Piper at the Back of Keppoch

Obviously this guy is not Decker Forrest, who swept the boards of the piping trophies. This lad was having trouble staying in tune, so we moved away swiftly. My grandfather McIntyre, uncle Archie, and brother Ruaraidh all play the pipes, and R's son is learning the chanter.

The scene was the Arisaig Highland games, which I had not visited since the 1970s, when they were held at Mains Park, just along the road from my great aunt's bungalow. She lived a solitary existence, and we stayed there one summer for a memorable week, taking turns to sleep in the sort-of-campervan, as there were seven of us visitors! Arisaig games were my first, and the shore overlooking the islands of Eigg and Rhum was one of my playgrounds.

I have chosen the piping because of the judge's face! Plus, I like it when it's good, and my sister TML has already blipped the 'heavies' at the Taynuilt games, and CleanSteve the Arisaig highland dancers. So that leaves me the pipe band, who were dressed in black rain capes so looked like Highland Hoodie Crows, or the soloists.

My mother was with us, and she bumped into ClanRanald, who is the 24th captain of the lands of ClanRanald, and the VIP of the games. He is also a pal of my uncle Archie. He bore us off to the games tent and plied us with excellent whisky, which I think is made by the new Ardnamurchan distillery and bottled for the Clan McLaren, whose rep was also in attendance. Once I started on the whisky I got very silly and started going on about McLaren racing cars and baby buggies, as there was some friendly banter going on between the McLaren chappie and the McDonalds of North Carolina. They were there because it was also the Clan Donald gathering. Confused? I certainly was.

I managed to miss both the 2008 Mcintyre gathering and the 2010 McIntyre event at the Taynuilt games,so that must make me a very bad Mcintyre. But the whisky, dare I say it, was very smooth indeed. The McCallan had better look to its laurels.