Ceud Mìle Fàilte
Thank you for dropping-by, I hope you enjoy your visit. The main content is to be found in the blog, where I discuss everything and anything, but, topics including: photography, nature, technology, food, movies, music, politics, and life in the Highlands of Scotland, make regular appearances.
I commonly write reviews of movies (or films, if you prefer). Some movie reviews are short, others will be discussed in more detail. The scope covered will be mainly mainstream English language movies from the 1930s until the present day.
About me
My name is Iain MacDonald, and I live in the Highlands of Scotland (although I have lived elsewhere in the past). I use Fitheach as my online pseudonym, on this website, on Mastodon, and on Matrix. I am a big fan of Free & Open Source Software, which I use both professionally and at home.
Computing and technology tend to infuse themselves into my other interests, as once you learn some skills in one area it is convenient to use them to solve problems in other spheres.
When not tinkering with computers, I am likely to be found repairing things because living in the countryside you learn to be resourceful.
Of course, man doesn't live by SSH tunnels and kerosene vapour burners alone, so, food, as a subject, makes regular appearances, too.
My latest Life articles
My most recent ramblings can be found in the Life section.
My latest Mastodon posts
Mastodon is a microblogging app that is part of the decentralised web known as The Fediverse. See this article for more details.
Fitheach
Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:12:26 +0000
I only ever see dragonflies on sunny days. How do dragonflies know it is going to be sunny? Do they hatch very quickly on a sunny day? Do they hide somewhere waiting for the sun? If the latter, they will have been waiting a long time. 😃
This dragonfly (a Golden-ringed dragonfly) landed on the road, in front of me, as I was doing to-day's #DogWalk
I'm hoping to see lots more dragonflies in the coming weeks. 😛
Tue, 07 Jul 2026 09:29:50 +0000
Apparently, Tintin is actually Scottish, not Belgian. 😜
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:41:53 +0000
Where I live there aren't any streets, everyone lives in a named house. This makes it much more difficult for delivery companies to find where you live.
My neighbour is suffering from an added problem: a delivery to the wrong house was registered as a successful drop. Consequently, all his deliveries are going to the wrong place, 1.5 miles away. 
My neighbour is trying to alert the Amazon drivers with a sign. I'm not sure this is the right approach. 😃
Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:59:53 +0000
#RIP Victor Willis 1951 - 2026
Willis was best known as the co-founder, lead singer and main songwriter of the 70s disco group Village People. Willis is shown dressed as the policeman character (2nd left) in this original line-up photo from the 1970s.
Tue, 23 Jun 2026 11:35:12 +0000
It is difficult to recognise the absence of something. I realised on to-day's #DogWalk that I haven't heard a cuckoo for over a week. It wasn't that long ago that I was heralding the arrival of the cuckoos. Now, they have left already (or, maybe, have stopped calling).
To be honest, the incessant calling of the cuckoos, during May, was getting on my nerves. 😃
https://mstdn.io/@fitheach/116436769597334911
Fri, 19 Jun 2026 11:29:50 +0000
I'm at the dentist's.
Lots and lots of staff walking about.
All of them young women, no men, at all. I don't mind, one way or the other, it's just an observation.
I wonder if it is the result of recruitment bias, or a career that particularly appeals to women.