This cold, dark land of the picts...

I was watching Billy Connoly's world tour of Scotland tonight. In all honesty I find him at his funniest when he drops the act and acccepts that he's a bit of a pretentious weirdo like the rest of us. However, he does like Scotland - and liking Scotland is something I've stuggled with for a long time.

I dont know what made me not like it here. Perhaps it was only seeing a tacky facade. Perhaps it was growing up in a faceless new town. Maybe something as mysterious as the unshakeable feeling that really, Im only a tourist here. Mebs it was as mundane the distain most young folks hold for home. At least everyone else I knew seemed to thing the same.

I realise now that I was wrong. Theres something no too bad about this otherwise cold and dank land of the picts. It occasionaly sparkles underneath the self perpetuated tartan stereotypes. It sometimes seeps around the vain 'proud nation, hard as nails' crapaganda. It lies in the middle and we have to acknowledge it.

We just have to realise that we're ok. No better or worse than everyone else: we're OK. Have a look - can you see it? Good. Lets get on with the rest of our lives.