God rest you merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay Traditional English Christmas carol The three words I’m going to write about in this post are pretty much inextricably linked with Christmas, but all of them started off meaning something different from their current usage. ˈmɛrɪ merry: cheerful and lively; characterized by festivity and enjoyment This … Continue reading Merry, Jolly, Happy
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Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Moon
“People say all kinds of stupid stuff!” “Yes, but after people say stupid stuff, they do stupid stuff. That’s how history happens. […]“ I’ve written about Kim Stanley Robinson before, in reviewing his New York 2140 and Green Earth. Like Green Earth before it, the title of Red Moon seems to be a nod towards … Continue reading Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Moon
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Borders: Eildon Hills
Eildon Mid Hill (NT 548323, 422m) Eildon Wester Hill (NT 548316, 371m) Eildon Hill North (NT 555328, 404m) 10.8 kilometres 530m of ascent The Eildons, like the Pentlands, are hills I’ve glimpsed from the air, but never visited until now. The classic cluster of three peaks makes them unmistakable, and gave its name to the … Continue reading Borders: Eildon Hills
Tamiya 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback”: Part 1
I’m using the Tamiya kit to model a specific aircraft, again. This is going to be a Republic P-47D-22-RE Thunderbolt, on the complement of 135 Squadron RAF in Burma from April to May 1945. Its American serial number was 42-25818, with a British serial of HB981. It was what the RAF called a “Thunderbolt I”—what’s … Continue reading Tamiya 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback”: Part 1
Gangrel
ˈɡæŋɡrəl gangrel (noun): a vagabond, vagrant or wandering beggar; a lanky, loose-limbed person; a toddler (Scottish hillwalking: a person who wanders far among the hills) Only the real gangrel penetrates this remote corrie with its shivering waters and black Sgurr. Hamish Brown, Hamish’s Mountain Walk (1978) Brown is talking about Loch a’ Choire Mhoir, above—an … Continue reading Gangrel
Three Locked Room Mysteries
‘I will now lecture,’ said Dr Fell, inexorably, ‘on the general mechanics and development of the situation which is known in detective fiction as the “hermetically sealed chamber.” Harrumph. All those opposing can skip this chapter. […]’ John Dickson Carr The Hollow Man (1935) “Locked Room” mysteries are stories in which the central puzzle involves … Continue reading Three Locked Room Mysteries
Pentlands: Kirk Burn Circuit
Bell’s Hill (NT 204643, 406m) Harbour Hill (NT 207653, 421m) Capelaw Hill (NT 216659, 454m) Allermuir Hill (NT 227661, 493m) Caerketton Hill (NT 235661, 478m) Castlelaw Hill (NT 224647, 488m) 14.8 kilometres 685m of ascent I’ve been meaning to get back to the Pentlands since my previous trip, last year. This time I wanted to … Continue reading Pentlands: Kirk Burn Circuit
Ordnance Survey OpenData In QGIS 3: Part 1
Recently, I’ve been preparing my UK walking maps using the Ordnance Survey’s free OpenData products, which I’ve rendered into maps using a free, open-source Geographical Information System, QGIS. I thought I’d write a little bit about that, now that I’ve got my maps looking more or less as I’d like them. For this first part, … Continue reading Ordnance Survey OpenData In QGIS 3: Part 1
First Venice, Then Vienna
Though there are some disagreeable things in Venice there is nothing so disagreeable as the visitors. Henry James, The Century Magazine, vol. XXV (November 1882) We haven’t been to Venice for close to three years, so it seemed like time to go back. We were a month or two earlier than our usual timing, and … Continue reading First Venice, Then Vienna
Letters From Abroad: Edh and Thorn
If you were transported unconscious to a foreign country and then wakened in the street, a glimpse of this plumber’s van would tell you exactly where you were—only Icelandic contains the two unusual letters that feature in that first word viðhaldsþjónusta (“maintenance services”). In fact, the Icelanders refer to their letters ð and þ as séríslenskur: “uniquely … Continue reading Letters From Abroad: Edh and Thorn