more darkNess

 
... taken on Gullane Beach ...

Winter is coming

 
... fewer people on the (blackFord) hill ...

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 ...