimental, coming up with all sorts of fruity flavours whereas Brew Shed is a more traditional concern. Everyone has their own taste. One thing I'm struggling with is the growing popularity of craft ale in a can. Not the container itself, but the fact it tends to be overpriced (upwards of £3 to £4 is common) and you're only getting a third of a litre. I'm sure many of these beers are excellent but they're aimed squarely at the trendy market and prices are hiked accordingly. The same thing occurs at solidly middle-class organic food outlets.

I was happy with my haul and also stopped at Tesco to treat myself to a bottle of Kraken black spiced rum. I enjoy relaxing with books, magazines and films over Christmas and a pint of beer or glass of rum & coke goes nicely with these activities. What I didn't bank on was receiving a dozen examples of assorted English bottle conditioned ales from Nicole as a gift. The German side of our marriage permits us to unpack our pressies on Christmas Eve and I marvelled at this selection of quality beer from the various country shires. I should explain what is meant by the term real ale. Everyone knows the brewing process involves fermentation and - traditionally - the beer continued to mature in the cask. The yeast was still working away, creating nuances of flavour. When the cask was opened, the contents would slowly start to degrade due to the introduction of oxygen. Therefore a barrel of real ale has a shelf life of just a few days before it goes stale and eventually foul. Sometime around the 1960s, pubs began to switch mainly to pasteurised beer, which is forced into a metal keg and lasts indefinitely. A less risky proposition for publicans but there is a drawback. Pasteurising the liquid in the fermenting vessel kills the maturation process stone dead and results in a blander product. The big breweries touted this development as a "premium" ale with a consistent taste, playing upon the fact that cask ale was often unpredictable in pubs, as not every establishment gave the beer proper care and attention in the cellar.

The campaign for real ale (CAMRA) was founded in 1971 to help preserve the traditional British method of brewing and dispensing beer. Cask beer can thankfully be found in nearly all large towns and cities. Bottle conditioning is simply a miniature form of the cask process and is classed by CAMRA as real ale. The beer continues to age in the bottle with live yeast present. There is an element of the unknown. Bottle conditioned beer can occasionally be rather lively or slightly on the flat side. To a large extent, it is what it is. Most of the time it's excellent and you learn to take the rough with the smooth. A great one is unforgettable. My theory is things have more of a chance to bed down in a 10-gallon cask than in a small piece of glassware. The Limekilns ales are all bottle conditioned as are the ones from Beath Brewing. The Coul 80 shilling was pasteurised, just like the Williams range. However, small artisan breweries can still produce tasty ales which don't fit the strict CAMRA guidelines. I drank one bottle per day from my English stock (mainly traditional bitters) and savoured every last drop. My Christmas beer stash lasted until the middle of January and half of my Kraken rum remains at the time of writing. Perhaps I'll experiment with other mixers rather than the traditional cola. Rum & Dr Pepper anyone? I almost did try that but backed down on the grounds it sounded wrong. But there's only one way to find out.

Another way to enjoy real ale at home is via the 8-pint mini cask. They usually cost around £15 and function in the same way as a full size barrel. Open the air vent at the top and pour from the tap at the bottom. You have a window of 3-5 days to consume the product in prime condition. Closing the vent after serving helps slow the degradation process. I received the pictured cask in a secret Santa at work and was delighted with my gift. The bigger supermarkets sell a handful of popular beers in this form and small breweries also find it a useful method of shifting larger volumes without entering the competitive pub market. I first encountered mini casks at Perth farmers market at the Stewart Brewing stall. They are now a major player on the Scottish beer scene and frequently have their ales in city centre bars. My main memory of this Hobgoblin container is setting it up on the table outside the back door. After a hectic Christmas dinner, I relaxed on the sofa and simply popped out for a pint whenever I fancied one. I repeated the strategy on Boxing Day. I notice I'm wearing a Rush T-shirt in the picture. The band's drummer, Neil Peart, passed away last weekend at the age of 67 following a struggle with brain cancer. Long regarded as one of the greatest ever rock drummers, Neil was an intensely private man and I don't think many people outwith his immediate circle knew about the illness. Rush had a fantastic career stretching beyond 40 years. I love the 30th anniversary DVD from 2004 showcasing the excellent musicianship of the Canadian trio. Quality fare but never po-faced. Neil's drumming was fluid and he also wrote the lyrics. An erudite man. Following Neil's death, Classic Rock magazine posted a 2017 in-depth interview on their Facebook page. Asked about the line from the 1981 song Limelight - I can't pretend a stranger is a long-awaited friend - and whether he is still the same person who wrote these words, Neil replied thus: "Entirely so. And, honestly, I've never had to retract it. My ability to express myself has grown and evolved over the years. When I listen to early songs, I might cringe technically, but never psychologically or emotionally. I still mean every word of Limelight, however crudely it may have been said"

I'll leave you with that.