vivdunstan

New glasses picked up from the optician. Although it has been interesting seeing afterwards how polarised glasses can cope - or not - with mobile devices like smartphones. Funky colour effects! Luckily this will not be a major problem for me. But I do think the optician should have warned me before. It's also been a good heads up to warn Martin not to go for polarised glasses in future.

But that aside I'm very pleased with my two new pairs of glasses. I am asleep for so much of the time that the polarised sunglasses don't get much use at all. The non polarised clear glasses are worn at night when I'm awake and watching TV. Though living in Dundee, which is particularly renowned for being especially sunny, all year round, I do prefer dark sunglasses when outside in the day, and they are very much needed then.

Today's afternoon outing also saw us enjoy a snack/late lunch in a nearby cafe/deli before I went to the opticians. And grab a punnet of more fresh Monifieth (the town where we live on the edge of Dundee) strawberries.

We were in Broughty Ferry today. Aced my latest eye test. A little bit more short sighted, so going to get new glasses this time. But, best of all, still no glaucoma or cataracts, despite 28 years of permanent daily steroids. So very relieved. Called into the uni library to return a book and pick up another. Then home. We have fresh strawberries from Balhungie Berry Farm in Monifieth, spotted and nabbed from the Love Your Planet shop in Broughty Ferry. Where we also bought a bag of Sacred Grounds coffee beans, a new variety for me to try. Also sat outside a local cafe/deli, drinking chilled milkshakes. So good. But, yes, eyes good.

Prompted by the Broughty Ferry Guide and Advertiser going partially online.

Searching for our unusually named street (which has a couple of spellings, including in the past two sets of differently spelled street signs!) finds lots of references to one set of neighbours especially, including advertisements for beauty classes and hair styling, planning permission for a conservatory, their daughter marrying in 1992 with a huge photo and very lengthy report, and a 1982 impromptu charity fundraising jumble sale held by their kids and others held in their drive and the drive of neighbours over the road from us.

For our other immediate neighbours we find a big wedding photo for their daughter. And for our house find the death notice of the 1986 husband of the couple here. His widow lived here for many years after then before we moved in.

Charmed by the extra insights and glimpses into life in the street before we moved in here 21 years ago. And not just the street, but our very immediate neighbours, the two couples living either side of us, and also the couple directly over the road. Who are all still living here today.

Note some of these reports were found in the newly digitised Broughty Ferry paper, but others were found in a more general search of the British Newspaper Archive e.g. for "15 unusual street name", which turned up more references in other local papers, especially the Dundee Courier.

P.S. Also just found the report of a 1992 wedding + photo of a daughter of the couple immediately over the road (the ones where the 1982 jumble sale was partially held in their drive), and also a 1992 engagement notice for their other daughter.

Erasing a few old devices (some very old) to take to recycling. Got some really weird error messages on my old iPod touch, when I tried to erase it just now. Turned out I needed to resync the built in clock before it would do that ok! Now wiping. Martin is going to take it with my old Kindle to the recycling centre at Baldovie (we are in Angus, but as Monifieth folk are allowed to use this recycling centre on the eastern edge of Dundee, cos ours was closed by Angus Council). I may have another old iPod touch somewhere ... Plus one more currently in use. And a spare, that I bought on the day Apple cancelled them.

I try to run my devices for an extremely long time. I extended the life of my previous Kindle by buying a replacement battery kit, and fitting it myself, with spudger tool and all. But there comes a time when I need to replace these devices. And at least if they can go to recycling some of the vital parts can be recovered and reused.

Forgot to say we had a fab experience with a seagull at lunch yesterday. We were parked in Costas at Ethiebeaton Park above Monifieth. And a huge seagull suddenly landed on the front bonnet of our car, rocking it as it did. It flapped about, staring inside to see if there might be any hope of food. Then flew off again, the car moving again as it did. Sadly neither of us had a camera ready at the right moment. We were awestruck 🙂

Every week I check the descriptions Martin types into Flickr for his latest photos. Just got to this one:

"The east side of the southern end of the Seven Arches Viaduct in Monifieth viewed from in the Dighty Burn."

Yes, photo taken from _in_ the burn (river). He goes out on his walks wearing wellies and waterproof trousers, and usually ends up in the water!

This photo.