Grant Hutchison's Blog, page 28
September 4, 2019
Glen Isla: East Side
Badandun Hill (NO 207678, 740m) Mid Hill (NO 220709, 774m) Bawhelps (NO 226722, 828m) 21 kilometres 880 metres of ascent This was a slightly odd little outing, but no less enjoyable for that. A hillwalking companion of many years (one of the CCCP crowd) was keen to climb Badandun Hill. We had a weather forecast … Continue reading Glen Isla: East Side →
August 28, 2019
Western Norway
ARTHUR: You… are you saying that you originally made the Earth? SLARTIBARTFAST: Oh yes… did you ever go to a place… I think it’s called Norway? ARTHUR: What? No, no I didn’t. SLARTIBARTFAST: Pity… that was one of mine. Won an award you know, lovely crinkly edges. Douglas Adams, Hitch-hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy: The … Continue reading Western Norway →
August 21, 2019
Revell 1/96 Saturn V: Lunar Module
After completing the entire Saturn V stack, top to bottom, I had one small additional component to complete—the Lunar Module. This sat invisibly inside the Spacecraft/Lunar Module Adapter during launch and translunar injection, and was revealed only when the SLA panels were discarded during the lunar coast phase. The LM that comes with the kit … Continue reading Revell 1/96 Saturn V: Lunar Module →
August 14, 2019
Three Books About The Franklin Expedition
The riddle of the last Franklin expedition has all of the elements required to elicit and maintain widespread interest—struggle, shipwreck, murder, massacre, cannibalism and controversy. The story of the lost expedition has become a magnet for speculative historians, a mystery that far outstrips the contrived unfolding of fiction, and an inviting field for those who … Continue reading Three Books About The Franklin Expedition →
August 7, 2019
Gaudeamus
ɡɔːdiːˈeɪməs gaudeamus: merry-making by college students Turn on the spigot Pour the beer and swig it And gaudeamus igit- (uh) -tur Tom Lehrer “Bright College Days” (1959)* Gaudeamus is the first-person plural present active subjunctive of the Latin verb gaudeo, “to rejoice”—so it means “let us rejoice”. It’s the first word of a thirteenth-century … Continue reading Gaudeamus →
July 31, 2019
Glen Shee: Creag Leacach From The South
Carn Chomh-Stri (NO 137719, 718m) Creag Leacach SW Top (NO 149741, 943m) Creag Leacach (NO 154745, 987m) Carn Ait (NO 142734, 865m) Carn an Daimh (NO 135712, 755m) 17.3 kilometres 890m of ascent Another southerly approach, to a hill on the opposite side of Gleann Beag from my previous venture on Carn a’ Gheoidh. Again, … Continue reading Glen Shee: Creag Leacach From The South →
July 24, 2019
Revell 1/96 Saturn V: S-IC Stage – Part 2
Last time, I described how I needed to extensively modify the front and back ends of the Revell S-IC stage, using resin parts from RealSpace and New Ware, combined with some custom decals and a little scratch building. Next, I needed to assemble the component parts of the stage—the fore and aft skirts, the intertank … Continue reading Revell 1/96 Saturn V: S-IC Stage – Part 2 →
July 16, 2019
How Apollo Got To The Moon
I’m posting this at 13:32 GMT on 16th July 2019—exactly fifty years after the launch of Apollo 11. It’s the last part of a loose trilogy of posts about Apollo—the first two being M*A*S*H And The Moon Landings and The Strange Shadows Of Apollo. This one’s about the rather complicated sequence of events required to get … Continue reading How Apollo Got To The Moon →
July 10, 2019
Colin Kapp: The Unorthodox Engineers
“In my youth I thought I was the world’s worst crackpot screwball. The I met up with you and found that, in comparison, I was merely a sane, sensible, hard-working engineer. I never got over the disappointment of that realization. […]“ Colin Kapp, “The Railways Up On Cannis” (1959) If you were a teenage science-fiction … Continue reading Colin Kapp: The Unorthodox Engineers →
July 3, 2019
CCCP 2019: Loch Eil
This year, the Crow Craigies Climbing Party stationed itself on the north shore of Loch Eil, a little west of Fort William. Poor weather was dominating England, dumping weeks worth of rain in a single day, and occluded fronts were pivoting continuously across central Scotland. But although our weather certainly wasn’t great in comparison to … Continue reading CCCP 2019: Loch Eil →
