| Tenerife |
[May. 5th, 2013|10:45 am]
|
We went to Tenerife for Easter and I haven't had time to write about it until now. So, some memories below the cut.
( Holiday ramblingsCollapse )
In many ways this was an ideal time of year for our holiday. In particular, the weather was warm but not too hot. It's a shame that M will be revising for exams this time next year (and the year after, and the year after that...) |
|
|
| Let's join up the inner-tube map! |
[Mar. 10th, 2013|11:01 am]
|
| [ | mood |
| |  optimistic | ] |
This is my response to Edinburgh council's survey on its local transport strategy:
The plan should do more to provide specific facilities for cycling, particularly for those people who are perhaps too nervous to cycle on busy roads. The "issues" document says very little about cycling per se, except as an adjunct to other policies. For example, it posits that cyclists will benefit from lower speed limits on cars but this is not the same as providing specific support for cycling.
Compare Boris Johnson's recent announcement for a network of cycle routes in London with the unconnected, patchwork, nature of current cycle routes in Edinburgh.
I would like to see the council "join up the inner tube map", for example by designating certain quiet residential streets as "cyclist priority routes". These streets would be "access-only" for motor vehicles (i.e. for the people who live on the street) but through routes for cyclists. They would have good quality surfaces (no cobbles or potholes!) and would form a network of routes around the city that even children could use. They might be supplemented by light-controlled crossings where the routes cross busier roads.
An initiative along these lines could really make cycling in the city far more attractive. |
|
|
| Merlin, series five |
[Jan. 2nd, 2013|12:53 pm]
|
The BBC's retelling of the King Arthur legend has now come to a close with the end of the fifth series. Our family thought the story arc of this final series could have been better.
( Spoilers under the cut...Collapse ) |
|
|
| Family xmas 2012 |
[Dec. 29th, 2012|10:35 pm]
|
My eldest brother clearly suffers from living-near-the-aged-parents syndrome. Largely because of this, my sister stayed with him in the week before xmas, then our family stayed over xmas itself.
( Some more details, mainly FMORCollapse ) |
|
|
| End of the height wars |
[Dec. 20th, 2012|10:20 pm]
|
| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
Last year, I reported that M was the same height as Mrs HTC. One year on, M has reached 5'6" (or 167cm in new money), which is a clear lead, much to the chagrin of the short member of the household. |
|
|
| What does "Scottish secondary of the year" mean, really? |
[Nov. 17th, 2012|10:09 pm]
|
My first reaction on seeing that M's school has been named "Scottish Secondary of the Year" by the Sunday Times was to feel gratified and pleased that M is at a "good" school. Then I read more closely and a couple of things seemed a bit strange.
The headline hid one details which is that Boroughmuir has been named Scottish State Secondary of the Year. Well, it's fair enough in my book to have separate lists for state and private schools. But the award, if one can call it that, hid an odder detail, which is that Boroughmuir is only ninth in the Sunday Times list of state schools. So why was it given this attention? The article said that this was in part because it had risen from 12th place to 9th - so perhaps it is a recognition of the "most improved" school. But my cynical mind suggests that perhaps the journalists needed a reason to write about a school they haven't written about before. And this is the only Edinburgh state school to be in the top ten - Edinburgh being "blessed" with a ridiculous number of large private schools - so perhaps that is another journalistic "angle" on the story.
As you might be able to tell, I don't trust journalists. And anyway, who are the Sunday Times to tell us which school is "best"? I already know that the school is pretty good for our son, which is what matters most to me.
After a while, I remembered that I don't agree with league tables for schools anyway. Usually they say more about the school's intake than about the school itself, although there are exceptions both good and bad. (I don't feel quite the same about Uni league tables, but that is perhaps a topic for another time). And a school that is right for one child might not be right for another.
So is this any more than a puff piece? It still leaves me with a feeling of reassurance, despite my scepticism. It will probably give the staff some encouragement, which is good; it's always nice to be appreciated. I guess it might persuade some parents not to waste their money on a private education when they can get an equivalent one for free, but the numbers will be tiny. It will probably sell more newspapers. So I am conflicted: my emotions say one thing while my mind says another. |
|
|
| Holiday in Dubrovnik |
[Aug. 13th, 2012|11:03 pm]
|
We spent a week in Dubrovnik, enjoying some sunshine, exploring and trying a few outdoor activities. I'd never been to Croatia before and really enjoyed it. Some of the highlights were:
( Read more...Collapse )
As an aside, water polo is very popular in Dubrovnik. I was told that the entire Croatian Olympic team came from Dubrovnik. They went on to win the gold medal.
|
|
|
| Friends only |
[Jul. 16th, 2012|12:11 am]
|
Most of my posts to this journal are now friends-only. If you want to see my public witterings, which are of even less consequence, the place to look is Facebook.
This has been a public announcement. |
|
|
| This is actually quite interesting,... |
[Jun. 10th, 2012|10:55 pm]
|
... which isn't something I usually say about debates on BBC2's Newsnight. You may have seen this one: it took place on May 30th between Paul Krugman (an economist), a venture capitalist, and a member of the Conservative party. What makes it interesting is that they quickly moved from the economic facade of the debate on austerity to the underlying moral and political positions.
( More under the cut...Collapse ) |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
henry_the_cow