I have a month under my belt on the sobriety wagon and am feeling very much better. This is a journey which I do feel I want to go on now. And I hope I can carry on.

But what’s changed? I suppose I have read a lot around the subject and do follow a lot of awesome people on social media and my friends support of course and a lovely caring email from an amazing golf guy and all that together I suppose. And maybe this blog helps a lot too? But anyhow I am feeling comfortable and good and positive.

I am not feeling positive about the world though. What a travesty in America with this guy Trump? It’s beyond belief. One can only hope now that the tide has changed over this Epstein thing and people who voted for this monster will see at last a chink of the true light. But oh my goodness what lies and what a circus of cover-ups in the clown show of the Republican Party led by this charlatan.

And America has so many great, great people. Genuinely great. Not Trump great. I meet so many on my tours. Some of the best and most inspiring people. And then you begin to pollute it with the cesspool of Trump and lies and the seduction of big money.

And this is why I was so happy that Scottie Scheffler won The Open. What a man and what a golfer! But what a man mainly. I didn’t know too much about him before seeing him last week in action at Royal Portrush. But I am well impressed and rather bowled over by his attitude. It gives me so much faith in the spirit of goodness underlying everything and feeds my hope that this does and will ultimately prevail.

And it’s so poignant that a man like this should come to the fore in the world of professional golf, as there appears to be a whole lot of egos out there for some reason. And then Scottie comes out and shows them what a human being should be like. Modest, respectful, nice, caring, humble and without that look on his face of self-importance (which unfortunately I feel McIlroy has now!)

So bring on the Schefflers. Because boy do we need them in today’s world more than ever. He is the antithesis of sociopath Trump. He is what a lot of America is in my opinion, its true and real spirit. It’s real greatness.

Well done Scottie for reminding us all.

I am two weeks without a drink and feeling much better obviously from that awful hangover after my huge binge.

I did have a very weak moment of thinking the other day after my wife left for Japan to buy a bottle of very nice red wine. But then I reflected, thought about it and realised that it wouldn’t be as I had imagined. And then I reflected upon the possible downside and of course it was shelved. Not that I bought it by the way, I mean the idea was shelved.

I have been following Dr Alan George and his sober journey and podcasting on you tube. He has been sober over 2 years now and I like his clarity and honesty. What he said about when he was away with his buddy on holiday and his birthday came up and he had been one year sober and his buddy threw in the idea of having a beer to celebrate. He reflected and thought ‘no’ as he would be disappointed in himself if he had. He indeed says that it is unlikely he will ever drink again. Now that’s a big one of course. On this I am more with Samuel Johnson when he says that he had a big issue with drink in that he nearly always drank to excess and that he would only drink again when he was a very old man. That sits much better with me.

But also deep down somewhere in me brought out by Dr George is the journey I now want to go on of sobriety and to experience a new way. He articulates all the benefits and growth of this new way so well. And well I want to experience this too. And I hope I can.

So fare forward passengers.

Outwith this I am loving my tour guiding and meeting some great and interesting people. It’s such a privilege to show people around St Andrews and Edinburgh and have this opportunity. My golf is very good after I got a real good tip from young Diego who I played with on the Old Course. It seems to be paying off and I drove a 325 yard drive on the range yesterday. Which is not too shabby for a 63 year old fart who is not done yet. Anyway Mortonhall Summer Meeting on Saturday so that could be a teller.

I was so glad to see that France is now about to introduce a smoking ban in parks and other public places including bus stops. Well done Macron. This is the way. Smokers and vapers just don’t realise how intrusive their fumes are.

I made a point about this at the driving range in St Andrews yesterday when I asked them to put up no-smoking signs in the bays. On two occasions this week I had to ask people to stop their filthy habits in my presence (I don’t mind if they smoke as long as they keep that shit in their lungs and don’t share it with me thanks)

So it’s now possible I will have left a permanent mark in St Andrews town in the Links Trust putting up a higher safety net at the practice range after my blog warning about it, and now probably no-smoking signs in the bays and of course getting Tenants Lager back on tap at the Dunvegan after I had a wee Trip Advisor spat with the owner, Sheena, about the travesty of her taking it off in the first place.

The world is in peril though. Trump was mocking the weather forecasters two weeks ago, ridiculed the whole global warming phenomenon and DOGE cut out the job of the warning co-ordinating meteorologist, so slashing critical jobs in this area. Why? So he can fund tax cuts for his billionaire backslapping buddies down at the bar in Mar a Lago and it’s now all rather come back to bite him with the deaths in the Texas flooding.

What an utter oaf he is. He thinks the world is a Manhatten real estate deal. Sickeningly and unanimously supported by his motley crew of brainless, spineless, botoxed, soulless, sycophants in his non-party. Some with pea-sized brains like Ted Cruz

God get me a train.