there were a lot of thistles in Scotland

[perlmonger]

I suppose it’s just a sign of my own advancing badgerdom, but people I care about seem to be dropping like pearly-wingéd flies.

So. Farewell then, Ivor Cutler: poet, musician, story teller, member of the noise abatement society. I only saw you perform once, at a WoMAD years ago; you stopped and refused to carry on until the audience was silent, and quite right too.

ETA: Grauniad obit.