http://www.george-maclean.com/index.htmlHot News!enen2023-11-08T09:36:16+00:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Tue, 24 Jan 2023 17:06:39 +00002023 Diary2023-11-29T12:39:08+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/5f2f49418bf3e4b76857583bbf689fb2-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/5f2f49418bf3e4b76857583bbf689fb2-5.html#unique-entry-id-5When I was at University again in London, studying the Middle Egyptian it was pointed out to us the ancient belief in the power of a name, especially your own. Egyptians and others believed that saying a name out loud protected the eternal soul from oblivion and that is why it was important to memorialise the king, to name the gods and build memorials of all kinds where the name was carved or written. This no more important than the Song of the Fat Harper, where the harper sneaked a prayer to the soul of his departed lover and sneaked it into the burial chamber of the king, propping it up in a corner to be discovered in the 20th century, and the name of the lover recited, meeting the criteria the ancient Egyptians were after.

I think since I am the last of my line, there will be nobody to remember me or mine in the generations that follow, so I think there is some desire still in me to see my name remembered in places, whether that is the list of grand priors of England and Wales or of the UK, to be remembered as a writer of an obscure Gann book, or to be remembered with Anthony as a provider of necessary equipment to various causes across the country and beyond. In the centuries ahead my name will appear in lists of Fan Maker, Bonnetmakers and Dyers of Glasgow, and of course as leader of the Knights Templar and I hope the latter memorial of a lasting administration will still be a market of good governance of a voluntary organisation.

To be remembered is fine. To be recalled is more important and to avoid oblivion as my atoms fly through space in the millennia ahead, some genetic or sub-atomic memory is illuminated by my name.]]>2023 Diary2023-11-27T12:39:36+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/76e4efccd16f3f6861fef88616428af0-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/76e4efccd16f3f6861fef88616428af0-6.html#unique-entry-id-6I was invited to OSMTH Ireland's first stand-alone event taking place in Derry/Londonderry at the end of November. What a warm welcome making up for the freezing and sub-zero Scotland I left earlier in the morning! As I drove down through Perthshire and into Fife the thermostat on my car dropped from the amber colour (0C-4C) on to the red (minus 4C) and lower! I was glad to get to the airport for a heat up!

I was met at Belfast by one of the members and we had a great drive northwards through wonderful countryside, with much laughter on the way as we anticipated the day ahead.

All round - a great day meeting up with enthusiastic members looking forward to lots of charitable activity in the years ahead.]]>2023 Diary2023-11-08T09:36:16+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/97c03d47c41a52d8c595503cac4f6658-9.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/97c03d47c41a52d8c595503cac4f6658-9.html#unique-entry-id-9Old Faskally teams were out and about for dinner and theatre, having a wonderful time. We started off by the side of the River Tummell and enjoyed a feast before heading to the Festival Theatre for the excellent "Sunshine on Leith" which was great. Such a clever idea to put Proclaimers songs in sequence to make a good plot. Oh there were tears all around!]]>2023 Diary2023-11-01T09:33:33+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/4d6ae63b1b9675b105f9c48a46340211-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/4d6ae63b1b9675b105f9c48a46340211-8.html#unique-entry-id-8An excellent turn out for the second Killiecrankie Quiz, where topics debated and argued ranged from the age of the local church bell to the flavours of sub-atomic particles. Nothing if not an education in this village! Indeed one team came very close to passing the 50% mark, but not quite! As usual, complaints and almost divorces from several teams!]]>2023 Diary2023-05-05T12:57:26+01:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/db27015e52da917ceddaa8d90e207ba5-7.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/db27015e52da917ceddaa8d90e207ba5-7.html#unique-entry-id-7Last day at work for me as my position is deemed unnecessary. What a great time it has been since 2005, traveling the world and meeting such wonderful and interesting and sometimes challenging people!

My most unusual place to visit has to have been Beirut, and having that destination on my passport for years and thus struggling to get in to the USA without some serious conversations at the Border!

Once upon a time I left London in May and got back in October, doing a double loop of the world and meeting up with FJT for a wonderful holiday in the Turks and Caicos half way through. Such memories and possibilities!]]>2023 Diary2023-04-02T09:55:14+01:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/d5ac924834a707dac6b13f199277d1f1-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/d5ac924834a707dac6b13f199277d1f1-4.html#unique-entry-id-4In order to keep the village hall going, we hosted a quiz night on the first of April which was a great fun event. Not a single team passed the test, with the winners only getting 53/117 0 but a valiant effort nevertheless! So many complaints about the difficulty of the questions, even the ones about the cost of the new First Class postage stamp!]]>2023 Diary2023-03-26T09:47:32+01:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/d870f929d2e8ccbcd5ccdfbac73b3e39-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/d870f929d2e8ccbcd5ccdfbac73b3e39-3.html#unique-entry-id-3When I saw the 14EUR cost of flying from Edinburgh to Cork, I realised I should take the opportunity to meet up with the Americans and tour about for a little while. Cork to Killarney on the coach was through the loveliest of countryside and then much laughter for a few days as we toured around. Friday was up eagerly to travel to Dublin for the weekend celebrations, but most of us weary travellers just snoozed on the coach! Saturday in Dublin Cathedral we were al resplendent in our mantles and the singing was really good for a change! Thereafter the Twinning Dinner in the hotel (lovely hotel) before our farewell breakfast in the morning. A huge success for the Irish Priory and friendships renewed across the Atlantic!

Came back with a terrible cold that only dissipated before the Quiz…

]]>2023 Diary2023-03-19T11:37:32+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/7b2f12597df6ee65879486a5f7dfc465-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/7b2f12597df6ee65879486a5f7dfc465-2.html#unique-entry-id-2Well, despite everything, some dodgy lifestyle choices and being close to mass-murder from time to time, I am now the recipient of a ScotGov bus pass. I have not used it yet but am looking more and more at a jaunt up the road from Pitlochry to Inverness for the afternoon one day. I will need to choose my day well so that I can max out on the scenery! Getting up beyond Dalwhinnie in the mist is not worth the effort.

Last night Jams and Loretta had a dinner party in my honour. Such a great laugh with Ann from the Old Manse, Justin and Marie from the Killierankiekirk coming along as well. I did rather well on the gifts I have to say!



This is me giving thanks that Jams had made a delicious cake. Sadly I had to share!

I did rather well in not giving away any clues to the Killiecrankie Village Quiz. I have been laughing all week at the easy-difficult-killer questions I have written so I may need a place escort home afterwards if there are complaints! Roll on First April!]]>2023 Diary2023-01-24T17:08:02+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/181e32ce5e11dcf3078ffb8ccf964ab6-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/181e32ce5e11dcf3078ffb8ccf964ab6-1.html#unique-entry-id-1Today I discovered on on of my periodic trawling exercises on Facebook that someone who was once upon a time very important to me, died back in September. May they rest in peace and rise in glory, indeed.

This gave me the opportunity to reflect on that time in my life, where I was going through so many changes, mostly to my character, some to my place of living, some to my outline plans for the future. Certainly it was a time of major upheaval in my life, passing my motorbike test, moving house, learning to live my life in a post-cancer world and upheavals in my career and starting to do part time lecturing at Southbank Uni and the London School of Economics. My good friend Fiona moved back home to Australia around then so I was a bit out on a limb, and I had not met BFF Adam yet so…

I remember borrowing my flatmate's car and driving to St Barts each night for visiting. This went on for so many months. Some evenings I was so upset I could not drive so got the 56 bus from Upper Street. Flatmate Ricky was good at just watching over me, but as I remember all I can really feel about that time was an overarching pressure and twilight. Of course that all came to an end, I bought a townhouse down in the Wild West that was Kings X and my weekends were spent catching the train to Axminster on a Friday night and back on the Sunday. Yes that 1994-96 time was one of great change, events good and bad - or worse, but certainly all character forming and set the ground for the next 25 years!]]>2023 Diary2023-01-02T17:07:23+00:00http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/f559d72db8ab9333ac946620a4076508-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.george-maclean.com/styled-4/blog-3/files/f559d72db8ab9333ac946620a4076508-0.html#unique-entry-id-0During Covid time I had very little to write about, so I stopped. My time as Grand Commander of OSMTH which continued throughout that period still went on, but online. Keeping monthly meetings of 23 different countries, and my monthly management meeting kept me occupied in what was very difficult circumstances. Once the C-19 immediate danger passed then it was back to normal.

During C-19 I did not realise that not seeing people - friends and neighbours mostly - would impact me quite so much. Our young friend who we saw as a bump was born safely and healthily but he was quite the toddler when we did get to meet him in November 2022! Neighbours Jams and Loretta kept us going with cake now and again and my many online consultations with various University of Dundee professors kept me alive.

I was elected for the final 2022-2025 period of being Grand Commander in Bulgaria in October 2022. I think my final years will give me just enough time to find a legacy to leave, so I shall be working on making the Order the most fit it can be for operating in the 21st century… After 2025 who knows what for me. Perhaps, if I am spared, I will start my journey towards being The Bonnetmaker!]]>