#alastair mcdonald

[adventuresofalgy]

Algy flew over to a point on the far side of the headland where the rough moorland suddenly fell away vertically to the wild ocean below. It posed no danger to a fluffy bird who could launch himself into the sky at a moment's notice, but for an unwary human who took a step too far this spot could potentially be fatal, for the edge of the cliffs was concealed by the lush growth of grass and heather, and there was nothing but jagged rocks below and the endless pounding of the surf.

Of course on such a beautiful autumn day as this the ocean looked just as meek and innocent as a newborn lamb, but Algy knew only too well that when the winds got up it would rage and crash on those hidden rocks beneath him with a tremendous roar that could be heard a mile inland, and huge white horses would gallop across the surface of the sea in enormous numbers. Woe betide anyone who tried to cross it then!

Making himself comfortable among the long autumn grasses on a cushion of soft moss, Algy gazed out across the beautiful Sea of the Hebrides. On a clear day he could see many of the islands of the Inner Hebrides from this spot, and on the far western horizon it was often possible to make out the shadowy forms of the southernmost of the outer islands too.

Inevitably he began to sing a song which he had learned long ago, when he was just a tiny wee fluffy chick. For there in front of him, just behind the low lying island of Muck, was the Isle of Rum on the left, Eigg on the right and, just visible in the gap between them, the mountains of the Isle of Skye. And quite close behind him, although out of sight from the headland, lay the rather less romantic island of Mull:

Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,  Say, could that lad be I?  Merry of soul he sailed on a day  Over the sea to Skye.  Mull was astern, Rum on the port,  Eigg on the starboard bow;  Glory of youth glowed in his soul;  Where is that glory now?  Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,  Say, could that lad be I?  Merry of soul he sailed on a day  Over the sea to Skye.  Give me again all that was there,  Give me the sun that shone!  Give me the eyes, give me the soul,  Give me the lad that's gone!  Sing me a song of a lad that is gone,  Say, could that lad be I?  Merry of soul he sailed on a day  Over the sea to Skye.  Billow and breeze, islands and seas, Mountains of rain and sun, All that was good, all that was fair,  All that was me is gone.

Algy is singing the version of the lyrics he learned as a chick, written by the 19th century Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, and usually titled Sing me a song of a lad that is gone (N.B. that's lad, not lass!). Algy doesn't watch television, but he understands that it is the Stevenson lyrics which were adapted to become the theme song of the popular TV series Outlander.

In fact, if this is a description of the final Hebridean voyage of Bonnie Prince Charlie "over the sea to Skye" in August 1746 it is quite wrong, for the Young Pretender actually crossed from the outer Hebribdean island of Benbecula to a north-western point on the Isle of Skye before he left for France, and could not have come anywhere near the islands of Rum, Eigg or Mull. But if Stevenson was referring to the prince's initial flight from the mainland to the islands in April 1746, after the Battle of Culloden, it might make more sense, as on that occasion he sailed from a point close to Arisaig (just out of sight on the right horizon of Algy's photo) and could well have passed the islands in that way. On that occasion, however, the prince did not land in Skye as the boat was blown off course in stormy weather. There seems to be some confusion!

The "original" version of the lyrics of the Skye Boat Song, as it is usually called, does not mention the islands at all. This was written slightly earlier, by an English baronet, Sir Harold Boulton. Although it is often assumed that this is a traditional Scottish song it is not, except in the melody, which is said to be taken from a Gaelic rowing song (which had nothing to do with Bonnie Prince Charlie), which a mid-19th century collector heard on a trip to Skye and set down as best she could remember it. However, the song was very popular from the outset and was quickly adopted as a Scottish song both in Scotland and elsewhere. Over time it has gone through many versions, sometimes a "mashup" of the two originals, and sometimes with entirely new lyrics.

It is said that Stevenson, who was indeed a Scot, didn't like Boulton's lyrics, considering them insufficiently plaintive. But Boulton's lyrics do convey much more of the context of Bonnie Prince Charlie's flight [here is one account, though there are many others], so Algy thought you might enjoy the version below, although with the caveat that you should ignore the YouTube channel on which it appears unless you sympathize with its purpose. It was the only place he could find a complete copy of this very atmospheric, illustrated version sung by the Scottish musician Alastair McDonald:

[gollancz]

Ohohohoh we do love a SPACE BOOK

There is a very specific type of science fiction book cover that never fails to make me go apeshitwild and it's as simple as this: A spaceship and/or a celestial body, set in high contrast against the dark backdrop of space, with the author's name in a large sometimes glowing font. Here are some fine examples:

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday Scottish musician and singer Alastair Mcdonald born 28th October 1941.

Alastair is primarily a Banjo-playing folk/jazz musician, probably most famous for his recordings of Jim MacLean's folk songs, such as The Barras and The massacre of Glencoe, but also for some humorous songs, such as the jazz comedy song Sam the skull, about a Glasgow cat.

McDonald has mainly recorded songs written by other songwriters, for example Robert Burns and Jim MacLean, but has also written songs himself including Culloden's Harvest and The Village Green at Gretna and more reworked traditional songs, The Bell Rock Light, Mingulay Boat Song among others.

Though quite well known – he has toured US, every state except Hawaii and Alaska, also touring Canada, Israel, Denmark, Thailand and several more countries – not much is spoken of him in media.

Much of his work in recent years has been political song, usually socialist and/or republican, such as his tribute song to John MacLean.

At 83 Alistair is still performing, the multi-talented musician will appear at the Abbotsford Hotel in Ayr on Novemer 5th courtesy of Ayr Phoenix Folk Club.

I’ve chosen one of Alistair's more patriotic songs, this is about Sir William Wallace and is called The knight of Elderslie

When Scotland was in darkness and at English Edward's heel

There rose a lad to lead us and to make the tyrant reel

He raised up his arm for freedom showing nerve and Scottish steel

William Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

With the loyal Andrew Moray how he danced the English down

At Berwick and at Stirling, he provoked a royal frown

And mercenary traitors from Carlisle to London town

Knew of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

But the skies grew black at Falkirk as the English arrows sped

And many a mother's son did lie among the bloody dead

And when tithe took Judas' money that was placed upon the head

Of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

Then the noblest heart of Scotland was revealed for all to see

When they hacked him into pieces underneath the gallows tree

But the butchery and slaughter cannot scar the memory

Of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Once again, the land's in darkness as we hang our heads to mourn

And remember how the Braveheart caused oppression's tide to turn

But Scotsmen, aye, stand ready and prepared for Bannockburn

Thanks to Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Sing now of Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

William Wallace, the knight of Elderslie

Guardian of Scotland, of truth and liberty

[simplyclary]

Meet my little friend

(Photo by me!)

Hey guys, I want to introduce you all to my little hedgehog friend! I bought him earlier via the Happy Meal of Mcdonalds here in the Philippines.

I'm 23 and I'm still buying Happy Meals, but trust me when I say I haven't bought one in years. I just bought one because first of all, he's a hedgehog which is one of my many favorite animals and secondly, it's because of his pure cuteness.

This little guy's original name is Hans but like, that ain't gonna stick with me. Of course, I had to change it to a name that I like and something that really speaks to name and for this one, I didn't have to go far but revisit the stories and characters from Edwardian London.

When it comes to naming my plushies, I usually go for a name of a character that I adore and because he's a hedgehog, I renamed this little guy Alastair after the character of Alastair Carstairs from TLH. Alastair's favorite animal is hedgehogs, which I adore and I can't blame him, because they are cute.

One thing that's unique about this little hedgehog is that he has headphones, which also reminds me of the character of Tiberius "Ty" Blackthorn from the TDA trilogy. I kinda went back and forth with the names of Alastair and Tiberius for him, but I ultimately decided that his new name would be Alastair.

I had to do it, angels! I had to rename a stuffed hedgehog after one of my favorite characters who loves hedgehogs! I just had to.

[dandelionflowery]

🎶✨️when you get this, put 5 songs you actually listen to, then publish. Send this ask to 10 of your favorite followers (non-negotiable, positivity is cool)🎶✨️

Ooooh only 5 is hard

Mostly because I could listen to all of Dua Lipa's discography and all of Ronan Hardiman's music on repeat forever lol

Uh let's see, excluding those two I still have way too many so I'll do by theme kinda lmao

Celtic-y/Kinda traditional I guess?

Misty Mountains-- Richard Armitage

Rantin Rovin Robin-- Alastair McDonald

Bones-- Sail North [it is AMAZING]

Fulenn-- Alvan & Ahez

Un o fy mrodyr i-- Plu (this is welsh, you're not having a stroke lol)

Lord of the dance-- Ronan Hardiman & Michael Flatly (yes i know i said excluding him shush, I couldn't NOT include this song)

Disney/Popular culture

I'll make a man out of you-- Danny Osmond (and the rest of the cast of Mulan probably)

Hedwig's theme-- John Williams

Noble Maiden Fair (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal)-- Emma Thompson & Peigi Barker [Brave]

Evermore-- Dan Stevens [Beauty and the Beast]

Kingdom Dance-- Alan Menken [Tangled]

Other (yes I'm putting more than 5)

Song of the Sea-- Lisa Hannigan (From the animated movie by the same name-- I love that movie)

Sitting - Josh Mac version-- Brian Jordan Alvarez & Josh Mac

Soft Universe-- AURORA

Insane-- Black Gryph0n & Baasik

Children-- Billy Porter

Unholy-- Sam Smith & Kim Petras

Cowboys on acid-- Projekt (this song is like 11 min long or something lmao)

Good Looking-- Dixon Dallas

Talking in your sleep-- Will Jay

Rush-- Troy Sivan

Bad Feeling (oompa loompa song)-- Jagwar Twin

[edwinspaynes]

I know you want them: Alastair, Thomas, Matthew

This is ROUGH because I want to hang out a lot with all three characters.

I think Alastair is probably the best bet for lab partner. He's diligent and I think we'd get along well enough to work together for a full semester. I'd definitely try to become his friend, but he might not like me right away. So I'd have time to work my charm and become his buddy.

This is where things get tricky. Thomas is the TSC character I think I'd get along best with irl, but Matthew would literally be the worst McDonald's trainer ever. So I'm going with patient Thomas to train me at McDonald's. I could ask him to hang out after work, and we could be best friends. I genuinely believe that me and Thomas could be besties (assuming we were around the same age obv).

I would be lying if I said I didn't want to be stuck in an elevator with Matthew. I'd be perfectly happy in an elevator with any of these three. Matthew and I could have a good time. We could have contests to see who could scream the loudest. We could talk about books and plays. He could teach me how to dance. I could explain elevators to him. It'd be a great bonding experience and then we could go for Dilly Bars. Or McDonald's. To get ice cream and terrorize Thomas

[achingly-shy]

My blorbos: Matthew, Thomas, Alastair.

send me three characters for this ask game!!

get randomly assigned as my lab partner for a whole semester: alastair

get trapped with on a broken elevator for ten hours: thomas

get as my employee trainer for my new job at mcdonald’s: matthew

basically i figured immediately that having matthew as the mcdonald's coworker would be chaotic and i feel like he would make a probably miserable job slightly more bearable just by being chill and funny. like he gives the coworker you can joke around and shit talk with vibes. i just think alastair would be a good lab partner? like sure the communication skills might suck but idk at least we'd have a purpose for interacting, unlike the elevator. which is why i think thomas would be better to be stuck in an elevator with because i feel like we could get along well enough to talk about something random for ten hours without it being too awkward

[osterby]

spotify wrapped is out and everybody is always posting their top 5 songs….. let’s see some love for number 6 that didn’t make the cut. rb and add your number 6

[thebehindpost]

Season previews: North Melbourne (17th)

Last season: 17th (3 wins, 20 losses, 71.5%) Notable ins: Colby McKercher (no. 2 draft pick), Zane Duursma (no. 4 draft pick), Zac Fisher (Carlton) Notable outs: Ben McKay (Essendon), Todd Goldstein (Essendon), Jack Ziebell (retired)

Similarly to fellow cellar dweller, West Coast, predictions of an improved North Melbourne are not matched by an expectation of a rise up the ladder. For a club that has failed to win more than four games in any of the past four seasons, there is a feeling that North Melbourne's attempted return to relevance is only now beginning after a series of false starts. It was reported in 2019 that when then coach Brad Scott suggested to the board the playing list was mediocre and in need of a rebuild, he was told they had already started rebuilding three years earlier and could not afford to do so again (referring to the year they moved on Nick Dal Santo, Brent Harvey and Drew Petrie among others). So Scott left and was replaced by Rhyce Shaw who coached only two seasons, who was succeeded by David Noble who coached even less than that, following which "the great white hope" Alastair Clarkson arrived and coached just nine games before needing extended personal leave. Exhausted? Spare a thought for someone like Curtis Taylor who has played for six senior coaches in five years on the list.

Clarkson eventually returned for four dead-rubber clashes at the end of 2023 but is finally enjoying clear air and a full pre-season with his young list and without the spectre of the Hawthorn racism scandal looming - at least for now. The coach would be looking at the talent North Melbourne have amassed in the last two national drafts and daring to dream... Could Harry Sheezel, George Wardlaw, McKercher and Duursma one day be looked back on as being as signficant a haul as Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Jordan Lewis were at the Hawks in 2005? Perhaps so but it has not all been blue skies overhead at Arden Street, given at the time of this writing Tarryn Thomas has been suspended for 18 matches by the AFL for abuse toward women and his contract finally torn up by the club. Thomas was a distraction the club could ill afford and a toxic presence it is better off without, despite desperately needing players of his considerable talent.

A side with so much youth needs leaders along every line to drive the standards off the field and provide direction on the field. The exits of Goldstein, Ziebell and Ben Cunnington will leave a leadership vacuum at North Melbourne even if their best football was clearly behind them and it remains a concern as to who will step up to fill it. Jy Simpkin, a co-captain, is one who has demonstrated loyalty to the club and resilience by managing 18 games in 2023 despite injuries. Nick Larkey, Luke Davies-Uniacke and Cam Zurhaar possess all the talent and have now moved into an age and experience profile where they should start to throw others on to their back and win the occasional game. It was a surprise to see Luke McDonald tapped to go around again as a co-captain given his lack of awareness, limited skill and a question mark on whether he would be in any other club's best 22.

The plan at North Melbourne for 2024 would be fairly simple: get games into their young guns, become harder to play and score against and put a stop to the blowout losses (despite being more competitive last year than in 2022, they still suffered seven 40-plus point defeats). It should not be beyond them to double the number of wins from three to six and demonstrate to their fans and the wider football world that after backfiring and stalling out a few times, the car is finally moving forward.

Déjà vu in the bottom four continues, next up is Hawthorn…

[paulinecordiner]

Anither grand day today at Ashley Road Primary School! The P3, 4 and 5 pupils (2 classes of each!) are fair gettin on wi their class songs - The Fisherman's Lassie, The Barnyards O Delgaty and The Silver Darlings which I spoke about yesterday. (They're also learning a fourth song which everyone is to join in with, but more on that in another post!)

There are a few videos online, but I like this one the best - the recording is the original by Alastair McDonald and the film that has been put to the song shows old footage of the fishing fleets and the fish gutting lassies swiftly preparing the fish to be salted and packed into barrels. The pupils fair enjoyed watching it! https://youtu.be/LcHhSywE9pk?si=krGQ1GY4WYRqJMwG

[thepaisleyreview]

Science-Fiction. Sorted.

Key: strikethrough means duplicate to be deleted ; bold means recommended ; I have not listened to everything.

A-C

Abbott, Edwin A - Flatland (1884) Banks, Iain M - Use of Weapons (1990) Bear, Greg - Eon (1985) Bester, Alfred - The Demolished Man (1953) Bradbury, Ray - The Martian Chronicles Brin, David - Startide Rising (1983) Brin, David - The Postman (1985) Brin, David - The Uplift War (1987)

Dick, Philip K

Dick, Philip K - UBIK (1969) Dick, Phillip K - The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch 1964 Philip K Dick - VALIS - 1981 Dick, Philip K - Broken Bubble (1988) Dick, Philip K - Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (1966) Dick, Philip K - Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said (1974) Dick, Philip K - Interviews [ note: unsorted ] Dick, Philip K - Mr. Spaceship (1953) Dick, Philip K - Of Withered Apples Dick, Philip K - Radio Free Albemuth (1976) Dick, Philip K -The Man in the High Castle (1962) Dick, Philip K - The Minority Report and Other Stories (2002) Dick, Philip K - Ubik (1969) Dick, Phillip K -A Scanner Darkly (1977) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick - BBC Radio

E-G

Effinger, George Alec - A Fire In The Sun (Budayeen 2) Effinger, George Alec - The Exile Kiss (Budayeen 3) Effinger, George Alec - When Gravity Fails (Budayeen 1) Farmer, Philip Jose - To Your Scattered Bodies Go (1971)

Gibson, William [note: incomplete - have misfiled some]

Gibson, William - All Tomorrows Parties Count Zero (1986) (96kb mp3) Gibson, William - Idoru Neuromancer (1984) [ note: read by the author ] Pattern Recognition (2003) Virtual Light The Peripheral - William Gibson (2014) Agency Alien III An Audible Original Drama

H - Haldeman, Joe - The Forever War Hamilton, Peter F - The Reality Dysfunction (1996) Herbert, Frank - Dune Keyes, Daniel - Flowers for Algernon LeGuin, Ursula - The Dispossessed - 1974 LeGuin, Ursula - The Lathe of Heaven - 1971 LeGuin, Ursula - The Left Hand Of Darkness (1969) LeGuin, Ursula - The Left Hand of Darkness (Alt Copy) LeGuin, Ursula - The Word For The World Is Forest (1976) Lem, Stanislaw - Solaris (1950) L'Engle, Madelein - A Wrinkle in Time Lewis, CS - Out of the Silent Planet (1938) May, Julian - The Many-Colored Land (1981)

McDevitt, Jack - Chindi McDevitt, Jack - Engines_of_god McDevitt, Jack - Time Travelers Never Die -2009 McDevitt, Jack - Echo- Jack McDevitt McDevitt, Jack - Seeker McDevitt, Jack - The Devil's Eye McDevitt, Jack - Polaris-Jack McDevitt McDevitt, Jack - talentforwar.m4b McDonald, Ian - Hyberabad Days Morgan, Richard - Altered Carbon (2002) Niven, Larry - Ringworld - 1970 Niven & Pournelle - The Mote in God's Eye Pohl, Frederik - Gateway Powers, Tim - On Stranger Tides Powers, Tim - Declare Powers, Tim - The Anubis Gates Powers, Tim - Three Days to Never Reynolds, Alasdair Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds - 2000

Robinson, Kim Stanley - Aurora.m4a Robinson, Kim Stanley - Mars Trilogy [AudioBooks] Robinson, Kim Stanley - New York 2140 Robinson, Kim Stanley - The Years of Rice and Salt Robinson, Kim Stanley - Three Californias Triptych 01 - The Wild Shore [Rudnicki] Robinson, Kim Stanley- Three Californias Triptych 02 - The Gold Coast [Rudnicki] Robinson, Kim Stanley- Three Californias Triptych 03 - Pacific Edge [Rudnicki] Rucker, Rudy Rucker, Rudy - Ware 1 - Software Rucker, Rudy - Ware 2 - Wetware Rucker, Rudy - Ware 3 - Freeware Rucker, Rudy - Ware 4 - Realware

Sagan, Carl - Contact Scalzi, John - Old Man's War (2005) Shelley, Mary - Frankenstein (1818) Simak, Clifford - Way Station (1963) Simmons, Dan - Hyperion Simmons, Dan - Ilium (2003) Smith, E E 'Doc' - Gray Lensman (1940) Stephenson, Neal - The Diamond Age (1995) Sterling, Bruce - Mirrorshades - The Cyberpunk Anthology

Wells, HG - The Invisible Man (1897) Wells, HG - The War of the Worlds Wells, Martha - Artifical condition Willis, Connie - Doomsday Book (1992) Wyndham, John - The Day of the Triffids (1951) Wyndham, John - The Chrysalids Verne, Jules - Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) Vinge, Vernor - A Fire Upon the Deep (1991)

[niseag-arts]

lemme give this a try because it sounds fun. I'm going to pick a line from each song to see if i can capture the vibes.

january: Invoke the machine - avantasia

Those dreams that you hummed to yourself once, How far will you reach out to make them come true?

february: Spearhead - Valtos (no quote, this is instrumental) march: Adeptus Mechanicus - stringstorm (do we really need a quote for this? well, here you go...)

From this rotting cage of biomatter, Machine God, set us free!

april: The Gathering - Delain (if this song wasn't inspired by mtg i'll eat one of my hats)

The spell that calls the gathering, The magic that might bring

may: The Barnyards of Delgaty - Noel McLoughlin (we've entered scottish folk, oops)

Well I can drink and not be drunk, And I can fight and not be slain

june: Sons of (Fils de) - Alastair McDonald (more folk!)

Here's red wine, a feast for heroes

july: Power of Will - Dynazty

I will take the pain and let it make me Strong 'cause I believe, There's a force no pain can kill: The power of will

august: Anemoia - Abney Park

So I guess that i could relive then, all these times i've never lived in. Imagining is never quite the same.

September: Flower of Inverness - Brandon McPhee

Every mother's son will soon have their hearts undone, for boys it's my intend to wed the flower of Inverness.

october: Immortal Machine - Guillaume David (instrumental)

november: Just a fool will play tricks on Angus Mcsix - ANGUS McSIX

They died in pain, but not in vain, Meeting tragic fate to level up my blade

december: powersnake - Brothers of Metal

The powersnake will drag you down and drown you in his flesh. Beware to swim, and fear the sea. He likes his dinner fresh

if anyone can puzzle out what any of this means for how my year is gonna go please tell me

i wanna start a tag game so: let your spotify predict your 2024!

shuffle your on repeat playlist, and the first twelve songs represent your 2024

january- guns and ships- hamilton (idek what this could represent but okay)

february- we fell in love in october- girl in red (PLEASE)

march- say no to this- hamilton (…i have nothing to say about this)

april- castles crumbling- taylor swift ft hayley williams (damnit sad month then?)

may- you’re losing me- taylor swift (FUCK TWO SAD MONTHS?? breakup songs are even worse now that im actually in a relationship. please. better not be accurate)

june- astronomy- conan gray (please stop why am i having so many sad songs)

july- stoned- ed sheeran (oh fuck this)

august- new year’s day- taylor swift (hm okay. idk what to say about this)

september- heather- conan gray (i consider heather to be a happy song AND it’s mine and my partners song so i’m taking this as a good one)

october- 18- one direction (yessss we’re going okay now)

november- king of my heart- taylor swift (YESSS)

december- all too well (ten minute version)- taylor swift (i take it back ugh)

no pressure tags!!- @autumnleavesforwinter @weeping-in-the-willows @swiftieannah @felizusnavidad @jittyjames @anixknowsnothin (please help me get this off the ground, but also if this flops you saw nothing)

[bletheringskite]

Sam the Skull (cop. Hagan/MCPS) Alastair McDonald From Corban Recordings CD "Scottish Laughlines" Harry Hagan`s Glasgow street song classic of "The Glasgow Cat" performed by folksinger/entertainer/broadcaster Alastair McDonald

[estateofdanieljohnwalker]

"The Massacre of Glencoe"/

Alastair McDonald/ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=BXVhF0NGoR0&feature=share

[actu24hp]

Match Loyla Chicago-Duquesne Division 1 interrompu par un livreur de nourriture

Un livreur de restauration rapide perdu écrase le match de Loyla Chicago-Duquesne Division 1 au milieu de la seconde mi-temps et est renvoyé du terrain par l’arbitre alors qu’il est déterminé à donner l’ordre à McDonald’s Par Alastair Talbot pour Dailymail.Com Publié : 23 h 45 HNE, le 25 janvier 2023 | Actualisé: 23 h 45 HNE, le 25 janvier 2023 Les officiels d’un match de basket-ball…