Missing

... since Monday ...

QMU

I attended a green computing event last week - then went for a walk, and took this picture ...

no Photo

I should have checked before I left the office. But when I tried to switch on my camera to take a picture of Arthur's Seat - no response - or, rather, an all too brief, insubstantial response. So to-day's ascent of Blackford Hill is being recorded in prose, alone. Fortunately (for me), the wind had abated somewhat, and there was no rain. And I took a music player, listening to Shostakovich - mostly a plodding movement, appropriately accompanying my turgid progress up the hill.

Late August, beginning to feel the cold - autumn is on its way ...

Indicator

Back on top of Blackford Hill - quite breezy ...

It wisnae me

That's all I'm saying ...

too Much

On this hot, muggy day, I chose to turn back at the bottom of Observatory Road ...

Royal Observatory

Royal Observatory
Originally uploaded by Glaswegian

Chose not to ascend Blackford Hill itself to-day, but instead a neighbouring 'top', whence I captured this view ...

Moving on

... or trying to ...

Indicator

Thankfully, apart from an early sprinkling, the rain held off ...

Another view

Managed to ascend Blackford Hill again this week. What started out as a weekly activity has become monthly ...

Novelty

Son appeared downstairs, fully dressed, at a quarter past six this morning, so he's ready to go, and here I am, blogging, holding everybody else up - well, it makes a change ...

No go

Offices no more ...

Finished

A tiring and frustrating day ...

Moving

@Work - our old offices are to become a Learning and Teaching Centre ...

World Autism Awareness Day

To-day, I apologise for a plaintive little post - but I shall say this only once ...

When I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, nearly a year ago, I thought that my diagnosis would unlock resources that would help me through the various difficulties I was experiencing. In one respect I have benefited: I have found riches in the catalogue of Jessica Kingsley Publishers - books within which again and again I find resonance. And personally, I understand myself better. But I have been disappointed that no practical help has been forthcoming.

I am fortunate. I have a full time job, and a family. My impression is that, for those who have neither, there are places to go where people will help. But faced with the challenges posed by trying to cope, I find myself still struggling to craft my own solutions. I probably spend too much time in front of a computer - inside and outside of work - but am grateful for those tools which do make a difference. My latest discovery, through the auspices of computerAct!ve magazine, is the Chandler Project, which allows me to pile all the stuff in my mind into a heap.

But working, parenting adults with AS could do with some help, and find it difficult to go about asking for help ...

The cat

Is less scruffy than he used to be, we're told ...

An injured cat

Who's been in a fight ...

A confused cat

Who doesn't know that the clocks have gone forward ...

An ex building society?

Anxious for news of the Dunfermline Building Society which according to the news websites is about to be broken up, but which according to its own website is still doing 'business as usual' ...

The cat

has made himself comfortable ...

What happened to spring?

On the other hand, though, this is the kind of night when it is especially nice to be indoors and tucked up in a warm bed ...

Another cat picture

Catching the sun ...

Alarm cat

At 5 am precisely, the cat was scratching my bed. I wasn't sure whether he was hungry, or wanted out, so I took some food outside for him (a tactic developed when he was a visitor, and I wanted him to go out). So where has he acquired this sense of time? The only explanation that I can think of is that he hasn't been sleeping rough, but has been spending the night with someone who routinely gets up at 5 in the morning.

To begin with, when he started visiting us, we would make a point of encouraging him to go out in the middle of the evening, with time, as we thought, to find his way home for the night. But frequently, he would be on our window sill so early in the morning that we arrived at the conclusion that he had simply spent the night prowling.

So I wonder if some kind person was giving him shelter. There's been no indication around the town that anybody has lost a cat. I think that he's happy with us. And I'm hoping that when the clocks go forward, I'll reclaim an hour's sleep (or have I got the arithmetic wrong?) ...

Settling in

From our perspective, a week to remember. Our daughter was away at school camp. The cat has started sleeping on her bed, so I wondered how he would react when she returned.

The cat's first week with us hasn't been an unqualified success. He likes to have his breakfast at 5 o'clock in the morning, which is just about bearable during the week, but a disaster on a Saturday ...

Home

We discovered last weekend that the cat who has been visiting us for over a year hasn't an owner (or, at least, we couldn't find anyone who would admit to being his owner). He had been injured, and so we contacted Lothian Cat Rescue, who have been looking after him until yesterday. But yesterday, he became our cat. He wasn't exactly overjoyed to see us when we visited the shelter to collect him, but he's much happier now, although he's making it clear that he intends to remain fairly independent ...

Symmetry

No prizes for the photo

Auld Reekie Express
Originally uploaded by Glaswegian

But a unique occasion - Tornado on its first run to Edinburgh, hurrying through Wallyford Station - at the head of the Auld Reekie Express. For me, it was a short experience - a few seconds as the train rushed by ...

It rained

So I didn't take any photographs, but I did reach the summit of Blackford Hill yesterday ...

snowDrops

Wintrier

I had to be careful of my footing - snow, and mud ...

Perspective

Trig Point

I guess that the star shaped bit is for fixing instrumentation, or was ...

Blackford Hill

The light was incredible - almost horizontal sunshine ...

Little and large

I took this picture last week; but my resolve is holding, and I attained the summit of Blackford Hill again yesterday ...

Tonight, there is wind and rain - it's good to be indoors ...

Thanks for the weather, Heather

Unusually for us, we had a Saturday without commitments, so I thought of climbing Allermuir Hill, in the Pentlands. As the week progressed, however, it became clear that to-day's weather wouldn't be ideal. We went for it anyway, and managed to achieve the top just above Hillend, but it was extremely windy, so we didn't try to go further.

We weren't particularly impressed with the cafe at Hillend, and then had a fraught time shopping at Fort Kinnaird, but we're back home, and not too much damage has been done. But if anyone sees a pink glove somewhere in the Pentland Hills, please let me know ...

Sunset

Eco Christmas Trees

 
 
Sanderson's Wynd Primary School have been making Christmas Trees from recycled materials.

Old news

 
At the start of this month, I spent an enjoyable, if challenging, day with the Imagineers from Sandersons Wynd Primary School at the Scottish heat of the Lego Mindstorms Challenge, which took place in the new Informatics Forum at Edinburgh University. Our team acquitted themselves well, particularly in the teamwork category, being pipped at the post by just one point.

Red sky in the morning

... shepherd's warning ...

Pownce

On 15th December, this year, Pownce (I wonder what will happen to the URL) will close. It has been said, many times, that it is only when you are about to lose something that you appreciate how good it is. Pownce is a microblogging website. It doesn't impose the 140 character limit of Twitter, and permits richer content. It is mobile friendly - the mobile version allows you to read and write through a single interface.

Pownce has been acquired by Six Apart, and there is the possibility that some of the community will move to Vox. But Vox is different - it doesn't (in my opinion) have Pownce' elegance. There is a connection between technology and community (and, I guess, commerce - the decision to close Pownce was, presumably, a commercial one). I, for one, shall mourn the passing of a platform which, surely, deserved better.

Houses

Where's the snow?

The morning after

You learn something every day

Plaque
Originally uploaded by Glaswegian

I didn't know that Roget (compiler of Roget's Thesaurus) was a graduate of Edinburgh University ...

Lego

Neither well nor ill

I seem to be betwixt and between. I wasn't well enough to accompany the children to Sunday School (in two senses - to go along with them, and to play the electronic piano while they and the other children sang). But I was (just) well enough to drive myself and my son to Tesco's this afternoon to buy their exclusive box set of Ben 10 figures (an opportunity not to be missed).

Then my daughter needed help to figure out how to make a beanie (some kind of hat, not, as I previously thought, a small, cuddly toy). Various alcoholic beverages have helped me through this weekend, but the jury is out as to whether this is healthy. Isle of Jura was reduced at the Co-op - a taste of heaven ...

viewPoint

My wife's mother has been taken into hospital. It isn't clear yet whether she is seriously ill. Currently, it is looking like a catalogue of ailments, which could have been avoided if her living circumstances were more suitable.

I wonder at what point my mother in law has to be told that someone else will take the decisions. It's difficult. I don't think that my wife wants to be responsible. But surely anything is better than what we have now.

The new wibSite

One joyous consequence of the wibSite's makeover is that I can login again. Which means that I have two blogs, again ...

As ever, time has been a commodity in short supply (although following some communication from British Gas, it appears that money, too, may become scarce). An Asperger trait of which I am increasingly conscious is the inability to multitask. I suppose that I've always been aware of a deficiency in that department, and tried to counter it with "must try harder". So it is with some relief that I accept this aspect of myself, and try to manage my life accordingly.

It can be a good thing. If I allow myself to focus on the task in hand, I cease to be aware of many anxiety-inducing thoughts. And, hopefully, as I single process, I may be doing a better job ...

Stretching

Transition

Kudos to the people who manage the wibsite, who are persevering with the move to a new hosting service and, at the same time, to a new system. We (the wibloggers) really do appreciate what you're doing. The old wibsite has been archived, which enables me to link to Tractor Girl's helpful review of P!nk's new album, which I duly went out and bought on Monday, and which has provided an astringent soundtrack to this week.

The upright slats from our fence, which were lying on our lawn, have been stolen, which is sad, and creates more problems. The surveyor considered the damage to be wear and tear (although I'm pretty sure that there was human intervention), so no help from the insurance company. I'm considering some kind of temporary repair, while we find somebody who can replace the whole fence.

Just have to keep going, I guess ...

A difficult week

Unfortunately (for blogging purposes), mostly difficulties which I can't write about ...

But to-day, I'm on leave, having an admin day. I've spent much of this morning reconciling accounts - not exciting, but it has had to be done.

Scene

Private Passions

There is a programme which is broadcast on Radio 3 at the weekend, where Michael Berkeley interviews a celebrity who chooses music which means a lot to him or her - a kind of upmarket Desert Island Discs. I've been thinking recently that I should maybe reveal some of my private passions, so here is one - the slow movement of Anton Bruckner's 7th Symphony. Historically, the composer wrote this movement following the death of his hero, Richard Wagner, and it is undoubtedly deeply felt.

It is about, and expresses emotion. For me, I guess, it is a vehicle, whereby I can bring near to the surface the overwhelming sadness which, mostly, I hide. Sorry, please move on - the sight of a grown man crying ...

Our fence is broken

 
Or, has been vandalised, we think ...

midWeek

Or rather, we're getting towards the end of the week, which is good, although you could accuse me of wishing my life away ...

Lothian Buses (presumably) have installed bus trackers at the stops along part of my usual route to work. I like them, although, of course, they don't make the bus come any sooner. It's intriguing, though, to watch them trying to cope when things go wrong. To-day, however, we got a pleasant surprise, being told that our bus was due in 9 minutes, when it appeared. My theory is that the company was being proactive, after a couple of no shows earlier this week, and had slotted in an extra bus.

A bit tired, these days, but doing what we can ...

Lidl discipline

As Jan has observed, it is difficult to come out of Lidl with only what you intended to buy. Yesterday, though, I excelled myself, emerging with a popcorn maker (though no popping corn - having asked a helpful shelf stacker to direct me to the spices, I hadn't the nerve to go back for directions to popping corn, which I suspect they wouldn't stock, anyway). I consider it to have been an excellent buy, however - not expensive, and highly effective (having followed the instructions to the letter, I found myself running to cupboards for bowls to catch the overflowing generosity of the machine).

And I have long observed the practice of supermarkets of placing desirable items by the checkouts, in the hope of tempting a shopper to make an impulse purchase. On this occasion I was somewhat surprised to see a leek (probably abandoned by a previous customer), but my attention having been snared, I proceeded to buy a bag of mini marzipan butter stollen - another excellent purchase - and a considerable improvement on the sweets and chocolate usually on display elsewhere ...

biPolar

I'm seriously thinking of putting this blog on lithium - how do you get from "there's probably no god" to "our God is an Awesome God" in just three days?

I have a lot of time for Rich Mullins. I discovered him through the ragamuffin connection, from Brennan Manning's "Ragamuffin Gospel". I sense that he has an authentic voice - he speaks truth (whatever we mean by truth) ...

And then yesterday evening we went to see Hannah and Harvey (at the Brunton Theatre). We were expecting a fanciful, cuddly tale for children (to be fair, it was 'recommended for everyone over the age of 10'). We got a somewhat harrowing insight into childhood mental illness (for black bunny, read black dog). But it was OK - I'm pretty sure that our 8 year old son coped - and probably learned something ...

Ragamuffin

Since we came back from (summer) holiday, a song called "Our God is an awesome God" has been playing frequently in our living room. The hostess for our first week at Abbot Hall is an accomplished dancer, and taught the young people actions to go with the song (in a version sung by Kirk Franklin). For some reason I had an idea that the song was originally by Rich Mullins (who was tragically killed in a car accident), and I've been happy to have that hunch confirmed (and an iTunes purchase made) ...

Maybe the song is repetitive (depending, of course, on how it is sung), but an uplifting anthem doesn't go amiss, once in a while.

A step forward

Thanks, Jackie, for not blowing me out of the water - which I perhaps deserved ...

Knowing, as I do now, that I have Asperger's, I realise that my perspective may be different from many people's. I am not comfortable with the idea that someone else's truth may be different from my truth. I suppose that I can accept that we are all dealing with approximations to the truth, but that doesn't really resolve differences too well. One can still end up with the argument that my approximation is closer than your approximation. I'm still reckoning that 'out there' is something which we may or may not be right about ...

I'm thinking back to my youth (ages, perhaps, from 8 to 18), when I was well aware that I was having to deal with at least two quite different views of what Christians believe. I attended (with my parents) what was probably a fairly liberal church (of Scotland). At school, I belonged to the Scripture Union group, whose doctrine seemed to be much more sharp-edged than what I was encountering on a Sunday morning.

I am particularly reminded of when the two worlds collided (although that isn't quite a true description - truer to say that a third world, which probably had more in common with the second world, collided with the first world). For some reason, I attended an evangelistic meeting at another church in the town where I lived. I went forward (which is another story), which led to the evangelist contacting my minister, presumably to encourage him to follow up this new convert. Whereupon my minister approached me, somewhat distressed, to say that he didn't understand why I needed to be converted, since I'd grown up in his church, and was already a Christian.

I find, as I write this, that I am confronting layer upon layer of questions, which may be why, at a somewhat more advanced age, I find myself trying to unpick the curious mixture of ideas which continually bash into each other whenever I try to think through an issue related to my faith.

First principles

Does God exist? There must be, at least, the possibility that He doesn't. Since human beings all have different ideas of what God is like, then surely one explanation is that He isn't there at all - we've all made Him up.

If He does exist, what is He like? Again, we receive mixed messages. At the same time, He is kind, loving, and just, and eternally punishes some people simply for not knowing about Him.

On the other hand

There's probably no God.
Now stop worrying, and enjoy your life.

inAppropriate

On Sunday morning, the bible reading was the passage where Jesus told his interrogators to "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." The children's address consisted of the story of Eric Liddell, who opted out of the 100 metres race at the Paris Olympics in 1924 because the heats were to take place on a Sunday morning. He went on to win the 400 metres - an inspiring story. But (but, but, but) would anybody (ministers of the Church of Scotland included) expect or support such behaviour to-day?

The moral of the story, as spelt out by the minister, was that if any of the children happened to be, say, in the school football team, and there was to be a practice session on a Sunday morning, they should say - sorry, I can't take part - on Sunday morning I go to church. What a burden to lay on young shoulders!

OK, but let's be consistent. I knew of an elder who was building his own house at week-ends. So he took a holiday from church - nobody batted an eyelid. What if a parishioner announced that he or she was going to run the Edinburgh Marathon? What if half the congregation goes straight from church to the supermarket, or the garden centre, or the diy store?

At a crisis point in my life, my parents had arranged for me to see a psychiatrist. The only time he had available was on a Sunday morning. Should I go and see this man, who is unlikely to support a religious view of life, or should I trust God, and attend church? If it is obvious to you that I should see the psychiatrist, then why do you support Eric Liddell's decision to put God before country?

And finally, another Christian sportsman, Bernhard Langer won a major tournament, which happened to finish on Easter Sunday. He played (of course), and won, and announced how proud he was to win this competition on the day that we remember Jesus Christ rising from the dead ...

Please ...

Dear Mr. Brewer

We are writing on behalf of 498 supporters of cartoonist and blogger Dave Walker, a group which includes bishops, national journalists in the UK and US, lawyers, clergy, and concerned members of the public.

We would like to ask you please to contact Dave Walker and withdraw the demands made in the 'Cease and Desist' letter which you sent him in July. Your letter, as far as we know, instructed Dave to remove all his posts about the recent history of SPCK bookshops or face action for libel. With the pressures of the impending Lambeth conference, and a very short deadline given by yourself, Dave complied. He commented at the time: “I have therefore removed all of the SPCK/SSG posts on this blog, as, although I believe I have not done anything wrong I do not have the money to face a legal battle. The removal of these posts is in no way an admission of guilt.”

Many of us have read the posts concerned, and are surprised, to say the least, that they could be called libelous. Indeed, the first three posts make no mention at all of yourself, the Society of St. Stephen the Great, or anyone associated with you. The 4th post reports your takeover of the bookshops with the comment “this is splendid news.” Another post is a simple link to your SSG video on YouTube. Other items include verbatim reports of your own statements, and in the simple post on the death of Steve Jeynes, dozens of people used the comments to expressed their grief and condolences to Steve’s family.

Dave is a reasonable man, and if all critics were as fair as he is the world would be a better place. If you were able to reconsider, and point out specific statements and claims you were unhappy with, we are sure Dave would be happy to correct them where appropriate. This is the normal process of debate on the internet, and in real life, and follows the strong tradition of free speech for which our countries stand and are rightly proud.

So this is a polite request from all of us: please contact Dave Walker, advise him that your ‘cease and desist’ communication no longer stands, and let him report freely.

Yours sincerely

8 signatories representing the ‘We Support Dave Walker’ group.

Adjusting

We're back, after spending a few days in a caravan. It was a good holiday, helped by the relatively good weather we had. And we made some interesting visits, including Paxton House and Bamburgh Castle (on the beach neighbouring which the kite helicopter incident took place).

Home again - wife and daughter attending an amateur performance of "Summer Holiday" in Edinburgh, while son and I hold the fort at home ...

Kitus Interruptus

Sorry, couldn't resist ...

I was on the beach, flying my kite, as you do, when I realised that a helicopter was flying towards the beach at low level. I was frantically reeling in the kite, wondering whether the kite or the helicopter would come off worse if there was an entanglement. Thankfully, the helicopter roared overhead, a few metres to my right, without fouling the kite string.

Some time later, a gentleman approached me, introducing himself as the helicopter pilot. He said that they would be filming for an hour and a half, and could I 'be aware'. I said to him that I was happy to call it a day - indeed at that point I was trying to retrieve my kite without it ending up in the sea.

Not a hazard you expect ...

Timing

This is Green Week. It is also likely to be remembered as the week I stopped taking public transport to work and started driving (again). Monday morning was the last straw - I arrived at my desk 45 minutes late, partly because one of my buses was 20 minutes late.

My daughter said to me this morning that this is Walk to School Week. I told her that as far as I am concerned, it is Get to Work on Time Week ...

Cold winds

Financially, and meteorologically. Brings a new attitude - greater realism ...

Old school

Meetings

Yesterday evening I attended a meeting of our local after school club management committee. This morning, I shall be attending our regular team meeting at work. Obviously, the content of these meetings isn't blog fodder, but these days I am having to give a great deal of thought to the question of how my participation in these meetings is affected by my having Asperger's Syndrome. Of course, being diagnosed hasn't changed me. But I am now aware that there may be factors which affect my performance at meetings which previously I could not take into account. Essentially, I am operating under a disability.

Imagine a blind person running a race, unaware that the other competitors can see. It would be a mystery to him how they so easily find their way around the course. I am criticised for not contributing enough at meetings. The truth is that it takes me all of the effort I can muster just to keep up with what's happening - to follow. There is no way that I could ever take the lead.

Tranent

Morning sunshine ...

What's the use?

A Radio 3 announcer, commenting on this news item, asked - what's the use of this huge prime number? By the end of the programme, somebody had emailed in to point out that such numbers are used in cryptography - and hence useful in securing websites, but I was reminded of something said by GH Hardy, a mathematician. He said something along the lines of - that he was glad that he'd never done anything useful in his life - which sounds reprehensible - until you are told that he lived in wartime (I'm not sure which war), when scientific discoveries were increasingly being used as the basis for new ways to kill people.

But for me, personally, I didn't know what to think. My encounter with GH Hardy happened when I was contemplating studying mathematics at university, and a maths teacher suggested that I read his book. To a young person, wanting to find something useful to do with his life, GH Hardy's comment wasn't exactly encouraging ...