I got back from a lovely weekend in Aberdeen yesterday, staying with Nicole in Swish Towers, helping Mark and Claire move, and enjoying the warm sunshine.

Well, I say “sunshine”: it wasn’t. The sky was rarely blue, with a thick cloud cover basking Aberdeen in a light grey, dusty aura that perfectly suited the city and through which the sun failed to burn. Yet, strangely, it didn’t rain a drop, remaining very bright and very warm. So more cloudshine than sunshine, I suppose, if I can be excused for inventing a word.

Over the weekend I also saw Star Trek (very good but not quite excellent), got introduced to The Field (definitely excellent), took a couple of photos (less than excellent), and ate a lot of food (always excellent).

Today, I was working in Perth, but – the joys of long, summer days – got back early enough to make the most of the roasting hot late afternoon and take an amble through the Ness Islands (photos here).

A few other random things to draw your attention to before I go:

• a fascinating article on BBC News about the logistical mountain that is the creation of English football fixture schedules
• one of the most outstanding pictures I’ve seen of Aberdeen on Flickr
• I am now in possession of my PAC number, and it’s four days and counting until I get an iPhone
• I am in Aberdeen the next couple of days, and need to be up before 6.30am tomorrow for the second morning in a row. I expect your sympathy
• This book is very good. I finished it the other week and frankly am unlikely to get round to a proper review (but the author‘s previous book is outstanding and also well worth reading)