Mathew Nicolson

@eyjarskeggi

Recovering from a PhD in the history of Scottish island political & constitutional history. Shetlander. Can be found doing things at: @EuropeElects.bsky.social @ShetlandElects.bsky.social @HistoryofElections.bsky.social @ScotHistNetwork.bsky.social

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Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 21h

No part of this headline went in a direction I was expecting

"Rosslyn Chapel in Midlothian celebrates historic Orkney link with launch of new rum." There's a photo of a woman in - I suppose - chapel clothing holding the aforementioned bottle of rum.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 4d

Morning

The Sun rising over a calm sea, the orange light reflecting off the water

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 5d

Not bad

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 5d

There's something blocking out the Sun

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 7d

A solar eclipse followed by an unusually visible meteor shower! Can't wait! Let me just check what the weather in Shetland is doing- -oh

Weather forecast for this Wednesday evening, showing dark clouds eventually turning into mist.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 9d

I'm amused by the ongoing fight on Wikipedia about what to call the article. "Shetland dialect" is winning for now - but with a bit of compromise en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Sh...

Note on the "Shetland dialect" Wikipedia page, which states "Though the exonym "Shetland dialect" has found wide use based on the presumption that it is a dialect of some other language (usually English or Scots), the variety has international recognition as a language in its own right.[5] The activist group I Hear Dee consistently uses the autonym Shaetlan, as opposed to "Shetland dialect"."

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 9d

Shetland remains the best place in the world.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 14d

Can't believe I missed the world's largest floating book fair while it was in Edinburgh, and only learned about it as I saw it while passing through Aberdeen. It's off to Faroe next, and doesn't seem like it'll return to Scotland for at least the next ten years...

Picture of the boat, Logos Hope, moored at dock.

Internal photo of the Logos Hope, showing book stalls on a pristine wooden floor.

Future ports of call

Aberdeen, Scotland - UK 22 Jul 2026 to 5 Aug 2026
Dublin, Ireland 8 Aug 2026 to 17 Aug 2026
Cork, Ireland 18 Aug 2026 to 24 Aug 2026
Torshavn, Faroe Islands 27 Aug 2026 to 2 Sept 2026
Klaksvik, Faroe Islands 2 Sept 2026 to 7 Sept 2026
Cardiff, Wales - UK 10 Sept 2026 to 29 Sept 2026
Belfast, Northern Ireland - UK 1 Oct 2026 to 21 Oct 2026
Liverpool, England - UK 22 Oct 2026 to 10 Nov 2026

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 15d

Bliss.

Met Office weather forecast for Lerwick, Shetland Islands, showing some mixed sunny/cloudy days with the forecast never rising above 15 degrees.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 16d

No cabins left on the ferry, but I came prepared

A large (and very comfortable) koala sitting on a sofa, ready to be slept on

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 16d

Hello Orkney!

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 19d

Parallel universe Orkney be like

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 19d

Mesmerised by Birmingham library each time I come here

A photo of the rotunda at the centre of the library, with red and blue books poking out from the dark, curved shelves, and an escalator in the foreground

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 22d

Not quite what I expected Indeed to deliver to my inbox, but sure, looks interesting I guess

Recreation Aid
U.S. Air Forces, Europe

4.4

4.4 out of 5 stars
Alconbury

£15 an hour

There are no guaranteed hours. Assists in the operation of the bowling center control desk. Operates the point of sales system, assigns lanes, issues rental…

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 23d

The Independent has some graphics showing the impact of the heatwaves across Britain www.independent.co.uk/weather/uk-c...

Cambridge, April to July 2026. The left side of the slider shows April and predominantly green fields. The right side, showing July, has very few green fields; most are a dead yellow colour, looking almost like a sandy desert.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 23d

Link to play around with, e.g. the world's most important competition, is here: ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-...

Chart of Faroe and Greenland's GDP. Faroe's growth rate has begin to surge since 2010 and its GDP has now overtaken Greenland's.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 23d

India's economy is also really beginning to take off - will probably soon surpass Japan in size

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 23d

Our World in Data's GDP chart has been updated to 2025. At this rate, China is on course to surpass the US as the world's largest economy at some point in the mid-2030s

Line chart of GDP by country (and EU), 1960 to 2025, in US dollars and adjusted for inflation. China line go up at a quicker rate than US line go up. EU is chugging upwards slowly but is being left behind in third by its two competitors. After a significant gap, they are followed by Japan, India, the UK and Brazil.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 24d

Very sadly, The Rose Field was probably my most disappointing read for a long time. Although Pullman remains an engaging writer throughout, I fundamentally didn't understand why the book was written, and finished almost wishing I hadn't read it.

Front cover of The Rose Field - featuring two silhouetted figures riding through the desert on a camel.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 29d

Wikipedia editors are fighting over who is currently Prime Minister of the UK.

Edit history of the "Prime Minister of the United Kingdom" page - repeatedly switching between Starmer, Burnham and vacant

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· 29d

Love pubs that serve tea.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· Jul 18

Also, not far away, we spotted some adolescent frogs!

A small, brownish flog stood on a blade of grass - it is very tiny, but fully frog-shaped.

Mathew Nicolson@eyjarskeggi· Jul 18

Really eerie post-industrial vibes from Culross the other week (which otherwise resembles a Disneyfied museum town). A single rail track leading to Longannet power station, with Grangemouth refinery poking through the fog across the firth.