Leaving them seems to be a complete stramash, too. I’ve just spent too much time on the phone to them this morning sorting out my final bill which I don’t recall receiving but for which I’ve received two final demands. It turns out that this is not the final balance either – apparently when issued with the PAC number, the fact that it can be used for up to 30 days means that you still pay for those 30 days on your account regardless of how early in that time period you make the switch.

That sum just missed my “final” bill and so will go into the bill generated at the end of August, which I probably won’t get until early September. Given that I requested my PAC and gave notice of my desire to end the contract at the end of June, three months seems a ridiculously long time to process an account closure.

There’s loads more about Three I could rant about, but I’ll instead cheer myself up by telling a story of good customer service I’ve just received.

Yesterday morning, my wireless router appeared not to be working, and the plug was very hot to touch. I switched it off at the wall, unplugged it from the multi-socket adapter I use for all my computery stuff, plugged it back in and switched the wall plug on again.

The router plug fizzed, popped and banged in a way that makes me feel relieved for my safety that I didn’t take it out from the multi-socket adapter and put it back in again with the power still on at the wall. I may be unpractical with such things, but I’m not that stupid.

I took it to Sutherland SAS, an excellent wee computer shop on Tomnahurich Street who I have used before, and who I am glad to use as a means of avoiding unhelpful and incompetent chains like PC World. They showed me the inside of the plug, which looked like a small explosion had taken place. Which was unsurprising, as that in effect is exactly what had happened.

Now one option could have been to sell me a whole new power adapter – or even a new router, which would have involved the ridiculous hassle of setting up a new wireless network at home. However, they proposed instead to recycle an old power adapter they had, splicing on the connector from my old one onto the new one.

Not only was it a cheap job, it also was reassuringly old-skool in this day and age of “buy it, use it, break it, bin it”. How many shops would recycle and cannibalise spare parts in order to come up with something that’s cheaper than a new product but works just as well?

It’s nice to know that I am doing my bit for the environment, one recycled plug at a time.

As a general footnote to both tales, thank goodness for the iPhone – on the one hand proving that phones and phone providers can be excellent, and on the other keeping me connected (albeit quite slowly) with the internet during the 24 hours that my wireless was out of action. Which reminds me, I must blog a review of my iPhone now I am a couple of months in.

And finally, to quote Sir Trev, it’s quite telling that 24 hours without a proper laptop internet connection was something of a hassle for me. Yesterday’s odd jobs in the flat included sorting my unnecessarily large number of books into those I want to keep and those I want to give to a charity shop. The vast majority of those I am getting rid of are reference books, out of date politics books, and other things which tell me stuff I’d – in this modern information age of Google or Wikipedia – never even consider looking up in something as antiquated and time-consuming as a book. Just a decade ago, we’d turn to a book for facts about people or the world. Now, the information is just a click away.

As long as the wireless is working, of course.

Raising money for the Alzheimers Society, their trek will take them a number of months, and from the stories they told us it’s been quite an adventure already.

We had a barbecue on Dores beach this afternoon, and the two fridges were unlikely companions. However, the two guys and their fridges were slightly off-course, as they were seeking to follow the Great Glen Way which follows the north side of Loch Ness and Dores lies on the south side.

Thanks to some guys in a speedboat, though, a lift was soon blagged and the two fridges were ferried across to the north shore from Dores beach. Fridges on a speedboat… like snakes on a plane, I thought, but a little more surreal.

After that weekend of fun, I am on leave for two weeks. Apart from two days in Skye tomorrow with Nicole, it will be spent sorting out my flat, painting and doing various other wee odd jobs. When married we will live in my flat. I’ve been told it needs “neutralising”. Whatever that means.

Which is not to say nothing’s happened. Far from it, in fact, although the events of the last week have been either uninteresting or unbloggable.

Lots of exciting things forthcoming, however. So to coin a phrase, stand by…

…and in the meantime, how are you?

Firstly, I am currently listening to The Side‘s new album, Nowhere Left To Run, which I downloaded from iTunes earlier. Having got over the deep trauma of the scandal that was The-Side-not-turning-up-at-the-Ironworks-gate and invested in their new release, I am happy to report that this offering from the local (ish – Alness) outfit is excellent.

After a few days of downbeat sounds emanating from my computer, it’s been quite a refreshing change to have some chirpy, funky, energetic pop rock to listen to. The Side, who I have seen once or twice before in town, have a catchy sound, with a clever blend of guitars, piano and drums, and voice/lyrics that (unlike so much of the genre) manage to enhance, rather than detract from, the music.

There’s a reassuring old-school feel about the riffs, instrumental solos and beats, evoking classic rock and roll, funk, and even a wee splash of reggae and space rock now and then. To round it off, the music has a whole sound that you can only really summarise as “fun” – you get the impression the band are having fun playing, and in the live sets I’ve seen they certainly have an infectious energy and cheerfulness.

I’d highly recommend taking a listen.

Secondly, the spirit of Chris Morris lives on again with this article. Atheist summer camps!? Hang on, I thought the whole idea of atheism was that you, with as much certainty as you could muster, did not believe there was a God; not that you pedalled a whole new belief system in opposition. The article quotes the camp as being described thus:

It is “dedicated to improving the human condition through rational inquiry, critical and creative thinking, scientific method… and the separation of religion and government”.

Right, so basically it’s a science camp, with a mix of political indoctrination. Are disestablishmentarianism and the history of secular models of governance really something children can be expected to get their heads around when they just want to be on holiday and have a good time?

There’s nothing wrong with getting our children to think about burden of proof and reasonable scientific analysis. Indeed, it’s vital. But to basically say to camp attendees that for them to act in faith or experience a spiritual phenomenon they cannot fully understand or explain is wrong, is wrong. If you get my meaning.

We’re spiritual, emotional and thoughtful creatures by nature and we only partly understand the world in which we live. To expect our children to have to rule out the existence of God (who, by definition, is beyond human comprehension) is to make them misunderstand what rationalism and science is about.

Atheists are – often – quite right in their criticism of some Christian practices, for instance when they point out that indoctrination of children is wrong, and that forcing them to believe what their parents believe is potentially damaging. And there are, I am sure, intellectually sustainable arguments against Christian equivalents of the camps described in the article. But by providing atheist antidotes of the practices and culture of the church community, atheists are undermining some of the useful checks and balances that they can provide Christianity.

The more atheism starts looking like an alternative religion, the more muddy the debate about God becomes. And it’s muddy enough as it is.

Right, back to the tidying.

They were taken at the final of the Challenge Cup Final in Perth in November, and have been used in an article reviewing last season’s competition.

The fanzine is a good read, and a very thorough look at football in Scotland, from the SPL to the Highland League and even women’s football. I’m not the most avid football fan in the country, but this is certainly a great way of following what’s happening and I’ll certainly keep up with the Scotzine website now and then.

Having just downloaded the issue (the last to appear for free, so go read!), it’s been nice to see my photos in print. It’s also a little surreal to have my name just before that of Christopher Brookmyre in the list of contributors.

The two albums have complemeted each other well, coming from Scottish artists that exude similar moods and tones.

Waxing Gibbous, by former Arab Strap member Malcom Middleton, is very good, and is the usual blend of acerbic, downbeat wit and cunning observation about life, love and identity. I maintain what I think I’ve said before, that Middleton is something of a modern-day Bob Dylan. The first couple of tracks are uncharacteristically chirpy and energetic, but the rest of the album reverts to type a little too unimaginatively, and while it’s a sound album it’s nowhere near the lyrical and musical genius of Sleight of Heart and Into The Woods.

The Hawk is Howling, from veteran Scottish post-rockers Mogwai, is excellent. As you’d imagine from a band that’s been on the go since the mid-90s, their music has been a mix of some epic crackers and not a little inaccessible or missable mediocrity, but so many of their albums – like those of a lot of great bands – are worth buying simply for the one or two gems contained within which more than carry the rest of the tracks. The Hawk is Howling, however, is (in my mind) their most consistent album to date. Each song is very likeable, and the mix of pulsating drumming and catchy guitar riffs can be felt acutely throughout. It’s a very, very addictive listen. It also boasts some darkly humourous song titles, such as “I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead” and “I Love You, I’m Going to Blow up Your School” which never fail to raise a chuckle.

Neither album is typical summer music, admittedly, although the weather of late suggests it’s not really a typical summer. This evening, though, is beautifully warm and sunny, which is good as I am just about to head off to church.

Now, which album to listen to as I walk…?

Here are a few shots – 1|2|3 – taken in Edinburgh this week on my proper camera – the level of detail, the ability to change settings, and the zoom function, all show up my iPhone’s camera as good but not excellent.

I was staying in a B&B at the top floor of a New Town tenement, which rendered beautiful views across the north of Edinburgh. The weather was, as usual for this summer, changeable – bright sunshine, angry thunderstorms and, in the shot above, dramatic sunsets.

I was glad to have my proper camera with me, which has probably been getting jealous of the iPhone…

Only I’m not having a pint – I’m approaching the end of a month off alcohol, a pre-wedding attempt to lose a bit of weight. And it’s working – one person who’s not seen me for a while said that I had done.

So I’m sitting in a pub renowned for its real ales, nursing a pint of fresh orange and lemonade instead.

I am also marvelling at the fact that in the space of a few minutes I can take a surreptitious photo, write a blog, and upload it for your delectation, all thanks to the iPhone.

I’m a bit of a latecomer to TMAWL – it started out in that period after I gave up having a TV but before the rise of the BBC iPlayer – a time when my grip on popular culture was consequently at something of a nadir.

Essentially an off-beat sketch show, it takes a wonderful sideways look at a number of situations; for instance through a magnificent sketch where a scene from an espionage thriller is set in a casino, but rather than regular casino games the protagonists play fairground games like guess the weight of the cake. Another recurring sketch from the latest series I’ve particularly liked has been a post-apocalyptic TV quiz, blending the macabre portrayal of an armageddon with the tackiness of a television quiz show (“hello, good evening, and remain indoors!“).

Perhaps my favourite has to be this wonderful sketch that to me is reminiscent of the writing style of teams like the Two Ronnies. Have a watch and see how long it takes before you guess the punchline, which is no less funny for the fact you know what’s coming.

It’s encouraged me to dig up something of the past two series, one highlight of which has to be Numberwang, a brilliant pastiche of bafflingly pointless, skill-less, intellect-free gameshows.

Many of those links are, of course, on YouTube; while I watched series 3 itself on iPlayer. Given that I don’t own a TV and therefore don’t pay a licence, coupled with my huge reliance on Radio Five Live and the BBC News site, I must admit I am a collosal freeloader, riding on the coat tails of hardworking licence payers across the country. Not that I feel guilty, of course.

Anyway, enough media-based ramblings. I ought to go to bed, as I have a busy week ahead – I am off to Edinburgh at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I have three days in Auld Reekie, a quick day in Glasgow and then get home again on Friday night.

Oh, and at Aberdeen station this morning on my way back from Nicole’s, I saw Labour MSP and former student activist Richard Baker.

In a remarkable break from tradition, he recognised me.