Maxwell's Cauld Blast

THE TERRIFYING Lord Famedram who publishes this organ from his sinister mock Gothic castle in the demi-Highlands has long been at the cutting edge of innovation.

Well I remember how some twenty years ago I nervously visited him in the industrial shed where he would print off the paper on a great heaving eight metre long press that had to be started by drawing down a vast carbon crusted switch with a singed broomstick handle to prevent our immediate immolation (this is all true), how he was waxing lyrical about something called Apple Mac desktop publishing that was going to make us all rich.

Then there was the post-your-own-film on line that preceded Youtube, and his unpaid journalists that preceded internships. Truly he is extraordinary.

Today I launch a similar innovation that one day may indeed dwarf those innovations. The link column. Remember you heard it here first.

Let me explain. Rather than me droning on about the various interesting events and happenings that will be taking place in the Highlands this summer I merely guide you to a link and if I tickle youR fancy you can go see.

Firstly allow me to laud the truly extraordinary new book by Geordie Stewart, a former St Andrews student whose family hails from Aberdeenshire, about how he climbed the seven highest mountains in the world before he was twenty two.

I normally loath adventure books because their normally emotionally derelict authors say so little about the personal challenge of achieving the difficult tasks they describe, but whilst there's a certain ponderousness in the style his integrity and the agony of his battles shines through and his achievement is massive.

Thoroughly recommended. This is the first of what I suspect will be a flow of amazing books from this young author. To buy a copy (it's privately published) go to Geordie Stewart's website.

If you haven't heard yet the Belladrum Festival, now in its fourteenth year, has been awarded the best summer festival in Scotland award by Tripadvisor, and rightly so in my opinion.

Nowadays it invariably sells out but I am told that there are still a hand full of tickets left (www.tartanheartfestival.co.uk). I have long regarded Bella as being the nearest you can get to a proper Highland gathering.

If you think that pop festivals are just about drunks and noise go to Bella and you will see families having safe fun and quality debates and lectures. Its my favourite weekend of the year (August 2/4).

The recent community buyout of the Island of Ulva has been getting a lousy press due to the interminably repeated stat that there are only six people living there. There's been a great spat in Bellacaledonia.org.uk that has included comments by the likes of superhack Magnus Linklater and former MSP Rob Gibson, and you can still add your tuppence if you wish.