Stuart in Eastenders Agreement Shocker

Driving in to uni this morning, listening to Rangers-supporting Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2, where Eastenders actor Martin Kemp was giving the Tracks of My Years. He selected Won't get Fooled Again by The Who.

"Probably the best track ever made!" He said.

I won't disagree.

Another Island Checked off the List

On Wednesday I had the fantastic opportunity to accompany the Ochils Landscape Partnership on a trip to Bute, just off the west coast of Scotland to meet with the Bute Landscape Partnership and have a trip round the island. Given that it was a damp (yet dry) October morning and I set off just after 6 in the morning, I went with an open mind and minimum expectation.

The island itself was very pretty, albeit for the presence of one or two structures, however the people and the hospitality reflected what I see as a strong community spirit, a baseline for the success of the partnership.

I took around 60 photos, so here are a couple I would like to share.

The top one is an unknown beach, second the Church of St. Blane and the last one is the 'airport' with the runway getting its grass cut!

This Tastes Blogging!

Blogs by myself are clustered and sporadic, usually through the lack of content worth sharing. However, this may change. I have visited Zingermans in Stirling a few times now and although that wee bit more expensive, they have a range of unique beers and a comprehensive cocktail menu. So with help from Danielle, we've decided to blog these and give feedback on how good or bad these drinks have been. Marks are out of 10, and score is based on taste and quality. Here's to a long and non-exhaustive blogging topic!

First Weekend of October

Old Engine Oil. Brewed by Harviestoun, chocolatey and dark, comes in a smaller bottle but it is that bit stronger. 8/10

Tom Collins. A bit too plain. We know, simple cocktail, but it didn't really hit the spot. 4/10

Dirty Martini. 6/10, but this could easily have been an 8. It is all down to taste and how much olive juice you want!

Second Weekend of October

Schiehallion. An award-winning pilsner from Harviestoun, the hint of grapefruit reminds me of the other Harviestoun favourite Bitter and Twisted. A very refreshing 7/10.

Ben Nevis. Brewed by the people behind the Bridge of Allan Brewery, this ale is refreshing yet tangy, a nice drink. 6.5/10.

Margarita (with dodgy Petron!). 1/10. The mistake was made here by using coffee liqueur Petron opposed to Petron Silver, which turned a fruit-based concoction into a bitter, coffee/chocolatey effort which wasn't that good! Top marks to the bar staff who provided wise feedback and insight to make sure Petron Silver is used in the future.

French Martini. 'Smells like a cake', very sweet although it is delicious. 7/10.

Zingerman's Sling. An in-house recipe, containing gin and a blueberry liqueur, lemon juice and topped off with Midori. Well balanced and tasty, 9.5/10.

24th May, Tannadice - A Reflection

On the 24th of May, Tannadice cemented itself in my opinion as a favourite football away day. As one of only a few thousand present in the 'Shed' I felt somewhat honoured to be in attendance watching Rangers obtain their 52nd Scottish League title. The game itself was fine, but it was the buildup which had the most impact.

There must have been at least 100 re-dials to Tannadice about a month beforehand to secure the tickets. With United selling them to the fans direct, I went ahead and got some. As the games progressed, the title swayed in the favour of Rangers, then Celtic, then back to Rangers after a series of bizarre results. Rangers were in pole position and suddenly the £22 tickets I had were changing hands for several hundred pounds. It would have taken a lot more than that, as I was taking Dani to her first Rangers game and I knew the atmosphere would be electric!

Tension built up and on the way to Dundee, every second or third car was filled with supporters, with Celtic busses travelling south on the opposite carriageway. The wait outside the ground was heightened with JC's weak bladder! We got in, the songs started 20 minutes before the match and finished about an hour after. Rangers scored an early goal, then one before half time and a third early in the second half. The songs continued, the helicopter flew overhead and the match was over. We headed south and passed those same Celtic coaches travelling north, it was somewhat amusing.

It has brought about a sense of happiness amongst everyone, suddenly the imminent Champions League fixtures has everyone foaming at the mouth. As for the atmosphere, I haven't sampled anything like that since the Sturm Graz game in September 2000. The song of the day? Well one someone has thankfully added to YouTube, Glasgow Rangers Champions....

Modern Monopoly: A Social Problem?

Monopoly is one of my favourite board games. In my younger years, it was the game of choice on rainy days when we couldn't play football. The set we used to play with was from the 70s and belonged to my mum. Money has been lost over the course of many years, so it is now supplemented with money from the Game of Life and Operation! Games took hours, but you received a ruthless lesson in how to handle money. Poor investments and you would pay later!

I discovered that anti-capitalist passengers of the Offended Bus created Anti-Monopoly where you have to turn the board back to a free-market economy. Doesn't sound as much fun, but still better than the modern versions.

Most new Monopoly versions (Here and Now, etc.) have no money. All payment is on a credit-card. Surely this cannot be right. By having paper currency in your hand, you got a feel for money and along with that came a value. Can it be said that 'invisible' money is absent of this value and is essentially skipping out the part of growing up where you feel what money is like? I know that society today is mainly card-based, represented in the newest versions of the board game, but surely it would do no harm to get some experience with paper cash...whether it is Monopoly money or not!!!

Recreation in a Byegone Era

Curling, also referred to as the 'roaring game' depicting the noise of the stone hurtling down the ice, is a game I have only played once. Despite being awful and sliding all over the ice, I enjoyed the experience! My interest in the sport is matched with my interest in the history of the sport. As you may know, it is often seen as a national sport of Scotland given that our climate supported it well (more so in the past). Evidence suggests that it has been played since the 16th century, however the concept of hurtling objects towards a target on ice is a simple concept it likely pre-dates this! Curling was such a widely-played sport that games took place everywhere. Curling ponds were likely a core feature in any village, however these are often now overgrown or dug out.

However, last Wednesday along with a group of Environmental History undergraduate students we went on a trip up the Forth Valley, ending up near Blair Drummond where we found these:First up was a shed which likely provided a shelter and housed curling equipment.

Here you see the embankments, bottomed with clay (or 'puddled') so water could accumulate. The ponds, of which there were two at Blair Drummond, were 30-40 metres in length (estimate!).

The curling ponds were filled up with water, managed by this sluice gate, and allowed to freeze over. They took advantage of a previously man-made channel dug many years previous which directed water to Flanders Moss when peat clearance and land reclamation was being conducted by the famous agricultural improver Lord Kames.

A fascinating trip which gave a first hand account of where the game of curling used to be played!

Unknown Features: A Follow-Up

Back to Cambus we go, this time with some equipment! First time, I took a peat corer and getting through the clay was a bit tough. Second time was a soil augur, which gets you less of a stratigraphy but you get down deeper! The kidney-shaped hollows were still there:

There was more than one...

The augur brought up some interesting results. Within a compact clay we found flecks of charcoal and a piece of iron slag which tends to represent some form of industrial activity. Now this location can be regarded as important, right where the River Devon meets the River Forth. We do know boats sailed up the Devon, however near the sample location is the tidal limit, so boats couldn't get much further than here. Despite more discussions, we're still none the wiser, however may the academic debate continue.

Trips like this are the reason I love doing what I do, sharing what knowledge I do have with others in an attempt to learn that little bit more. Every now and again, you're gifted with beautiful weather and scenery...however not all the time!

Unknown Features in the Landscape

Wednesday saw the first of many field trips with the environmental history undergraduate class I teach, this one to the banks of the Forth near Cambus where the River Devon reaches its end. At this location there lies a nature reserve managed by Scottish Woodland. Here, it promotes habitat generation in order to increase species diversity, mainly birds. Within one particular field, we see five distinct markings within the ground, maybe 10 metres across, and nobody knows what they are. In turn, we posed this question to the class. Suggestions ranged from salt pans, to natural features, industrial remnants, pill-box foundations, however my opinion is that they have been put in by SW to increase the habitat diversity. I will return here in two weeks, and hopefully obtain some photos. In the mean time, here's an aerial photo from the site:


View Larger Map

This feature has generated exciting academic debate amongst myself, Richard, Sharla and Ally, one of the reasons I hope to continue with a research career!

There's a Big World Out There!

Six weeks have went by without a blog, which may suggest that nothing of note has taken place. This would be understandable as it has been cold and wet, and there's been loads of work piling up on the desk. However, the reality of it is that within this six weeks I've travelled further than ever before! The trip to California was a resounding success. I went there with an open mind and little in the way of expectation, and returned after a quick week happier than ever. I was followed in my tracks back to Scotland a few days later by Dani, and since then we've done all sorts of stuff. I'm not one for writing a list of dinners had and pints consumed, however we did go to Dublin last week. It was 6.20 Euros for a Bulmers, which comes in at around £6.00, so we didn't bother getting too inebriated. For me, it takes over from Reykjavik in the dearest pint award!

This past month has opened my eyes to all sorts of things. Firstly, the price of beer in Scotland isn't that bad (but it is creeping up). Secondly, if you go places with a smiley face and a willingness to listen and integrate, you'll be welcomed. Lastly, weather isn't everything; it doesn't matter where you are in the world or how good or bad something may be, as long as you have someone with you to share those experiences with!

Ultimate Native Tunes!

This evening I've been hunting through my iTunes finding sounds appropriate for the upcoming night in the Tams. So here are my top three tunes by Scottish indie/rock artists.

Number Three: Franz Ferdinand - The Dark of the Matinee. I was stuck between this and Do You Want To as my favourite Franz tune, but this pips it!





Number Two: K.T. Tunstall - Suddenly I See. Just listen to the bassline, infectious sound and uplifting.





Number One: Travis - Happy. From their debut album this is the Travis of the past, long gone but not forgotten. An absolutely amazing song with clever lyrics, be sure to have a listen!

Subconscious leads to California...

Maybe it is true, maybe you are actually destined to head some places in your life through subconscious decisions and influences. This thought occurred to me this morning in the shower after a discovery yesterday. I take very little notice (from an academic perspective) in environmental history and geoarchaeology outwith Europe for the simple fact, there is too much information and it is best to focus on one arena. However around two years ago, I added a book to my wish list looking at the environmental history of California. Seems strange why this was done, but for some reason it was.

The films which I watched when I was a kid were mainly set in California. My favourites included Back to the Future (fictional Hill Valley, California), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (San Dimas, California), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1940's Los Angeles). The only exception really is The Goonies which was set in Oregon, the state above California! Can you see the recurring historical dimension here, fitting in with a recurring location? Favourite films, an interesting subject area fitting in with my academic interest in industrial development and settlement evolution. An author, based at UCLA, developed one of the main hypotheses that I'm challenging in my PhD, surely an interesting fellow and worthy of a meeting. This place seems fantastic, but surely that doesn't justify a 14-hour 'plane journey...

Then along she came...and it's off to California I go...

It just goes to show that there's nowhere you can be that isn't where you're meant to be!

Creative Genius!

In this era of low-grade TV, every now and again something comes along which sticks out like a sore thumb on the basis of its creative genius. The latest addition to the awesome list is an advert from Virgin Atlantic to celebrate 25 years of the airline.

It has recreated the 80's in an incredible manner. A newspaper with a headline detailing the 1984 Miners' Strike, Austin Allegro in the background (a shit car if there was ever one!), a Yuppie with braces talking on his big brick phone, 80's airport signage, brown leather suitcases, Wimpy, Our Price (bought over by Virgin in the 90's!), Big Country 12" LP, stupid big untamed hair, Asteroid playing in the arcade, Rubix Cube, those 80's shades, shoulder pads, leopard print and leggings, all portrayed in a gray light which was the 80's, with the air stewardesses resonating through in their bright red uniforms!

To top it off, a definitive 80's tune; Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Relax!

Another piece of genius from the Branson team, and I'm happy to be giving these people a wad of my hard-earned at the end of the month!

The Best Use of Opera in Films

Movie soundtracks, everyone's always going on about them. I wanted to get on that bandwagon as I love movie soundtracks, but I decided instead to take a different angle. So here's my top 3 operatic compositions which find themselves in movies:

Number 3 - Carmen Suite # 2 by Georges Bizet, as found in Trainspotting. Happens near the start of the film, seems slightly juxtaposed in the context but fits in well.



Number 2 - The Great Escape. Definitive and emotive. You hear this, it cannot be confused for anything else. With its march tempo and snares in the introduction, this is a theme which beats all other commissioned themes!



Number 1 - Clair de Lune by Debussy, as found in Ocean's 11. The sound of success and reflection in the film. If I was to only hear one piece of classical music ever again, it would have to be this song. I know very little about the genre, but I know this is fantastic!