I was innocently sitting in the Spoon bistro - a place where I now know the menu rather well - discussing the First World War and the subject of diaries came up. I thought it was natural for officers of that period to keep one; this point was disputed and the guy opposite me stared and asked "Do YOU keep one ( Read more... )

Up at 4am to walk and see the stars: it was a clear night, so clear that the moon cast shadows and the stars were so bright. I could hear the waves (very gentle) and the occasional sleepy squawk of a goose in the fields ( Read more... )

Normally to see bats, I'd go to St Margaret's Loch or Blackford Pond. It never occurred to me that I'd see them much closer to home, just round the corner from my local Tescos: but, thanks to Inner Space, I was able to see all these, plus a heron hunting (actually a lot more fascinating than it sounds - it caught at least four USOs [unspecified ( Read more... )

is how the teacher described our attempts to pronounce Dutch. However, I can now engage in a short conversation. Next thing to do battle with the Dutch publisher's website and order the set book. It appears to some sort of rather expensive initiation test.

The general aim was to sell some of my surplus stone items and it seemed logical to go off to an indoor market, present the merchandise and sit back waiting for the money to roll in. What is it they say - plans do not survive contact with the enemy? Six hours later, I slunk home with minimal takings. One wasted Saturday: the only solution is to ( Read more... )

I've been exploring Edinburgh coffee houses, quite undeterred by the fact that I don't actually drink coffee all that much, and found Urban Angel this afternoon. Hence the plum franzipane, as I'm trying to try new things, but I matched it with Earl Grey tea, both very nice on their own, but an uneasy combination ( Read more... )

but unfortunately I was doing something for which undemanding background music was helpful, so have been listening to the top 40 in the top chart, then a variation of that (much the same songs and videos) and so on, the alternative being listening to the Vienna New Year concert - I know that so well, I can say what type of ties each type of ( Read more... )

I had one today: part of my Friday afternoon routine. I'd been looking forward to it, I knew exactly what to expect. Until I thought back at what I'd eaten: the baguette slightly stale, the tinned tuna mixed with cheap, sweet mayonnaise, the cucumber cut in rather thick, not perfectly serrated slices, the tuna and mayonnaise not quite spread over ( Read more... )

Never mind the new year resolutions about getting thin and healthy, my ones are relatively modest and the first is get back on live journal after a very long hiatus. So new year, new posts! Watch this space.

Possibly the most documented year ever (until next year), due to all the complications of commuting between Edinburgh and Iona, scheduling work and adopting a demanding knitting habit. Life was dominated by an excel file demonstrating what I'd done, what I was to do, depending on the weather of course. And that was one of the most irritating parts ( Read more... )