ˈpædʒəntrɪ / ˈpeɪdʒəntrɪ pageantry: 1) splendid display, gorgeous spectacular show; 2) empty or specious display, show without substance What pageantry, what feats, what shows,What minstrelsy, and pretty din,The regent made in MytileneTo greet the king. William Shakespeare, Pericles, Prince of Tyre Act V, Scene II The coronation of King Charles III got me thinking about … Continue reading Pageantry
The Solar System’s Place In The Milky Way: Part 1
When I wrote recently about the pole stars of other planets, I was aware of one thing my sky maps didn’t show—the rotation poles of our galaxy. They weren’t really relevant to that discussion, but I’m now prompted to write a bit about the Milky Way galaxy, and our relationship to it, because I’ve just … Continue reading The Solar System’s Place In The Milky Way: Part 1
Translating Street Names Into Gaelic
My own mental image that best gets to the nature of translation involves picturing each language as a fixed set of stepping-stones in a stream. Suppose you are translating from Burmese to Welsh. A Burmese utterance is a pathway from one place to another via the [Burmese] stones. They seem to be located in convenient … Continue reading Translating Street Names Into Gaelic
Moebius 1/144 Discovery Spacecraft: Part 7
Last time, I finished wiring and lighting the interior of the command sphere, and had it assembled and preshaded. The final part of the build was to put together all the various cargo pods along the spine of the spacecraft, as well as the dish antennae that featured as a plot device in the film. … Continue reading Moebius 1/144 Discovery Spacecraft: Part 7
Irene & Dorothy Topping: Legacy
The feeling of the entire group was that, we might be stranded in the middle of nowhere, but it certainly wasn’t the end of the world, after all, most of us had endured worse hardships during the war and overcome. So, we made up our minds to make the most of our un-scheduled break from … Continue reading Irene & Dorothy Topping: Legacy
Indict
ɪnˈdaɪt indict: to bring a charge against; to accuse (a person) of a crime These [members of a Grand Jury] have just INDICATED the 45th President of the United States of America, and the leading Republican Candidate, by far, for the 2024 Nomination for President. Donald Trump, Truth Social post, 30 March 2023 One has … Continue reading Indict
Ochils: Tillicoultry-Dollar Circuit
The Law (NS 910996, 638m)Andrew Gannel Hill (NN 918005, 670m)King’s Seat Hill (NS 933999, 648m) 17.4 kilometres910 metres of ascent Another loop in the Ochils, this one taking advantage of the Devon Way cycle/pedestrian path to make a return from Dollar to Tillicoultry. And, again, it was designed so that the return limb of this … Continue reading Ochils: Tillicoultry-Dollar Circuit
Moebius 1/144 Discovery Spacecraft: Part 6
Last time, I completed the wiring of individual sections of my Green Strawberry pod bay, and the neat little Falconware pods. This time, I’m assembling the bay and the extended pod platform, adding ceiling lights, and cramming everything into the Moebius command sphere. First, though, I needed to do a little surgery on one of … Continue reading Moebius 1/144 Discovery Spacecraft: Part 6
Hillwalkers’ Gaelic: “Doing The Dubhs”
[The letter] h is one of the most common letters on any page of Gaelic, and as a result has become the victim of its own popularity. In pseudo- or pidgin Gaelic it is used by many who do not know the language well and feel that the liberal insertion of a few examples of … Continue reading Hillwalkers’ Gaelic: “Doing The Dubhs”
Joan North: The Whirling Shapes
“The world of thoughts, ideas,” Aunt Hilda began again slowly, as though groping for the right words, “is a very real one. There are many other worlds, you know, besides the one we see. Indeed, perhaps we all live in slightly different worlds—I don’t understand these things. But I think I have made a pathway, … Continue reading Joan North: The Whirling Shapes