BALACLAVA-CLAD DIRT BIKERS on Hume Walk, Calton Hill on Wednesday 12 November 2025 at 15.40. They were using both electric & petrol motorbikes to do stunts and cut up the turf. One rider sprayed us with mud. One bike had a number plate, but it was not possible to read it from the video.

Your occasional reminder, if you’re in the UK, that it is shaping up to be a hideous bird flu season, with many wildlife casualties (including resident birds, not just winter migrants), and, however soft your heart, it is a Really Bad Idea to handle sick or ‘injured’ birds or bring them inside.

If you've ever wondered what it's like being a teacher in 2025 in Scotland, watch these 90 seconds. This is it, 100%. Thanks @jamesmcenaney.bsky.social for saying it. www.instagram.com/reel/DQ_2EIc...

The Open University, Opening Doors to Education. Did you know The Open University has 16,470 students across Scotland, with 340 studying right here in Bathgate and Linlithgow.

They didn't want my blood, but they probably want yours! I went to give blood today, but due to a v minor medical issue they couldn't take it. Yet they told me they do need donors. As I couldn't help by giving, instead, I thought i'd publicise this... www.blood.co.uk

If you're in Edinburgh and haven't left the house yet, don't bother. It's fricking horrible out.

Good grief, Ryanair can be so miserable at times and this is one of those times. www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-...

Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round

SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten. "I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA

Maybe Keir should demand the heads of major US news networks any time they imply Britain is on the brink of civil war or that we live under sharia law. Or does it not work both ways?

I nearly broke my ankle just looking at these. Size 7, British Heart Foundation, on Lothian Road if any of you are braver.

Guillermo del Toro may come and live in Edinburgh he loves it so much... bit.ly/47yxnDg

Which one is more English?

More colours! Not a day to be inside. #edinburgh

27 prisoners released by mistake from Scottish prisons over last four years www.holyrood.com/news/view,27...

27 prisoners have been mistakenly released in Scotland over the last 3 years. We don't really hear much about that though. news.stv.tv/scotland/mor...

Colours! #edinburgh

Who can forget those relentless front page headlines - twice a week on average over the last 2 yrs of Tory Govt: "Another prisoner released in error! Braverman / Cleverly / Sunak must quit!" Yes, me neither...

"In the 12 months to March 2024, 87 prisoners were released in error." In fact several hundred were released during the Tories time in power from 2010- 2024. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I don't recall hearing much about each individual involved. www.gov.uk/government/s...

There were 115 prisoners mistakenly released in the final year of the last Conservative Government alone. Interesting that it only becomes a major national scandal the second these releases can be blamed on a Labour government

We've been down on the beach today picking up firework debris. It's odd, isn't it, that you can be fined £250 for dropping litter but somehow it's OK to launch rockets containing plastic casings into the sky.

If you can ignore all the Christmas setting-up, PSG is a sight to behold at this time of year! #edinburgh

A reminder also that Starmer said "a thin deal is better than no deal", that Johnson wasn't being honest about the "avalanche of checks, bureaucracy and red tape" his deal would cause, and that it had a "gaping hole" when it came to the service sector, saying "the lack of ambition here is striking".

How Keir Starmer could become a social media star. My Substack today. open.substack.com/pub/peterhym...

Zoological Society repeats call for fireworks ban The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is renewing its call for a national ban on the public sale of fireworks, one year after the tragic death of their baby red panda, Roxie, at Edinburgh Zoo. Since launching its public campaign in 2024,…

Our latest article is now live! A match report from Scotland U-17's 2-0 defeat to Sweden. youcouldnaewriteit.wordpress.com/2025/11/04/m...

Some of the many, many things Labour have achieved for our children. Lots more but here’s few. #LabourAchievements

🚨NEW - Train hero who saved passengers during attack confuses racists by being a Muslim Click for more: open.substack.com/pub/mrhenrym...

🔴 NEW: High levels of faecal bacteria were recorded at dozens of Scotland’s best beaches this summer. Campaigners say swimmers and paddlers could be at risk, but ministers and regulators insist water quality remains high. Our latest: theferret.scot/scott...

The Edinburgh tram consultation runs for another couple of weeks. Regardless of which route you favour, there's no doubt improving accessibility for people who live in outlying areas of the city brings opportunities to those who live there. consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/tram-nor...

The To Absent Friends festival takes place across Scotland from 1-7 November 2025. It is an opportunity to remember, to tell stories, to celebrate and to reminisce about people we love who have died #toabsentfriends www.toabsentfriends.org.uk

I asked my class of ESOL learners about digital ID cards. We had a vote on whether it was a good thing or a bad thing. It was unanimously positive. Most were shocked that there's no obligation to have a passport or any other form of photo ID here.

This from @lewisgoodall.com

The driver of the LNER train on which stopped at Huntingdon follow a mass stabbing on board has spoken publicly about the incident for the first time.

Halloween skies

Another year and another planning farce … trees not properly protected, soil compacted again …

Police concerned for welfare of missing 80-year-old woman Police are urgently appealing for the help of the public to trace an 80-year-old woman reported missing from the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh. Ruth Hannah was last seen around 10.55am on Thursday, 30 October, at a supermarket on Colinton…

St Margaret’s Park in Corstorphine is looking for volunteers!

The £10 billion Norway frigate deal was just the start - this £8 billion deal with Turkey benefits NATO, and jobs in Edinburgh. More deals with other nations are in the pipeline. Details - www.gov.uk/government/n...

Asylum seekers, housed in hotels in Manchester, are reaching out in their own words to address the concerns of the local community. Please take a minute to read their letter, & share it with the people in your life who need to hear the truth about the people they are protesting.

Edinburgh brushed with gold.

The reform party nativity scene. No unmarried mothers. No Middle Eastern people. No refugees. No people seeking emergency accommodation. And not a wise fvcking man in sight…

Found this at dad's - an old Sunfresh Orange Drink booklet about their sales promotion from the 50s. Great photos of old production lines. Guessing it's American. Are there any local archives that take this kind of document?

A reminder there's jobs at careers.lothianbuses.com Not just bus driving...

Too early for mincemeat pies, but not soon enough for Edinburgh's Christmas.

Please sign. Further education changes lives. Ask the Scottish Government to give it fair funding.

Fund the Future of FE! Stop the cuts! c.org/htxPVfBGvb

It's a busy road. Hope someone saw something. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Happily accepting any of the following: • Artificial tree in excellent condition, ideally 7 feet or taller (no smaller than 6 feet) • Real tree (same sizing as above); must come with base/stand • Working fairy lights • Good-quality tree decorations #Christmas #decorations #Space #BroomhouseHub