The worst toilet in Scotland?

I spent last weekend wild camping at the foot of Creag Meagaidh, a mountain in the Scottish Highlands noted for its ice-climbing. We didn't manage to do any actual ice climbing, but we did at least do a few easy snow gullies and spent some quality time in the outdoors. Those of you who've never camped wild may be wondering about the mechanics of it, and in particular how you take a dump in the wilderness. Large or long-running camps would of course dig proper latrines, and in areas of great ecological sensitivity like the Cairngorm National Park one should pack out one's waste (in the very secure containers available from the ranger stations), but for short-lived camps in less-sensitive areas it's acceptable to practice "cat sanitation". This is pretty straightforward, but there are a few potential (though thankfully not literal) pitfalls.

( Those of a sensitive disposition may wish to look away now )

But does your khazi have a view like that? I thought not.

Radiohead marathon part 2

A couple of months ago, I decided to re-evaluate my long-held hatred for Radiohead and their works, by sitting down and listening to their first five albums in a row. I learned that my teenage self was wrong: Radiohead are capable of producing good music. However, they don't seem to be capable of doing so consistently. Some of their albums I genuinely (in the main) liked: Pablo Honey is a decentish soft-rock album, Kid A was enjoyable enough, and Amnesiac was actually quite good, apart from a couple of tracks I absolutely loathed. If I'd been able to approach The Bends on my own terms, I might have quite liked it: it's not Physical Graffiti or Nevermind or Kind of Blue or Rounds, but, you know, there are some good bits in there. As it is, though, my conditioned flinch reaction to the sound of Thom Yorke's voice - like that of a puppy that's been kicked too many times - makes listening to it really rather stressful. And OK Computer is just a trainwreck.

[While I'm aware that my opinions on music are largely subjective, I shall be stating them as facts throughout this post. This will hopefully spare us a tedious debate about the philosophy of aesthetics and keep my prose crisper.]

Radiohead have just released a new album, and so it's time to finish off the project and listen to their albums Hail to the Thief, In Rainbows and The King of Limbs. Afterwards, if I still have time and energy, I'll listen to the Easy Star All Stars' Radiodread, a reggae version of OK Computer. As before, I'll put up comments under each track name as I get to it, so check back throughout the afternoon.

( Hail to the Thief )

( In Rainbows )

( The King of Limbs )

( Radiodread )

( Overall conclusions )