Archive for Scotland
glorious morn on Loch Hourn [jatp]
Posted in Mountains, pictures, Travel, University life with tags approximate Bayesian inference, approximately Bayes, Eilean Sgitheanach, Frances Walker, Gaelic college, ICMS, Inner Hebrides, Isle of Skye Brewery, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland, Scottish Gaelic, sunset, worksho on May 19, 2026 by xi'an
off to Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Eilean Sgitheanach
Posted in Books, Mountains, pictures, Running, Statistics, Travel, University life with tags approximate Bayesian inference, approximately Bayes, Eilean Sgitheanach, Frances Walker, ICMS, Inner Hebrides, Isle of Skye Brewery, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland, Scottish Gaelic, workshop on May 17, 2026 by xi'an
Scottish June
Posted in Mountains, pictures, University life with tags ABC, ABC in Edinburgh, approximately Bayes, Bayes Centre, Dunedin, ICMS, MCqMC 2026, New Zealand, OP26, Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Scotland, Scottish Gaelic, SIAM Conference on Optimization, Skye, University of Edinburgh, workshop on October 23, 2025 by xi'an
I just found out that three almost consecutive events of academic interest are taking place in Scotland next Spring: first, our very own Approximately Bayes ICMS workshop (on the Isle of Skye, rather than at the Bayes Centre in Edinburgh, where we held ABC in Edinburgh), on 17-22 May
the SIAM Conference on Optimization (OP26) in Edinburgh on 2-5 June
and the Monte Carlo + quasi Monte Carlo (MCqMC 2026) conference in Edinburgh on 8-11 June
While I cannot realistically (!) attend all of these events, this accumulation of meetings is a perfect opportunity to enjoy the Athens of the North (aka Dùn Èideann, from which Dunnedin in New Zealand originates!). And the surrounding mountains.
a journal of the cha(ca)os (and fig) year
Posted in Books, Kids, Mountains, pictures, Travel, Wines with tags Adam family, Basse-Terre, Black Plague, book reviews, buckwheat, cast iron pan, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Celtic noir, Chamonix, Chennai, chili pepper, cocoa, Cold Case, COVID-19, crêpes, cuisine, Daniel Defoe, domestic violence, E.M. Forster, Edinburgh, fantasy, galettes, gardening, griddle, Guadeloupe, gun violence, homegrown, India, Japan, Journal of the Plague Year, kako, Outer Hebrides, Paris, Russian invasion, Scotland, Scoville scale, The Cramps, Ukraine, whey on October 1, 2025 by xi'an 
Read the last part of The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, which still takes place in the early 1800’s at the Dutch East India Company trading post Dejima in Nagasaki, as the historical aspects—like the attempt by a British ship to take over the outpost—beat the weakest features of the story. The end does feel rushed.
I made my first attempt at a chocolate tablet by mixing the cocoa—cacao in French—paste (kako in Créole) I brought back from Guadeloupe—made from the cocoa seeds I had bought at the market, roasting and crushing them—with crushed biscuits and a tiny bit of butter. The result was keeping with the bitter chocolate flavour I enjoy in 100% cocoa tablets, if presumably richer in fat and sugar, and more on the chocolate biscuit side! As the fig tree is now delivering at full speed, I am making compotes and office deliveries on most days, along with picking great tomatoes (which survived the heat waves) and the second chili pepper that grew from the chili tree this summer—sadly so low on the Scoville scale that it didn’t much differ from the peppers that also grew there—. In a bountiful year, the only failure was the buckwheat attempt, since no single flower came to deliver. Expert advice is thus sought for next year! This did not prevent me from resuming cooking whey (from skyr) and buckwheat, rye, or chestnut crêpes (on the Amazon iron griddle that no longer sticks!).
Watched and enjoyed the series Dept. Q, a gritty, depressing, and engrossing detective story that mixes cold cases, domestic violence, PTSD, sexism, several levels of guilt, and a variety of Scottish accents, from Edinburgh to the Western Isles. Despite the captivity thread in the scenario that I always dislike as a weak option in this kind of story, albeit making more sense as the episodes unfold. The grey areas surrounding most characters keeps the series at quite an acceptable level of engagement, as does the range of personalities thus displayed. This includes most victims that could have fallen into the poor-dear trap, but remain ambiguous and equally guilty to maintain the balance. Looking forward new seasons (not in the Scottish sense, where most days usually cover all four of them!). Also watched the second season of Wednesday, enjoyable enough if on the light and repetitive side. With Jenna Ortega still running the show, along with a stronger presence of Catherine Zeta-Jones. Just missing the Cramps moment of Season 1!
Salomon Skyline Scotland day!
Posted in Mountains, pictures, Running, Travel with tags An Gearasdan, Aonach More, Ben Nevis, Bridge of Orchy, Carn Mor Dearg, Fort William, Glen Nevis, Glencoe, Highlands, Jacobite 100, Kinlochleven, Mamores, munroes, Rannoch Moor, Ring of Steall, running, Salomon, Salomon Skyrace Scotland, Scotland, Steall, trail running, ultratrail on September 20, 2025 by xi'an
