Grant Hutchison's Blog, page 31

Dave Hutchinson: Europe At Dawn

Obviously, the world and everything in it had been stupid since the dawn of time. It was just that, every now and again, there seemed to be a surge in stupid and there was nothing anyone could do about it except hang on and hope things would get better soon. This is the fourth novel … Continue reading Dave Hutchinson: Europe At Dawn →

Uniquely Shakespearean

[T]here are 357 cases where the Oxford English Dictionary has Shakespeare as the only recorded user of a word, in a particular sense, on one or more occasions. David Crystal & Ben Crystal The Shakespeare Miscellany (2005) Shakespeare is well known for being a wordsmith. Elsewhere in their excellent Shakespeare Miscellany, the Crystals note that … Continue reading Uniquely Shakespearean →

Secretive Sidlaws

A short post this week, but with the potential for more reading than usual. Last summer, an invitation arrived out of the blue from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, to make a contribution to their magazine, The Geographer. They wanted me to write about the Sidlaw Hills, for an issue devoted to the River Tay. … Continue reading Secretive Sidlaws →

Christoph Baumer: The History Of Central Asia, Vol. 4

  After the Soviet occupier and its vassal Najibullah were defeated, it was not long before the loose partnership of convenience among Afghan resistance fighters disintegrated along ethnic divides. The Pashtuns rallied around Hekmatyar, Khalis and Sayyaf; the Tajiks around Massoud, Rabbani and Ismail Khan; the Uzbeks around Dostum’s Junbesh-e Milli Islami (National Islamic Front) … Continue reading Christoph Baumer: The History Of Central Asia, Vol. 4 →

Tamiya 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback”: Part 2

Go to the first post in this build log So last time I had completed priming, and had masked off the SEAC white identification stripes. The next task was to apply the camouflage colours of the Temperate Land Scheme—Medium Sea Grey undersides, and an RAF standard pattern of Dark Earth and Dark Green above. It’s … Continue reading Tamiya 1/48 P-47D Thunderbolt “Razorback”: Part 2 →

Braes Of The Carse: Pole Hill to Murrayshall Hill

Shien Hill (NO 174267, c.210m) Pole Hill (NO 196261, 288m) Law Hill (NO 170259, c.255m) Murrayshall Hill (NO 165254, 279m) 12.1 kilometres 350m of ascent (including detours) The  original object of this jaunt was to see if I could find easy access to Pole Hill, which I’ve previously visited. On that trip, I came over … Continue reading Braes Of The Carse: Pole Hill to Murrayshall Hill →

Ordnance Survey OpenData In QGIS 3: Part 2

So, by the end of my previous post on this topic, I’d used Ordnance Survey OpenData products in QGIS to produce a nice smooth depiction of the topography of Ordnance Survey grid square NG, tinted to show height and shaded to show relief. It looked like this: A detail, showing the region around the mountain … Continue reading Ordnance Survey OpenData In QGIS 3: Part 2 →

Merry, Jolly, Happy

    God rest you merry, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay Traditional English Christmas carol The three words I’m going to write about in this post are pretty much inextricably linked with Christmas, but all of them started off meaning something different from their current usage. ˈmɛrɪ merry: cheerful and lively; characterized by festivity and … Continue reading Merry, Jolly, Happy →

Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Moon

“People say all kinds of stupid stuff!” “Yes, but after people say stupid stuff, the do stupid stuff. That’s how history happens. […]“ I’ve written about Kim Stanley Robinson before, in reviewing his New York 2140 and Green Earth. Like Green Earth before it, the title of Red Moon seems to be a nod towards … Continue reading Kim Stanley Robinson: Red Moon →

Borders: Eildon Hills

Eildon Mid Hill (NT 548323, 422m) Eildon Wester Hill (NT 548316, 371m) Eildon Hill North (NT 555328, 404m) 10.8 kilometres 530m of ascent The Eildons, like the Pentlands, are hills I’ve glimpsed from the air, but never visited until now. The classic cluster of three peaks makes them unmistakable, and gave its name to the … Continue reading Borders: Eildon Hills →