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Are you saying Burns night or Boo-urns?
We were a little late, but this year we celebrated Burn’s night, Haggis and all. Burn’s night is celebrated on the birthday of the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns, the 25th of January. Traditional Scottish food is accompanied by poems, bagpipe music, and a series of addresses. While we waited for the haggis and accompaniments […]
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The Aftermath
The smouldering remains of my Inspiron 15 7000 are making their way to the Republic of Ireland. After the drama of last week, things have settled down considerably. Dell have collected my damaged laptop and promised a replacement system in the next ten days or so, although what form that computer will take is anyone’s […]
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Fire! Fire! Help me!
The title says it all. A mid-to-late 2000s reference any Graham Linehan fan will be familiar with. On the long list of things we weren’t expecting on a normal Sunday, fire was towards the bottom, but there it was. A scary occurence, but I’m here with the story, after the lithium has settled. Prime Suspect […]
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Now That’s What I Call 2022
Here comes the obligatory year in review. What happened in 2022? Quite a lot really. Reporting from a hotel in Wolverhampton for my first in-person conference since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Writing on the Regular Last year, despite several major exams, I committed to releasing a blog post weekly part way into the […]
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Twas the Night Before (the Night Before the Night Before) Christmas
What better way to spend an evening during the festive season than hanging around a horrendously short staffed and half-shuttered pharmacy. Yes, a new Christmas tradition, but not a particularly pleasant one. Perhaps it could be improved with the addition of mince pies and a glass of mulled wine? Even with that, a mismanaged pharmacy […]
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In Search of Seoul, Part 5 – Markets
This time we’re heading back to Old Seoul for a bit of culture. A place where haggling transcends language barriers. To Namdaemun Market! Namdaemun translates to “Great South Gate” (not Gareth Southgate, though you may be mistaken) and was the main southern gate to the old city of Seoul. Right next to the gate is […]
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Lofty Ideals (or Ideal Lofts?)
The “I finally got round to insulating the loft” edition. The previous owners of our house did a wonderful job making the downstairs look nice, but corners were cut elsewhere and basic jobs that should have been tackled early were ignored. Energy prices are officially insane, and having a weedy 100mm of compressed wool insulation […]
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In Search of Seoul, Part 4 – Café Culture
Cafés are everywhere in Seoul, so this time we’re talking about café culture in the capital. A Twosome Place It’s an excellent and preposterous name in equal measures, and a reference to “A cup of coffee, Two of us, Some dessert, Place”. I didn’t say it was a particularly good reference, but it certainly is […]