My mother always said she hated November because it depressed her. With my usual hauteur, I dismissed any recognition far less understanding of seasonal affective disorder, which she claimed was a thing.
I should have listened because she was a nurse, she died in a November and now I am afraid to say I might have it.
And while I’m never going to be the guy to lounge around doing hee haw on a beach or beside a pool, I do enjoy a bit of warmth on my rickle o’ banes.
And to that end I have been scanning airlines’ websites looking for that killer deal, probably next spring now, to the United States. I studied American history at university, please don’t ask the trope question about what did I do in the afternoons, and am fascinated by the place, people and politics.
By accident I made a huge discovery. I am delighted to say that at last, even if it is only for the summer season, trans-Atlantic flights to the US are returning to Glasgow, where they belong, obviating the hideous journey along the Forth and Clyde canal to Edinburgh. The worst bit about that is flying back the way you’ve just come.
So when the clocks go back later this month, there’ll be a little cushion to soften the usual knockout winter punch.
I’ll have a small but bright America via Glasgow light at the end of the tunnel to keep me going as the nights start fair drawing in.
AS a good Scotsman who denies that 1966 ever existed, far less any sporting event therein, I have to doff my hat and applaud the English FA.
For the second half of their recent friendly match against Wales, players took to the Wembley field wearing kits which had their number but not their name printed on the back.
The stunt, but I firmly believe it was much more than that, was designed to raise awareness of dementia, one symptom of which is memory loss.
Football fans with dementia walk out with players for England-Wales match(Image: PA)
Instead of the usual child mascots, the teams took to the field and lined up for the national anthems before kick off with 22 people living with a diagnosis of dementia.
I would rather see the game’s governing bodies ban heading the ball to protect players, especially younger ones, from the condition.
But I tell you what, this was a huge gesture and one which I have no doubt will resonate far and wide.
THE flight from Glasgow to the United States will be operated by United Airlines, one of the biggest in the world.
The service will cross the Atlantic every day from May to September using a Boeing 737 Max8 airliner and if I do travel by this route, then it will be a first for me.
I am more used to the jumbo jet or the large twin engine craft which have replaced it. I have never crossed the Atlantic in a 737 before and it will feel odd, boarding one to go to JFK and not the short hop to London or the sun.
And as the route is unveiled, so too is the statistic that after decades as the most prolific airliner in the world, the 737 has been surpassed by the Airbus A320 family of jets for the first time.
It is a cutthroat business where even an odd bum on, or not on, a seat here and there can make a world of difference.
Airlines have done their sums, which is why the GLA-JFK run is seasonal and not year-round.