2020

As the year ends and a new decade dawns, I have been trying to think of what I am looking forward to next year. Sadly I have been able to come up with very little.

Most of my thoughts are drawn to the end of January and the inventible clusterfuck that Brexit and the subsequent negotiations will be. I am convinced that we will leave without any kind of deal or a deal that is good for those that are already substantially well off. I still find it hard to believe that the idiots that voted for this are the people that leaving the EU is going to affect most. I stand by calling them idiots because I have yet to meet any that actually voted for it, this of course may be a geographic anomaly. The irony of the facist party campaigning that we are better off going on our own after campaigning that we are “Better Together” when Scotland was voting in the referendum for independence just rubs salt in the wound. I can’t even start about the lies that were told during the campaigning.

I literally stopped watching or reading the news after there were calls for the country to “come together” now that Brexit was done. It makes me sad and angry that anyone in power (including the ridiculousness of the royal family) think that the country is going to come together. With any luck it will rip the union apart and we can get Donald Trump to tell us what walls are best for the border between Scotland and England. Not to mention the fact that Northern Ireland looks like it is still going to be in a customs union with the EU makes the whole union a fucking joke.

I have also had to take a break from social media because I just can’t read anymore vile bile that is getting poured out. I suddenly found myself wondering how something that I have found so useful in the past could become so putrid (perhaps I am just following the wrong people).

The fact that it was categorically proven that Cambridge Analytica sold data that influenced the Brexit referendum is an absolute travesty (check out the Netflix film ‘The Great Hack’ for more info on this).. Yet, those that could do something about it have done nothing as it suited their purposes. Influencing an election like this should have triggered a void result. But of course the Brexit referendum was just a trial run for using the same tactics in the subsequent US election, which gave the world Donald Trump as the United States president.

Now we have a baboon for a Prime Minister and an impeached US President. Two misogynistic, racist, homophobic hate inciters. Sterling work!

From Business Live

Winter Solstice

winter_circle.png

Possibly my favourite day of the year, the Winter Solstice marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. For me it marks the start of ‘proper’ winter, January and February always feel the coldest in Scotland. It also means that the days start lengthening again up until the June summer solstice.

For many winter is the hardest part of the year due to the lack of light and coldness. When I hear people complain about winter I often think of the poem There’s a certain slant of light, by Emily Dickinson.

There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference –
Where the Meanings, are –

None may teach it – Any –
Tis the seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air –

When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, 'tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –

Whatever your feeling about winter, Happy Solstice.

Wester Ross

Years ago, during my undergraduate years, I used to take a break with my father in September for a week. It was usually to go somewhere hill walking as he had a week off from work in September and it coincided nicely before I left for university each year.

I have great memories from these trips and usually came back super fit from just a week of hillwalking or Munro Bagging as it is commonly known. I am keenly aware of how fortunate I am to have this time with my father and it has been the source of many memories I have thought about over the years since then.

Although it had nothing to do with hill walking, one of my fondest memories the second year that we went together was phoning home to find out that I had got into The University of St Andrews. It had been a stressful summer waiting to find out as it was the only university I had applied to. Putting all your eggs in one basket? Moi? It started the ball rolling towards my higher education. Little did I know at the time that I would still be in higher education for the next eight years.

This year, as I had accumulated a little too much vacation time from my own work, I had the opportunity to rekindle the September get away with my father. We visited Wester Ross, in particular the Gairloch area. I used to spend a lot of time in this area when I was younger as it was a favourite holiday location of my parents and I had become very attached to the area as I grew up.

Click to see the larger image.

Although no hillwalking was taken on this trip we did spend a lot of time walking and travelling around the area, and booking dinner at the Old Inn every night! It was a welcome break from the central region and it was nice that there is no cellular reception whatsoever. Like, none. But there was wifi at the campsite and the Old Inn, as long as 512kb/s is your thing. This isn’t a complaint, but it is reality in this area.

We also had the worst coffee in all of Scotland at Mountain Coffee, primarily because it was close to the campsite. It is perfect if you like Starbucks prices and dishwater tasting coffee. I also had a nice surprise at the Gale Centre, they have an amazing Rain Garden which I must add to the 10000 Rain Gardens for Scotland Project.

Anyway, I did take some photos, primarily to see what the iPhone 11 Pro could do with the new cameras, which did not disappoint me especially in low light. I have a lot of landscape photographs below because it is hard to take photographs in such a beautiful place without being in landscape :-)

Gairloch Bay from Strath.

Gairloch Bay at dusk.

Across Gairloch Bay towards Free Church of Scotland

From Cove looking back towards Poolewe and the Isle of Ewe

Stac Pollaidh in the middle with Beinn an Eoin on the left with its summit covered in cloud.

Netherlands II

During my recent trip to The Netherlands I also visited De Hoge Veluwe National Park (The Hoge Veluwe National Park), a national park in the province of Gelderland. It is approximately 55 square kilometers in area, consisting of heathlands, sand dunes, and woodlands. It is situated in the Veluwe, the area of the largest terminal moraine in the Netherlands. Most of the landscape of the park and the Veluwe was created during the last Ice Age. The park forms one of the largest continuous nature reserves in the Netherlands. I have previously visited the park many years ago to look around the Kröller-Müller Museum, founded by art collector Helene Kröller-Müller and opened in 1938. It has the second-largest collection of paintings by Vincent van Gogh, after the Van Gogh Museum.

I didn’t take many photographs while I was there, but I can recommend visiting the area for both the museum and the walks around the park.

I also found some other photographs from The Hague that I thought were worth posting here as well, these four are from Zevenhuizen. The village actually has its own flag and coat of arms due to it being its own municipality until 1991. The area is slightly spoiled by the power pylons running in the background. I tried to take photographs that hid them, but you can see the clearly in the third photo.

And one last shot from the beach, it’s starting to become my favourite place in The Hague.

Slow shutter speed at the beach.

Netherlands

it has been almost a week since I have from the Netherlands and I have spent much of that time contemplating my future. At least once every year I have to visit The Hague to take care of various pieces of administration and almost always visit for longer than I really need to, it provides a welcome break from work and the madness of Brexit.

I haven’t posted much on this journal this year primarily because I have very few positive thoughts as most of my thinking has been swallowed up by the constant noise that the current political situation is providing in Britain. It has been unbelievably polarising and I cannot remember any other time that I have been so embarrassed for British politicians when I have travelled. It seems that much of the western world is lurching to the right and it feels like a course correction is required.

Still, a week away from that madness in a place where I can't read the news, or can at least escape it, provided some much needed relaxation. As The Hague is an ever evolving city with new buildings going up and older buildings being renovated. Even Den Haag Centraal Station has been finished (after around ten years of reconstruction). It is always nice to wander around and see what is different or new. One of my favourite discoveries was Kaafi, a new brasserie on Prinsestraat. Apparently it has been open since 2017 but I have somehow missed it on previous trips. Shockingly I have to say that it has the best coffee (and selection) that I have tasted in The Hague.

I was resenting carrying my camera around in the heat so most of my photographs were taken on my iPhone. I am sure that I have taken these photographs many times over the years but these are still some of my favourite places in The Hague. Holland Spoor has changed so much in the past few years it is now completely pedestrianised and has lots of restaurants to eat out in, it has become really pleasant to spend time at when I compare it to when I first moved to The Hague.

Of course no visit to The Netherlands would be complete without a visit to a windmill or two (in this case seven). My companion for the week ( @catwith8lives ) took me out to Sevenuizen which is situated between Zoetermeer and Gouda.

Two of the Windmills at Sevenuizen

I also visited Amsterdam Pride when it was parading through the canals, I was apprehensive about going as I could only imagine the carnage that would be Amsterdaam Centraal Station but to my surprise it wasn’t so bad. The pride march makes a route through some of the canals on boats that have been turned into floats, it was amazingly well organised and was a lot of fun to watch.

So I have returned to Scotland for the moment and am still enjoying the stroopwaffels that I brought back with me and if I close my eyes I could almost be back there, if I block out the rain and the politicians.