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# Duncan A. McNab

Song Writer, Story Teller, Wildlife Enthusiast and Traveller

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Blog](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/blog/)
- [Safari 2022 ~ Day Seven](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-2022-day-seven/) - Day Seven 23rd May I heard nothing at all throughout the night. I heard no lions’ roars, hyena’s whooping, hornbills chattering, Malcom coughing and groaning with his busted rib cage… nothing. But at 05:30am I was awakened by the sound of clanking buckets and camp staff filling up our wash hand basins with warm water.
- [Safari 2022 ~ Day Six](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-2022-day-six/) - Day Six – May 22nd I had not had the best night’s sleep, but not as bad as Malcolm who had been awake since 1:30am. The pain in his damaged ribs had worsened and he just couldn’t get warm. Even so, our wake-up call came at 05:30am and we rose for the day ahead. After
- [Safari 2022 ~ Day Five](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-2022-day-five/) - May 21st Day Five After falling asleep to the sound of lions roaring and hyenas whooping, wake up call was at 05:30am. Breakfast was coffee, cornflakes, vanilla yoghurt, honey, and more coffee. Coffee was high on the list because it was hot, and the Okavango Delta was not. Then it was time to hit the
- [Safari 2022 Day Four](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-2022-day-four/) - 2022 Okavango Safari May 20th Day Four At some point through the night, I was awakened by the sounds of a hyena near the tent. The hyena being one of my favourite animals, its other worldly calls out there in the darkness brought a smile to my face. But other than that pleasant interruption,
- [Safari 2022 ~ Day Three](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-2022-day-three/) - 19th May Day 3 Today was ‘Mokoro Day’. Those of us who were going down the river on a mokoro were permitted the luxury of a long lie in bed until 07:00am. The four who did not fancy the mokoro, they were up at 05:00am to go on a game drive. Craig, two tents away,
- [Safari 2022 Day Two](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-2022-day-two/) - 18 May Day Two Chattering hornbills outside the tent woke me up a couple of times in the early hours of the morning. But apart from that I slept soundly. The camp staff woke us at 5:00am. There was a definite chill in the air and as I switched on my head-torch, I could
- [Safari May 2022 ~ Day One](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-may-2022-day-one/) - Hang onto your Safari hats, here we go again. 16th May - The long trip to Botswana’s Okavango Delta on a mobile camping Safari. My travelling companion and best friend, Malcolm and I had been counting down the days to our new adventure. Our wives did not share our passion for camping in the wilderness
- [Preparing for the Okavango 2022](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/preparing-for-the-okavango-2022/) - With only six weeks to go before heading off on another Okavango adventure, I asked my Facebook friends if it was too early to get my case out of the loft and start packing. It seems that my excitement had got the better of me, as it turned out that I had miscalculated and I
- [The Shepherd's Day](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-shepherds-day/) - As a young lad, my father had it drummed into him by his father, that as soon as he awakened, he should get his feet onto the floor. The whole idea of a long lie, or even just an extra five-minute snooze before getting up was not to be entertained. As a result, my father
- [The Story of the Inchkeith Hounds from Hell](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-inchkeith-hounds-from-hell/) - The Story of the Inchkeith Hounds from Hell During my police career I specialised in two areas. For the first five years I was a dog handler and also a dog baiter. For the last seventeen years of my police service I worked on police boats. Both these specialities would come into play when I
- [The Story of Mortimer's Deep](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-mortimers-deep/) - For seventeen years I was privileged to police the waters of the River and Firth of Forth. Over that time, I developed a great deal of local knowledge about the Forth as we patrolled up and down in the Police Launch. Inchcolm Island off the coast from Aberdour was a place of great interest and it
- [The Story of the Heathery Knowes of Auchnafree](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/1137-2/) - The Story of the Heathery Knowes of Auchnafree This story is a combination of a personal encounter with a strange character on the summit of a Scottish mountain, and a friend’s superstitious beliefs that a visit from a raven was an omen of death. As part of my work as a police sergeant on
- [Safari April 2016 ~ To Share or not to Share](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-to-share-or-not-to-share/) - In years gone by, I have been incredibly fortunate to have been on safari in South Africa, Kenya, and Tanzania. On each of these trips I stayed at lodges, with swimming pools, bars and live entertainment in the evening. It was all very comfortable. The biggest concern I had on these trips was remembering to
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day One](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-one/) - It was a struggle not to start each sentence with, “The last time I was in the Okavango....” as I sat next to Malcolm onboard the overnight flight to Johannesburg. I was so excited, not only because I was heading off on another camping safari in the Okavango Delta, but because my best friend was
- [The Two Stories of the Houlin Girls](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-two-stories-of-the-houlin-girls/) - The First Story of the Houlin Girls Many of my songs are a mix of reality and fantasy. But the song about the Houlin girls was based entirely on reality, but turned out to be nothing but fantasy. My father was born on the Isle of Eigg, in the Inner Hebrides, in 1912. His
- [The story of The Spring o’ Twenty Eight](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-the-spring-o-twenty-eight/) - The Spring o’ Twenty Eight Having made a good job of the lambing at the Dubh Choirein Farm at the tender age of fourteen, my father was sent on another lambing expedition the following year, in the spring of 1928. At the foot of Glen Lochay, just out side Killin, a crofter called Tom Proctor
- [The Story Behind  "Lay All My Troubles Aside"](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-behind-lay-all-my-troubles-aside/) - Song writing has always been something I have enjoyed doing, and there have been many different things that have motivated me to put pen to paper. I suppose I simply like making rhymes and I like telling stories. I have had many experiences throughout my lifetime, and the vast majority of them have been consigned
- [Early Song Writing Memories](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/early-song-writing-memories/) - I’m not sure when I wrote my first song. I do however recall at the age of thirteen, lying to my French teacher, Mr. Dawson, falsely claiming to have written the lyrics of a song on a Hamish Imlach L.P. He undoubtedly knew that my claim was nothing more than a juvenile flight of fancy,
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Two](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-two/) - Day 2 “Are you awake?” asked Craig. “It’s nearly 05:30” In the darkness I could hear the sound of the camp staff getting our breakfast ready. Crockery clattering, pots clanging and the sound of whispering voices as people moved quietly around. Under the canopy at the front of our tent there were two 'wash basins'
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Three](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-three/) - Camping Safari Day 3 The noises of the bush do not allow you to sleep in for breakfast. But at some point, through the night – I have no idea what time – a hyena came to call – literally! I was awakened from my slumbers by the hyena, right outside my tent, suddenly erupting
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Four](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-four/) - Experience had now helped me to reach the conclusion that when Craig asked me “Are you awake?”, what he was really saying was “Wake up!” It was a 05:15 start as we had to be up and vacate our tents so that the camp staff could dismantle the camp and move everything to a new
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Five](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-five/) - Day 5 It was an interesting night in the tent with Craig. I’m not sure if the lion incident had affected him, but again he was up three times to go to the loo. At one stage, it was not the sounds of the African night that awakened me, it was Craig. He was talking
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Six](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-six/) - Day 6 Once again, I found the breakfast table deserted as I got myself some cereal and hot coffee. Slowly, people emerged out of the darkness, drawn to the dining tent like moths to a flame. One of the last to arrive was a lady called Sally who I suspected to be the owner of
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Seven](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-seven/) - Day 7 Day seven would be our last full day of game drives. I rose with anticipation of another wonderful day in the Okavango. Sadly, my record of being first each day to the breakfast table was dashed when three of the others beat me by a couple of minutes. Perhaps they wanted to make
- [Safari April 2016 ~ Day Eight ~ Going Home](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-april-2016-day-eight-going-home/) - Day 8 We awoke after our last night under canvas in the Okavango. Before heading for breakfast, we packed out bags and left them outside our tents. The dining tent had been dismantled and just the table and chairs remained, standing in the middle of the camp. As we ate our breakfast, behind us our
- [Ganmars, Fulnets and Green Sea-Going Chickens](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/ganmars-fulnets-and-green-sea-going-chickens/) - In the early summer of 2018, my good friend Malcolm and I were lucky enough to be selected to take part in a NTS work party to carry out maintenance and conservation work on St Kilda. The work party consisted of a team leader, a cook, and ten volunteers, and we would stay on the
- [The Tale of the Cormorotterant](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-tale-of-the-cormorotterant/) - The Tale of the Cormorotterant. In the summer of 2021 my wife and I, along with another couple rented a self-catering holiday cottage on the island of South Uist. It was a first visit to this part of the Outer Hebrides and so there was that mix of anticipation and excitement that comes with the
- [Safari's and Covid 19](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safaris-and-covid-19/) - I had hoped that I would be soon be packing my bags for another camping safari in the wildlife wonderland that is Botswana's Okavango Delta. Unfortunately, Covid 19 has put paid to that plan. South Africa and Botswana are both on the UK's Red list of countries at present and travel is prohibited. Disappointing as
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Eight](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-eight/) - Day 8 Well, they say all good things come to an end, and sadly this would be our final day in the Okavango Delta... on this trip. Hopefully there will be other trips to come. As soon as we were up and washed, Malcolm and I packed our bags and put them outside our tent.
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Seven](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-seven/) - Day 7 At breakfast, the main topic of conversation was the leopard and her cub. Had she managed to carry the male impala up into a tree, or had her kill been stolen during the hours of darkness by lions and hyenas out on the prowl? The general consensus was that the later was the
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Six](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-six/) - Day 6 I was awake, just, when I heard the quiet voice of one of the camp staff saying, “Good morning”, as he filled our canvas wash basins with warm water. Despite having camped here before, there was an air of anticipation and excitement about having a new area to explore. With breakfast over we
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Five](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-five/) - Day 5 I had drifted off to sleep the previous night to the sounds of lion roars and hyena calls, blissfully unaware of what was playing out several hundred metres down stream from our camp. It transpired that the pride of lions we had seen the previous day had crossed over onto our side of
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Four](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-four/) - Day 4 The full moon had almost completed its journey across the night sky as we arose to another beautiful morning. Smoke from the remnants of the campfire gently drifted upwards into the pink pre-dawn light. A lone warthog rummaged in the reeds on the far bank of the river, and I headed for the
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Three](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-three/) - I am not a natural early riser. In fact, I’m much more of a night owl than a lark. But when you are camping in the heart of the Okavango Delta there are much more important things to look at than the back of your eyelids. Excitement obliterates any thoughts of a snooze button. Outside
- [Safari September 2019 ~ Day Two](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-september-2019-day-two/) - Day 2 After sleeping soundly, we awoke to the sound of the camp staff filling our wash basins with warm water at the front porch of the tent. Outside it was still dark with just the very first hints of dawn light beyond the trees. The camp staff had been on the go for some
- [The Story of Falling in Love with a Helen](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-falling-in-love-with-a-helen/) - The Story of Falling in Love With a Helen (aka The Axes of Evil) This song emerged not so much from a disaster with a woman, it was more to do with a strange coincidence involving the name Helen. When I was eighteen, I was working as a forester for the Earl of Ancaster on
- ['Quiet Waters' and the story of Moby](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/quiet-waters-and-the-story-of-moby/) - Moby's Story This month, a poem in tribute to a whale called Moby. It was just an ordinary March day in 1997 as I drove down the motorway towards Rosyth Naval Base with an eight hour shift on the police boat ahead of me. As I sped down the M90 from Perth I was unaware
- [The Wilds of Glen Ghoinean](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-wilds-of-glen-ghoinean/) - Experiences like being sent at the age of fourteen to the Dubh Choirien House at the foot of Ben Vorlich to do the lambing, and to Moirlanich in Glen Lochay the following year to help run the farm all helped to make my father a resilient and independent young man. However, they were not the
- [The Story of Isa Savage](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-isa-savage/) - The Story of Isa Savage I accept that it is not everyone who would want to write a song about losing their virginity. However it was a memorable night for me in more ways than one, and a good story should always be told. So brace yourself. You have been warned! For reasons which I
- [The Story of "Nae Mair Wynchin"](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-nae-mair-wynchin/) - Living on a farm with a father who was a workaholic presented its own problems for a teenage boy. I had no intention of following in my fathers footsteps and becoming a shepherd. Even he advised me against that. "There are far better ways to earn a living lad. You’ll never be rich as a
- [The Story of The Lifebuoy Ghost](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-the-lifebuoy-ghost/) - The Story of The Lifebuoy Ghost The title does not refer to anything unworldly, but comes from the naval term given to the person who's job it is to stand at the stern of the ship and raise the alarm if anyone should be unfortunate enough to fall overboard. During daylight and working hours
- [The Story of "My Poor Old Mk 1 Eyeballs"](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-my-poor-old-mk-1-eyeballs/) - My Poor Old Mk 1 Eyeballs Every April the Glenfarg Folk Club holds a festival called the Folk Feast. I have only missed three since the early 1990’s so you can tell I enjoy them a great deal. There are ceilidhs, concerts, singarounds and sessions and it is a great gathering together of old friends
- [The Banks o' the Linn o' Chullaich](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-banks-o-the-linn-o-chullaich/) - The Story of The Banks of the Linn a’Hoolich One Monday evening, at my second home, the Glenfarg Village Folk Club, I was chatting with a stalwart of the club, Jim Douglas. Jim, a wonderful artist, poet, writer and songsmith, made a comment that struck an immediate chord with me. He observed, "Isn't it
- [Ring on the Homeward Bounders](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/ring-on-the-homeward-bounders/) - In the song 'Ring on the Homeward Bounders', Maggie Ann features for the third time. She had now, for the purpose of this song, come to represent all the women in my life that had meant a lot to me. The Royal Navy has a language all of its own. Many of the terms used
- [The Story of Maggie Ann](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/the-story-of-maggie-ann/) - The song “Maggie Ann” is all about my romantic notions for a girl who moved into Glen Artney several months after I had. My relationship with Maggie Anne was a disaster before it became a success and to date she features in four different songs. Allow me to explain. I was half way through my

## Pages

- [Home](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/) - I have written songs and poems ever since I was a youngster. Many of them relate to the events in the farming calendar and to characters I knew within the farming community.My father, a hill shepherd, was a remarkable man in so many ways, and his extraordinary adventures have featured in several of my works.I
- [Poems & Monologues](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/poems-monologues/) - The Heathery Knowes o’ AuchnafreeA shepherd lad set oot yin evening, his ain sweetheart all for tae seeAnd the path he took, it took him oot, o’er the heathery knowes o’ AuchnafreeBut the light that shone frae the setting sun, it glint sae bright in a raven’s eeHe was perched high up on an auld
- [Song Stories](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/song-stories/) - The writing of songs has been a hobby of mine for more years than I care to remember. I have always enjoyed a good story and good humour, especially when combined in a song. As a young adult looking for opportunities to sing in folk clubs, I had the desire to perform but lacked confidence
- [Safari Adventures](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/safari-adventures/) - Growing up on a farm in the countryside, I always had a fascination for wildlife. A treasured gift when I was eight years old was a book by John Holland called ‘Bird Spotting’. Nearly sixty years later, it now sits proudly amongst my extensive collection of bird books. The Observer Book of British Mammals was

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/category/uncategorized/)
- [Song Stories](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/category/song-stories/)
- [Safari Adventures](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/category/okavango-safaris/)
- [Poems](https://www.duncanmcnab.scot/category/poems/)

## Tags

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