fɛˈstɪvɪtɪ Festivity: Rejoicing, mirth, gaiety, such as befits a feast Christmas time! That man must be a misanthrope indeed, in whose breast something like a jovial feeling is not roused—in whose mind some pleasant associations are not awakened—by the recurrence of Christmas. Charles Dickens, “Christmas Festivities”, Bell’s Life in London (1835) Dickens would have considered … Continue reading Festivity
T.J. Bass: The “Hive” Novels
The [library] stacks contained only scant information on such things as sun, moon and stars—as if atrophy by disuse had allowed these items to be dropped. Hive flora included bountiful species of vermin—sharing the warmth and nutrition of Big Earth Society—lice, roaches, meaty rats (cross-indexed under game food), and insects. Nothing else. Nothing was reported … Continue reading T.J. Bass: The “Hive” Novels
Same Sun, Other Skies
A section of the horizon was etched sharply against a pearly region of the sky. Every pointed irregularity of that part of the horizon was in keen focus. Above it, the sky was in a soft glow (fading with height) a third of the way to the zenith. The glow consisted of bright, curving streamers … Continue reading Same Sun, Other Skies
Revell 1/72 Supermarine Walrus: Whale-Spotting in the Southern Ocean – Part 3
At the end of my previous post in this build log, I was ready to mount the wings and start rigging them. I’ve already drilled the lower surfaces of the upper wings and the upper surfaces of the lower wings so that I can thread monofilament between the two wings. To start with, I’ll thread … Continue reading Revell 1/72 Supermarine Walrus: Whale-Spotting in the Southern Ocean – Part 3
Begging The Question
Although not much encountered these days, the original meaning of the phrase “to beg the question” refers to a piece of faulty logic, which H.W. Fowler’s Dictionary Of Modern English Usage (1926) defines as: The fallacy of founding a conclusion on a basis that as much needs to be proved as the conclusion itself Fowler … Continue reading Begging The Question
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Ochils: Ben Cleuch From The North
Ben Shee (NN 952039, 516m)Cairnmorris Hill (NN 933016, 606m)Skythorn Hill (NN 926013, 601m)Andrew Gannel Hill (NN 918006, 670m)Ben Cleuch (NN 902006, 721m)Ben Buck (NN 896014, 679m)Ben Buck NE Top (NN 904024, 583m) 20 kilometres790 metres of ascent Most of the foot traffic on Ben Cleuch, the highest point in the Ochil Hills, comes up the … Continue reading Ochils: Ben Cleuch From The North
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James White: The Outlying “Sector General” Short Stories
Like a sprawling, misshapen Christmas tree the lights of Sector Twelve General Hospital blazed against the misty backdrop of the stars. From its view-ports shone lights that were yellow and red-orange and soft, liquid green, and others which were a searing actinic blue. There was darkness in places also. Behind these areas of opaque metal … Continue reading James White: The Outlying “Sector General” Short Stories
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Revell 1/72 Supermarine Walrus: Whale-Spotting in the Southern Ocean – Part 2
At the end of my previous post in this build log, I’d got together most of the modifications necessary to make my model of the whaling Walrus “Boojum”, which flew in the Southern Ocean during the 1946-7 whaling season. The next task was to make preparations for all the rigging wires that need to be … Continue reading Revell 1/72 Supermarine Walrus: Whale-Spotting in the Southern Ocean – Part 2
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Stravaig
strɑˈveɡ stravaig: (verb) to wander aimlessly; (noun) an instance of such wandering Not all who wander are lost J.R.R. Tolkien “The Riddle Of Strider” (1954) This Scots word has been on my “to do” list for a while, linking back as it does to my recent post about useful Scottish words, and farther back to … Continue reading Stravaig
Glen Doll: White Water Circuit
Tom Buidhe (NO 214787, 957m)Tolmount (NO 210800, 958m)Crow Craigies (NO 221798, 920m) 21 kilometres910 metres of ascent These three rounded summits form a horseshoe around the headwaters of the White Water, which flows down Glen Doll to join the South Esk in Glen Clova. I’ve visited them all before, but never linked them up into … Continue reading Glen Doll: White Water Circuit