@daveybot@mastodon.scot
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daveybot

@daveybot@mastodon.scot

Lighting design at Speirs Major.
Occasional photography all over the place.
Pithy commentary best left here, I expect.

Edinburgh, Scotland

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patrickhadfield, to random
@patrickhadfield@mastodon.scot avatar

We've gone from resolute to revolving-door in double quick time.

"Humza Yousaf poised to quit as first minister"
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/29/humza-yousaf-considers-quitting-as-scotland-first-minster-snp?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@patrickhadfield The idea that we could possibly even be facing a Holyrood election before a Westminster one is not something I had on my bingo card, for this year!

lizzard, to ADHD German
@lizzard@social.tchncs.de avatar

Parents of children: how do you help your kids to sit still, especially in (the first few years of) school?

@adhd

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@lizzard @adhd so much will be down to their teacher and their school. Your conversations start now and they won’t end, so strap in for the long haul.

For our oldest, medication helps a little, but there are many additional accommodations also needed (there’s autism and trauma in the mix) and of course every kid’s unique. My advice is keep notes and records of everything that’s discussed/tried. Over time a workable plan based on those notes may come together, but without them it’s unlikely.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@lizzard @adhd Yes, definitely do that!

It could end up as a wealth of info for you in any number of alarmingly large settings: government support, healthcare, joining specialist extra-curricular groups, etc.

But more regularly and more close to home, it'll help HUGELY in the transitions which happen even within school. When the new teacher comes along next (or every!) year, there's a solid record that everyone can look at and agree on. It's not just in your or their heads.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@lizzard @adhd ...It may even be (as has sadly been the case with us) that you end up creating a record of things which were requested but not delivered. It feels a bit rubbish to build such an archive of disappointing paperwork, but gradually it can add weight to your case, particularly with other organisations.

"We've been asking for X for years, look! It hasn't been delivered because you didn't think it was necessary, but here we are again in yet another meeting... Can we try it, now?"

thisismyglasgow, to glasgow
@thisismyglasgow@mastodon.scot avatar

The former Gordon Brothers warehouse on the corner of Glassford Street and Wilson Street in Glasgow. Built in 1908, it was designed in the Glasgow Style by Robertson and Dobbie.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@thisismyglasgow A cracking bit of urbanity, and a lovely corner!

What's up at the ground level, there? Some AI-assist around an awkward van, I'm guessing?

UnconventionalEmma, to books
@UnconventionalEmma@spore.social avatar

Ok, Mastodon - I have a question I need help with.

What are some classic stories (novels, poems, anything really) set in libraries, or about books? 📚

Is there anything really famous?

Please RT to boost my reach!

Thanking you kindly.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@UnconventionalEmma It's perhaps not all that famous, and probably wouldn't count as 'classic', but the entirety of Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series sprang instantly to mind.

And they're an absolute hoot.

daveybot, to Flowers
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

This year’s daffodil varieties, in our little garden. All out together, which is rather nice!

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

Anyone else find themselves casually looking at the various Forth Bridges this week, to see what kind of protection their tower bases / piers might have?

I'm pretty sure the aircraft carriers only really go through with the guidance of tugs, and I know there's not really much of anything that could have stopped a panamax or even bigger vessel but, still, what with recent news, I can't help but wonder...

cstross, to random
@cstross@wandering.shop avatar

I got a scam robocall earlier today from a premium rate number to tell me that Amazon had just debited my visa card for $714.thingummy, and to stay on line to talk to a Visa representative. So I hung up.

Clues it's a fraud: I'm a Brit: I have a Visa card, but I have never dealt with Visa directly. Visa is a franchise in the UK and my card is issued by my bank, who don't handle suspicious transactions that way.

(Also, it's easy to check my Amazon transactions: liar, liar, pants on fire!)

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@cstross Off topic, but I used to get loads of calls offering assistance in making a claim following 'my accident'.

I shouldn't have engaged, really, but I once responded with something along the lines of 'Oh thank god you've called. Is an ambulance on the way, then? And what's the best way to slow the bleeding, do you think? Should I try to fashion some kind of tourniquet, or what...?'

It didn't end the calls, of course, but it ended THAT call, and raised an eyebrow or two among my coworkers.

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

Breakfast.

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

Oh gosh, I'd not actually listened to him in decades, but Steve Wright In The Afternoon was the sound of our bus home from school throughout my teenage years.

And heck, anyone who got a namecheck from the mighty KLF must have been doing something right.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68287707

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

...From The Manual:

"If it is now after 3pm and you have your studio booked, switch on Radio One and listen to "Steve Wright In The Afternoon". Viewed from a certain angle the man is a genius. Find that angle and view. He is the most popular DJ in the country. He has been the heartbeat of the British psyche since 1985. You don't even have to like him to be awed by him..."

neilgall, to edinburgh
@neilgall@mastodon.scot avatar

When you take the dog for a walk in and unexpectedly end up circumscribing the new Chinese year.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@neilgall brilliant!

I worked out a Nessie route nearby, once.

simonvarwell, to random Esperanto
@simonvarwell@mastodon.scot avatar

Shakshuka for late breakfast earlier today. I ramped up the spices compared to where I last made it, and it really worked. Yum.

daveybot, (edited )
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@simonvarwell oh gosh, I LOVE a shakshuka. That looks great!

Highly recommended: there’s an Ottolenghi (I think?) recipe for one with smokey aubergine & tahini which is a huge faff but really delicious.

Ah, here we go: https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/braised-eggs-with-beef-smoked-aubergine-and-tomato

More a dinner than a breakfast, for us, but yum.

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

It was still pretty chilly for parkour class at the Parliament last weekend. Afterwards, the kids and I played with some of the ice that was still floating around in the pools - I thought it was gorgeous!

I expect it won’t be there any more, this week.

Looking through a wobbly sheet of ice, held up after lifting it from one of the reflecting pools at the Scottish Parliament. The view of my youngest through the ice is distorted by bubbles and warps, leaving a fairly abstract composition!
Looking through a wobbly sheet of ice, held up after lifting it from one of the reflecting pools at the Scottish Parliament. The view of my wife through the ice is distorted by bubbles and warps, leaving a fairly abstract composition!

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

You know how we have a sort of unofficial set of standard measures for things in the news?

Height: double decker buses
Liquid volume: swimming pools
Area: tennis courts / Wales

...That kind of thing.

Does anyone else use 'Scottish Parliament buildings' as a news-related unit of measure for any government spending? Garden Bridge, Rwanda scheme, PPE contracts, Liz Truss' budget, Westminster refurb…

Is it just me who uses that one?

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

Some back-of-the-envelope cost comparison examples:

Westminster refurb (estimate) = 53 Scottish Parliaments

Garden Bridge (unbuilt) = 0.13 Scottish Parliaments

Michelle Mone's PPE contracts = 0.5 Scottish Parliaments

Loss to UK economy from the Truss / Kwarteng mini budget = 72 Scottish Parliaments

London-Birmingham HS2 line (predicted) = 160 Scottish Parliaments

Rwanda deportation scheme (so far) = 0.6 Scottish Parliaments

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

Gaaah, I did a thing at work this week which was SO cool and I’d love to share pictures, but i can’t even tell anyone what it was! Agh!

Anyway it’s bloomin’ hard work but sometimes I really REALLY love my job. I’m very lucky.

And one day, once you all already know about it and have seen much better shots than mine, I’ll get to mention what on earth we did.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@simonvarwell ha!

Oh I WOULD like that but, alas, I’d better not!

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@simonvarwell @patrickhadfield nobody’s getting better pictures of that than me!

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@simonvarwell fine! Yes! A consonant was involved - I admit it!

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

My fab wife, strolling along beaches.

Essaouira in Morocco, in 2007, and Tyninghame in Scotland, 2024.

A woman walks across a beach, with an island in the distance.

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

I've been trying (without much proper effort, I confess) to get a decent shot of a wave for years. This doesn't really capture the majesty of them yesterday, but it's not terrible. I shall keep trying.

daveybot,
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

@NormanDunbar Yup! As seen from Tyninghame beach.

daveybot, to random
@daveybot@mastodon.scot avatar

Oh gawsh, I almost forgot! Last door of !

I should plan this all out more carefully next year. Or not be the one cooking Christmas dinner, perhaps! Anyway, it’s a fun one, this door: a couple of views of the upturned boat sheds of Holy Island!

Have a good Christmas, folks.

image/jpeg
image/jpeg

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