Red gown - Graduation in Aberdeen 2012

30th November of 2012 was the official end of 3,5 very enjoyable years to obtain my PhD in Geography. I learnt a lot during this period. I travelled to several countries, met very interesting people, taught intelligent students, was taught by intelligent teachers...It was not always easy: A PhD requires great dedication and if we are not strong and determined to finish it the tricks of life can make the task difficult. I have to thank the help and guidance of my excellent supervisors Prof(s) Pete Smith, Bill Slee and Colin Hunter and the support of my parents, friends and colleagues. I was very happy in Aberdeen and now that I am in Paris, I will keep writing my Scottish stories because there are still plenty to tell. And if you do not mind, from time to time I will also post here some colours of Paris :-)

Grey - A'Chir in Arran

Photo: Richard Hewinson

Photo: Diana

Another exciting and challenging ridge to scramble is A'Chir in the Isle of Arran - west coast of Scotland. Arran is said to be "Scotland in miniature". But I was unlucky here. A dodgie jump at a place called "Le Mauvais Pas" (I wonder why is called like this...) put a stop to my walk at 6pm. I broke my ankle in two places and I had to be rescued from the mountain by some handsome guys, and lifted by helicopter. Six weeks on a cast and two operations did not stop my desire of going back and doing it again. Plus: God bless the UK National Health Service!

Brown - Stac Pollaidh the 1st scrambling

Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. The term is somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It means that hands must be used in the ascent. A very nice scramble I can suggest is Stac Pollaidh, a mountain in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. It can be climbed in less than 3 hours by any relatively fit person and once on the ridge the summit is located about 300 m to the west. To reach the it one must scramble over several rocky pinnacles and a good portion of skills is needed!

Autumn colours

This picture is to compensate the last picture published. It was taken on my way to the West Coast in the Autumn of 2009. And yes, this is Scotland!

Yellow bonfires - Guy Fawkes' night

This is an awful picture but it is the only one I have to illustrate the celebrations of Guy Fawkes' night in Aberdeen! It was taken on the 5th of November (2009) at the beach where lots of people concentrated to see the bonfires. This year, since Friday that we can hear fireworks in Aberdeen, but the big firework will be tomorrow evening! And what are British people celebrating? They celebrate Guy Fawkes' arrest and execution due to an attempt to kill protestant King James I of England (and bomb the parliament) in 1605. His objective was to trigger King James' replacement by a Catholic king. The 5th of November was kept as a thanksgiving day for the divine intervention in the King's survival and since then, people celebrate with (rather noisy) bonfires!

Brown, blue, sunny - Windy day at Glenshee munros

In the last weekend (30 Set 2012) we were at the mountains again. The day was clear and we could enjoy the beautiful views from the top of the munros, in Glenshee near Braemar. It was very windy and the ascending to the top was tough. However, the scenery compensated largely the difficulties of going up. This time, to give a bit of the feeling of what is to be at the top of a mountain, I post a short video I made. This is Creag Lacach munro!

Black and gold - AU Science Magazine

This is the 5th issue of the AU Science Magazine. This is a colourful, exciting and accessible publication that conveys the fascination of science with a special emphasis on research from Aberdeen. It is exclusively produced and edited by students from Aberdeen University. This issue has an article written by myself: 'The bio-economic uncertainty'. Read it online at: http://ausm.org.uk/ (page 8).

Pink, Green, Blue - Energising minds BSF2012

This year the British Science Festival was held in Aberdeen. This is a great event to engage general public (kids and adults) with science. Every year it visits a different city in the UK and it is a great opportunity to be updated in the latest exciting research findings. The weather in Aberdeen was gorgeous during the festival week and the library enchanted the visitors. There were plenty of talks, debates, seminars, workshops...I went to an evening chat about Mars with space science scientist and BBC presenter Maggie Aderin-Pocock, learnt about the life in the oil rigs with Channel 4 News filmmaker Ed Owles and artist Sue Jane Taylor, discovered the surprising secrets of Giant Land Animals with Prof. John Hutchinson, debated food security issues and found out about Prof. Iain Stewart´s new BBC series.

Three years ago I was starting my PhD and was awarded a grant to attend the British Science Festival 2009 in Guildford, Surrey. I even wrote a blog about it and an article in the in-land Autumn/Winter 2009 newsletter (page 38).

Green and white stripes - University of Aberdeen library

This beautiful building is the new library of Aberdeen University. It opened in September 2011 and it can be seen from several points of the city. The motto of the new library is to connect Aberdeen's citizens with its collections and interiors. The official opening was on Monday (24th September 2012) and Her Magesty the Queen Elisabeth II came in person to give the bless. The library was the meeting point during the British Science Festival 2012 that occurred in Aberdeen in the beggining of the month.

Orange burning fire

Woodfuel, i.e., solid wood used to produce energy. With fossil fuel prices going up and the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere rising, woodfuel offers a low-carbon (almost neutral), cheap source of energy. The example in these photos is the burning of wood chips (medium-sized solid material made by cutting, or chipping, larger pieces of wood) in a central boiler that produce enough energy to heat a community swimming pool, a primary school and a public library in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Such projects need public and private investment but result in a sustainable use of natural resources.

Blue shirt with Scottish flag

When three Italians get together the result is...a beautiful pasta! Mamma mia!

White clouds

This is Richard in the top of Morven, a Corbett in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Previoulsy I described what a Munro is. Now I reveal the definition of Corbett. These are peaks in Scotland between 2,500 and 3,000 feet. The list of Corbetts was compiled in 1920 by Jonh Rooke Corbett. There are 221 Corbetts and Morven is one of them. Morven is 2858 (871m) feet high.

Pink marks in the skin - Around Applecross

After spending the night in a tent, waking up in the morning with this scenery in front of the eyes is something amazing. We are now in Applecross in the West Coast of Scotland. But even paradise is not perfect. In the summer, there are little flying things called midges that suck our blood and leave plenty of pinks marks in the skin. They are active in the morning and in the evening, specially when it is very still. Luckily, I found 'Skin so soft' a body cream from Avon that works better than a proper repelent. Do not forget to take it everytime you go to the West Coast!

White wind turbines

"How is rural Scotland changing?" This was the name of a photo competition lauched by the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute. Surprisely I won the first prize for more than 19 years old. This gave me 100 pounds and tickets for a safari in Braemar. The photo was taken in Gigha in 2009 and shows one of the three dancing ladies (wind turbines) implemented in the island. An article about the photo competition winners was written at the in-land Spring/Summer 2010 newsletter (page 28).

Green waters in Gigha

For me Gigha is one of the most beautiful islands in Scotland. It looks like paradise: Green waters, white sand, warm weather...To access this island we have to take the ferry from the Mull of Kintyre (who remembers the song?). Gigha is a community-owned island seven miles long by a mile and half wide. Until the end of 2002 it was owned by a private landlord but the population got fed up with his bad management and bought the island with the help of the National Lottery and Highlands and Islands Enterprise grants. The ownership of island brought a new life to its inhabitants and several projects have been undertaken, such as the building of the new houses to attract young people to settle in the island and the implementing of wind turbines to produce renewable energy. Apart from swimming in the transparent sea waters, visitors can walk in the Achamore gardens and climb Creag Bhan (the highest hill in the island).

Blue and red puppets - Punch and Judy

Who would said that in a hunting fair I would be transported to my childhood? In Scottish fairs there are always distractions for kids. Some of these distractions are of very good taste and are a proof that old entertaining methods rock! By the way: These are Punch and Judy.

The long brown trail - Ben Macdui

A long walk to the top of the mountain was waiting for us. The top I am talking about is Ben Macdui, the second highest mountain in the United Kingdom (1,309m), and therefore, a munro (see older post for a definition of munro). It is said that the 'big grey man of Ben Macdui' lives here...In the top of the mountain there are small patches of snow that persist year by year, even during the Summer.

White cows @ The Royal Highland Show

The Royal Highland Show is the major farm and countryside exhibition in Scotland. It happens in the last week of June every year and attracts thousands of people from all over Scotland, England and even Ireland. Queen Elisabeth II is a regular visitor to the Show. The most fantastic things to do there are, in my opinion, sampling the array of food on offer (especially the cheeses), watching show jumping, attending sheep shearing competitions, seeing the livestock exhibitions and eating strawberry kebabs with chocolate fondue! In here we can observe the "crème de la crème" of Scottish society.

Brown sculptures in Copenhagen

In June 2009 I went to Copenhagen for a Summer School on "Market-based instruments for ecosystem services". I really enjoyed the city: bike-friendly, colourful, cosmopolitan, cultural, alternative...The PhD students I met came from all over the world and I learned with them the challenges the environment faces in countries such as the Philipines, Spain, Denmark, France, South Korea or Mexico. In my spare time I did something I love: to visit museums. And I went to the Danish National Gallery that (as a bonus) holds a modernism building. The pregnant sculptures were one of the works I saw there. 

With this I take advantage to mention the Portuguese plastic artist Joana Vasconcelos, which is the only woman ever to exhibit in the Versailles Palace. As a Portuguese and as a woman I am very proud. Have a look at http://www.vasconcelos-versailles.com/

Yellow - Oil seed rape

In Aberdeenshire there are many oilseed rape fields. This plant of the Brassica family is used to produce vegetable oil, which is a competitor of olive oil. On one ocasion someone tried to sell me rapeseed oil by pointing at the marvellous health qualities of it. Of course when I said I was Portuguese he did not go ahead with his explanations... Oilseed rape is also raw material to produce biofuel. Biofuel is a clean source of energy and almost carbon neutral but it has a problem: it needs agricultural land to be produced. What do we want and need the most, food or fuel?

Blue sea in Cruden Bay

Ok, ok....Sometimes it is also gorgeous in late Spring. These pictures were taken in Cruden Bay and Slains Castle. Two beautiful spots 30 miles north of Aberdeen that are worth visiting when the weather decides to present us with the most wanted star in the sky.

Black piano

I think for the big things, black is my favourite colour: black peugeot, black piano...I have an acoustic piano in Portugal which I miss and which I play everytime I am back. This, however is my aberdonian piano. It was given to me by a colleague at work and it has been in it I have been practicing songs like "The promise" from the movie "The piano" or "La Valse d'Amélie". I am very happy and lucky that I was given this beautiful thing. But I must confess that in the last 6 months my PhD have been making me feel completely drained. I am not reading my books anymore, I am not playing anymore. The only thing I can stand is watching movies and documentaries and doing sports or outdoor activities. What a life...

Grey is the color of Summer

Late Spring can be pretty grey in Aberdeen. This can be proved by the first picture which was taken in Balmedie, a beach few miles north of the city. It can be depressive but people always find a way of enjoying themselves. And one of the ways is doing a long lasting barbecue in the beach (in mid June the night only arrives at about 11pm). Barbecues are very common at this time of the year and when it is not raining. I found out, however, that most of the people leave the rubbish in the beach, this contributting to the millions of tonnes of litter that are washed away to the sea every year worldwide. Some volunteers usually offer to clean the beach afterwards, but where are people's brains? Sea litter is a huge problem for our oceans and there has not been an effective way to tackle this problem so far. In my view, individual action could make a difference.

Yellow and white - olympic flame

11 June 2012 - This was the day the Olympic torch passed in front of my window in Aberdeen. Maybe I will never experience this again in my life. How likely is to live in the country that hosts the Olympic games and at a same time renting a house in one of the streets where the torch is supposed to pass by?
Certainly an experience that is worth mentioning in my blog!

The torch came from Stornway in the isle of Lewis to mainland Scotland, passed by Balmoral and left Aberdeen to Dundee on the following day. It will keep visiting UK cities until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

White gannet

Today I am going to talk about the museum of the Zoology department at my university (University of Aberdeen). The museum encloses a range of stuffed animals from all over the planet. Even a stuffed tiger can be found here. According to some, it is obsolete and should be restructured. It makes me remember the British explorers that went all over the world and brought back anything that had not been seen in this island before. I hope this is not going to be the only way that children of my generation can one day experience such creatures...

By the way: Post number 100!

Orange campervan

There is plenty of them in Scotland. In Portugal we called them "pão de forma", i.e., bread loaf. Here they call it campervan. I think it is a way of going to the hills with style!

Blue waters

This is one of the cascades we skinny-dipped! Beautiful, but freezing water. With this photo I won the 1st prize of a domestic photo competition where friends were invited to eat and to vote on the pictures taken during the weekend in Skye. I guess it was the practice I needed to win a more serious competition later on. But I will talk about that another time.

Blue Sky(e). Again!

Dark shadows are crossing my life in Aberdeen but still, there has been great times spent in the Scottish lands. These pictures were taken in the island of Skye in the west coast and are the memory of a very happy weekeend with friends. We walked the hills, we skinny-dipped in the cold cascades, we crossed rivers, we slept under strong winds. There is no better activity that enjoying the outdoors in Scotland. Skye is one of the most famous islands of the west coast: quiet, colorfoul, sunny, rainy...It fills our souls with incredible pleasure.

Red tomatoes

And more...Spanish food! And of course red is the right colour.

Grey solar panels

Sometime ago I went to Alentejo to help Jonh Loder with his MSc students from the University of Aberdeen. It was very interesting to visit my own country with foreigners. I heard first hand what sensations Portugal, and more specifically the Alentejo, gives to outsiders. Apart from talking to farmers, visiting the Alqueva dam and some hunting estates we also went to the biggest solar panel farm in the world. It was good to know that at least in renewable energy production Portugal is in the leading group of countries.

Yellow codfish

Another beautiful codfish recipe to impress friends. I named it Dina's codfish. A tribute to my aunt Dina who taught me this recipe. I am aware of codfish overfishing and I am reducing my consumption substantially, but it is difficult to avoid cooking it from time to time. It is a link to my country and to my culture...

Grey building

Aqui está um belo exemplo do quão cinzenta pode ser a cidade de Aberdeen: O Mariscal College, construído em 1593, foi parte da Universidade de Aberdeen e é o segundo maior edifício de granito do mundo (a seguir ao El Escorial, em Madrid). A extensão do edifício deve-se a Archibal Simpson, o arquitecto de Aberdeen.

Green plants

Quem disse que não há muito que fazer em Aberdeen? Até pode ser verdade, mas mais verdade é que só não faz nada quem não quer. Numa tarde de chuva ou de sol pode sempre visitar-se os maravilhosos "winter gardens", um ex-libris da cidade em que vivo. Aqui encontramos a flora característica de cada um dos continentes. Esta foto foi tirada em pleno deserto e a apenas alguns metros da floresta tropical. algo comparável em Lisboa é a nossa Estufa Fria, junto ao parque Eduardo VII. Uma curiosidade: Esta visita foi feita na companhia de uma iraniana, um espanhol e uma alemã. É a multiculturalidade que tem enriquecido a minha vida em Aberdeen.

Purple trees

A poucas milhas de Aberdeen junto ao rio Dee está Glen Tanar estate. Numa caminhada podemos apreciar as cores de Fevereiro e com alguma sorte conseguimos ver um esquilo vermelho, um veado, um tartaranhão-azulado ou uma águia d'asa redonda. Desde que entrei neste ritmo constante de caminhadas, subidas à montanha e passeios de bicicleta ou de kayak que não consigo passar mais de uma hora do meu precioso fim-de-semana num shopping center.

Paella amarilla

Uma homenagem ao Fran, à Amparo e ao Indra. Em comum têm o facto de serem Valencianos. Por isso várias vezes tivemos a oportunidade de nos deliciar com a suas belíssimas paellas de frango e de marisco. Como fiquei com a paella, espero um dia reproduzir o feito.