vivdunstan: (tolkien)
Took part in a Tolkien Society celebration just now of JRR Tolkien's birthday today. Rather nice, with nearly 200 people Zooming in. Very chaotic at the unmuted toast though! I bailed out when it switched after that to chatty break out rooms in Zoom. I was happy to have been there for the reading + toast. Now having a lie down. Meanwhile Martin continues to work on his latest photos.
vivdunstan: Photo of some of my books (books)
Ordered me some books with Christmas money. They arrived today. Utterly delighted with two of them, but the third is extremely disappointing. The paperback copy doesn't reproduce the Venice artworks well, at decent size, or in situ in the text. I need to get the hardback instead. To be fair I should have known better, but the paperback is still a very disappointing presentation of the same art history material. Martin's going to take it into Waterstones Dundee for me for a return in the shop and refund (it was ordered online, and sent from Waterstones Glasgow Sauchiehall Street), and I've ordered a hardback replacement.

Chargers

Dec. 26th, 2025 09:13 pm
vivdunstan: Muppet eating a computer (computer)
Slight panic tonight, finding my Apple charger - many many years old - had stopped charging my iPad part way through the night, and wasn't charging my iPod touch tonight (it took me until 8pm to realise any of this - I was asleep until 7pm). Martin gave the charger plug a good check, and it's definitely faulty and unsafe. Replacement now ordered - getting a more powerful USB-C charger plus USB-C to lightning cable for my still old devices. Meanwhile Martin found me a spare USB-A charger plug, so I'm good till the new one arrives! iPod touch now charging. iPad rather inadequately charged for tonight's use, but will do! And the new charger will work with any future USB-C based iPad and also iPhone when my last iPod touch has to be replaced.

Bird pic

Dec. 21st, 2025 08:01 am
vivdunstan: Photo from our wedding in Langholm (martin)
Another of my occasional posts here of photos from Martin's walks. This photo was taken yesterday, on his usual weekend walk in the wooded river valley and old railway viaduct area near our home. It is a gem on so many levels.

vivdunstan: Art work for the IF Archive including traditional text adventure tropes like a map, lamp, compass, key, rope, books a skull, and a sigh referring to grues (interactive fiction)
Thought about reusing some old LPC MUD code - dated 1992! - in a puzzle in my latest interactive fiction game that I'm writing. Then looked at the LPC code and thought "Way too complicated for what I need here!" So I'm going simpler. But it is nice to revisit.

I was a wizard in the St Andrews University MUD back then, as was Martin. I also played through to wizard level on a Glasgow MUD at the same time. Many happy memories.
vivdunstan: Photo from our wedding in Langholm (martin)
Doing my annual membership renewals for the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club and Caledonian Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club. My gggg-granddad in the Scottish Borders was an important early breeder of these marvellous dogs. My future husband in Somerset also grew up with them next door!

STAR-Bunny

Nov. 20th, 2025 11:25 pm
vivdunstan: Warning sign re risk of being mobbed by seagulls (dundee)
Photographed in the back garden of Martin’s company STAR-Dundee today.

vivdunstan: Photo from our wedding in Langholm (wedding)
Watching last night’s Susan Calman’s Grand Day Out, and she’s exploring south Somerset. Has just got to only a couple of miles from Martin’s childhood home 🙂 He is watching this episode very intently!
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Very sad to hear that Prunella Scales has died. A wonderful actress, but most of all Martin and I enjoyed her charming canal trip programmes with husband Timothy West. I'm downloading (on demand in the UK) some of her past canal trips to rewatch, including the Leeds & Liverpool canal and Venice.
vivdunstan: Photo of my 72 bass accordion (accordion)
Pleased managed more accordion practice despite my worsening neuro illness. Not too light headed just now, though my usually automatic bellows control was a bit challenged! Focused on 5 tunes (*), including Windmills of Your Mind. Which on my 72 bass box required jumping from the top of the bass side to the bottom and back! Though, amazingly, that wasn't as tricky as expected. Here is a recording of Windmills of Your Mind.

* The other tunes were Pirates of the Caribbean "He's a Pirate" music (so piratey!), Speechless from live-action Disney Aladdin, Thank You For The Music by ABBA and a My Fair Lady medley.

Oh and Martin had a teleconference going on in the next door study while I played in the lounge. I tried to play a bit quieter than I might have. He said afterwards it was fine 😜
vivdunstan: Photo of little me in a red mac at Hawick (hawick)
Advance reading something, and passed the words "high heid yin". One of my all time favourite Scots expressions, especially when used in the plural, that I still say regularly, including just a week ago when talking to Martin about something in our kitchen. I've also deployed it when asking an audience question 20+ years ago at a history research seminar at Dundee University, though I then felt the need to translate it for the visiting Welsh prof! For non-Scots friends it means someone in authority, a leader.

Checking back here I have mentioned this expression in a friends-locked post before, but it's well worth repeating!
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Should update folks on my low/no alcohol cider taste testing. Had fun. Here is my ranking from favourite to least favourite. I was the main one drinking, but Martin also tried a little, and generally shared my views. I like a strong traditional alcoholic cider taste with a whoomph. Blame my Somerset husband 😜 I also prefer a dry tasting cider to anything sweeter.

Best: Sheppy's low alcohol - like proper cider, with whoomph! Not too sweet. So very good compared to all the others.
Next: Sainsbury's low alcohol - a bit weak in taste, but very drinkable, and not too sweet.
Next: Inch's no alcohol - strange smell (too apple-y for me - I'm not looking for apple juice elements!) but tastes good.
Next: Weston's Stowford Mill low alcohol - has whoomph but far too sweet for me, so not a hit.
Worst (by quite a long way): Thatcher's no alcohol - awful smell and taste, and reminds me of Magners, in a very bad way. We usually love Thatchers cider, but this was not at all for us.

The switch from normal alcoholic cider to low or no alcohol cider (but still with a proper British cider-y whoomph) has helped my alcohol-triggered stomach problems immensely. So pleased with that. I am still drinking a 330ml can of Birra Moretti with our mid-week Italian takeaway meal. Getting away with that. But two cans wouldn't work. I've also stopped drinking wine, which triggers me 50% of the time - not worth it! But I am still enjoying gin and tonic, and small occasional servings of ice cider from Somerset!
vivdunstan: Portion of a 1687 testament of ancestor James Greenfield in East Lothian (history)
Looking at an academic textbook I bought so I could access it quickly. "Yup, this will be useful!" And grateful for its fairly extensive index, which is much more detailed and useful than the index for a related 1970s textbook Martin borrowed for me from the uni library (I have staff borrowing rights too, but he was on the spot!). Which pretty much just indexes names. As an academic I'm expected to read textbooks as needed. Unfortunately it's a huge problem with my progressive neurological disease and has been for 25+ years now, inc during my history taught MPhil and PhD. So I'm extremely grateful for anything that can help narrow it down. Including a good index!
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Another weekend, another low/alcohol cider testing! Tonight Westons Stowford Press low alcohol from Herefordshire. Nice, but too sweet for me, and a bit too scrumpy like for my Somerset husband’s usual preference! But definitely a good option. Our favourite is Sheppy’s low alcohol from Somerset, which hit the spot for both of us with a lot of whoomph! And fortunately available in our town’s wee Tescos.
vivdunstan: Warning sign re risk of being mobbed by seagulls (dundee)
Taken by Martin at the riverside in Dundee, during his lunch break.

vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Another Saturday night, another low/no alcohol cider taste test. Tonight Sheppy’s low alcohol cider. Verdict from the Somerset member of the household: “It starts off a little apple-y, then goes wham I’m a cider!”
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Prompted by Martin I tried testing my accent on the BoldVoice website. It thinks his accent is "British English" - a native English speaker with a British accent. Albeit with elements of German and Chinese. As for me, very Scottish me, it says "Your accent is Chinese, my friend. I identified your accent based on subtle details in your pronunciation." Ha ha ha!

A graphic of "Here's everything I detected in your voice" with Chinese shown at 39%, Polish at 17% and Korean at 15%.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Tonight at dinner tried my 3rd low or no alcohol cider, with Sainsbury’s own brand low alcohol medium dry cider. It’s 0.9% alcohol, 0.5 units in the bottle. And it’s the best one I’ve tried yet. Great smell, and an almost scrumpy like taste. Win win!

Next weekend will fingers crossed be Sheppy's low alcohol cider. If our local Tescos has it in stock.

I am pleasantly surprised that Somerset-raised Martin is having a similar reaction to the low/no alcohol cider tastings as I work through them!

And for American friends, cider here = British cider, which is very strong, and usually very alcoholic. Not just apple juice. I'm trying to get a fairly authentic British alcoholic cider taste in no alcohol or low alcohol. And having mixed success, but finding some good ones.

And it is definitely helping my IBS type problems.
vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
Following up my post on Monday, my Hobonichi stationery orders are all in hand now. They were ordered by me very early on Monday morning, and posted from Harrogate to me in Dundee the same day. They would have been delivered yesterday, Tuesday, but it wasn't a good day for delivery for us. So I rescheduled with the posties to deliver today, Wednesday. And they arrived while I slept. Martin was here to accept delivery. Delighted with my stuff. And really looking forward to using them all next year. Meanwhile UK people who ordered direct from Hobonichi in Japan have more days to wait yet. And two other UK stockists haven't even sent their things out yet - they took the orders on Monday, but were then still waiting for the goods, or were still checking things into their warehouse. I'm so glad I ordered from Art From The Heart.
vivdunstan: Test card (tv)
Have just managed episode 1, but hoping to get through an episode a week together, if not more often.

I’m very relieved to have watched this because casting spoiler for season 2 episode 1 ) I also have a sequence coming in episode 3 stuck in my head (spoiler for season 2 episode 3 )) but I can’t talk about that to him yet! Maybe in a few weeks.

I also considered us starting tonight watching Rings of Power season 2 or Sandman season 2. But the Rings of Power episodes are *so* very long. I'll struggle to stay alert throughout them. And Sandman has a rather glacial pace, which I gather is even more glacial this year. Wednesday at least is a moderately acceptable length, and full of content. It also doesn’t have a huge number of episodes.

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vivdunstan: Part of own photo taken in local university botanic gardens. Tree trunks rise atmospherically, throwing shadows from the sun on the ground. (Default)
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