Quintinjardine's Blog

Those seven letters are shorthand for the Thirtieth International Festival of Authors, in Toronto, from which I’ve just returned. The trip was bracketed by two nights in Barcelona, a crazy schedule that meant I was on six different flights in seven days, with the inevitability that somewhere I was going to pick up a dose of ‘flu, but it’s of the man rather than the swine variety, so no big deal.

 I may have more to say in detail when I’ve had time to reflect on the trip, but first and foremost I’d like to thank Geoffrey Taylor, the inspired director of IFOA, for his invitation, and for extending the hospitality of Toronto to us all. Thanks also to Mike Russell, the Scottish culture minister, for our Government’s support of the event, and to those with whom I shared a couple of platforms, Mark Sinnett, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, Linden McIntyre, John Bemrose, James Nichol, Colm Toibin, Iain Weir and Martin Levin.

Oh yes; cheers also to the chef in the CN Tower restaurant, to  the team of cyclists who make it revolve, and no hard feelings to the inimitable Joseph Kavan, for the elegant but unintentional way in which he insulted my son.

I wish you’d left your full name, so that I could thank you properly for your generosity in sharing that observation with me, and for reminding me that even the smallest minorities have a right to express their views, within the limits set by the law. The best advice I can give you is to restrict yourself to reading short stories, in the hope that they’re more suited to your attention span.

To tell you the truth, I’m rather immersed in Bob’s world myself. He gets more real by the day. I’m scheduled to spend another few months with him, pretty soon.

I reckon I can help you. I suggest that you click on the purchase link on my website and get in contact with campbellreadbooks. Even if a title isn’t listed there, it can be obtained, and it will be delivered signed.

Amid all the furore over Jenson Button it’s important that another sporting achievement of Sunday October 18 is given due recognition. Today, who’s Scotland’s top male pro golfer, according to the official world rankings. Monty? Not any more? Paul Lawrie? Still making money but no longer a short odds bet. Alasdair Forsyth? Still not quite there. No, step forward Martin Laird.

Who’s he, you ask? Let me tell you. He’s a Glasgow guy who went to college in the US and stayed on there, qualifying for the PGA golf tour by the long distance route, through the secondary Nationwide Tour. In his rookie year he barely retained his card, and this year’s been tough too, but his form has improved steadily, until finally, yesterday, he took a huge step forward in his career by winning the Justin Timberlake Open, after a three-man play-off in Las Vegas, the first Scot  to take an event on the modern PGA tour since the great Sandy Lyle. (Yes, I know; technically, Paul Lawrie is a PGA tour winner, but he did it at Carnoustie.)

I hate to suggest that the British media has an inbuilt bias towards English sportspeople, but I’ve just done a check of UK on-line newspaper site, and I find that twelve hours after Martin’s victory, only the Herald, his home-town journal, has caught up with the fact. It doesn’t rate a mention in the Times, Torygraph or Guardian. If it had been England’s Ian Poulter, they would have been all over it, but as it happens, he’s never won in America.

So, on behalf of all Scots, well done our guy. I look forward to seeing you in next year’s Ryder Cup.

Now I’ve got that off my chest, congratulations to Jenson Button, his boss Ross Brawn, and the entire racing team on a remarkable achievement. I’ve got as much admiration for him as I have for Lewis Hamilton, another guy with an inspirational father to nurture his awesome God-given talent. I read somewhere that Sir Frank Williams once described Jenson as ‘a gentleman racer’. If that was a compliment, I’m pretty sure that it was meant to be back-handed, but I’d prefer to take it at face value. Jenson strikes me as a driver in the finest traditions of Jim Clark, Graham Hill, his son Damon, and the survivor of the founding era, Sir Stirling Moss. I’d rather watch him than a handful of Schumis.

And I mustn’t forget. All praise to Beth Tweddle, who fell off, got up, dusted herself off, and won.

Glad to hear that. I have plans for at least five more, by permission of  the Man upstairs (and I don’t mean Tim Hely-Hutchinson). Skinner Twenty . . . no, I can’t believe it either . . . is ready and waiting, and Headline have asked for four in addition to that. Then there’s the Primavera series. In five years I may take a rest.

You and Brian won’t  have long to wait. As you’ve probably seen from the site home page, Blood Red is due for publication on January 7.

I’m looking forward to it also, Christine. What does C.A.T.S. signify? As an incentive to your group you may tell them that anyone who turns up bevvied will not be admitted.

Sadly, Dave, the Queen’s Hotel in Gullane is no longer trading.  After a brief and unsuccessful period as The Templar Lodge, it closed, and has lain derelict for several years, thanks to the local council’s obduracy in refusing to grant a change of use to potential developers. Although consent has now been given, the present owner has been slow to start the project, no doubt citing ‘the economic climate’. Although that whole area is listed, the building has been allowed to become a scar on an otherwise attractive village. Do powers exist to compel owners of such properties to show them some care and attention? I don’t know, but if not they bloody well should.

As for the Empuries Greco-Roman ruins, you would be surprised by the lack of commercialisation attached to the site, for all that it attracts thousands of visitors, all year round. The site is very well run, very patiently excavated, and very well presented. (A remarkable contrast with the old Queen’s Hotel!)

Thanks for that. Sorry about Oz, but he’d gone as far as he could at that time. Funnily enough, I’ve come up with a theoretical means of bringing him back to life, but I’ll have to think long and hard before actually doing it.

Great surname for someone in your job. Ever seen the excellent movie, titled thus, with Stallone and Harvey Keitel?