Thanks to all for your welcome! All credit for the professional appearance and layout must go to my webmaster; Michael Viens (of the Blackthorn Band) who patiently waded through my torrent of text - I heard him mutter "Bletherskite!" duing a few of our sessions ...I will get more pictures up as customers reply with images for me to use. Bother how the obvious occurs to you AFTER the site is posted...

A "gentleman" has been defined as 'one who doesn't UNINTENTIONALLY give offence' and I hate putting my foot wrong when I don't know the rules.

Cutting a jacket away when it has 'patch pockets' sewn on entails taking out the lining along the bottom of the coat, cutting the pocket stitching, pressing the indentations out with a wet pressing-cloth and iron (knowing all the while that the crease may not entirely disappear) chalking, cutting and sewing the new hem of the jacket, then chalking, cutting, pressing and sewing the new lower seam of the pocket.


The same process on a jacket with 'slash' pockets (and now, for some reason I cannot shake the mental image of the guitarist of that name wearing a kilt and 'wully bunnet' - and the daft bugger's wearing the kilt way down ower his knees) simply requires pulling back the lining, cutting, pressing and resewing the new hem, shorting the bag-pockets if required and re-sewing the lining.

"Tunes of Glory"! b'Jayzuz...that was 'required watching' after I was Commssioned From The Ranks in '79. That, and compulsory Friday night dance classes in the Officer's Mess dining room. Eightsome reels after a big dinner and too much port! Think of a rugby scrum set to music. If you haven't discovered them yet, I highly recommend "the General danced at dawn" by George MacDonald Fraser. This book and it's two companion volumes ('McAuslan in the rough' and 'The Shiek and the dustbin') reflect life in a Highland Regiment as I (choose to) remember it.

I'd blether on forever, given the opportunity...

I'll try to check in at least weekly, but as I'm busier than a one-legged Irishman trying to get into Parliament (I'm concurrently building a 15' currach and rebuilding the front porch in additon to my kilt work and day job) I may seem invisible...

Cheers, aye

Rob