graffiti

Day #14 of the USS pension strike. I missed the picket line this morning but by all accounts it was quite quiet. I did manage to come for the Geology Teachout. 

We went for a walk up Blackford Hill to get an overview of the various volcanic episodes that can be seen around Edinburgh. On the way up we had a look at the archway entrance going to the observatory, discussing building stones, stresses and fluvial vs aeolian deposits. The view from the top of Blackford Hill is spectacular especially with the snow capped munros in the distance. These can only be seen when the snow provides some extra contrast. We also discussed crag and tail and rôche moutonnée glacial landforms. We continued on into the glen and wondered if the Braid Burn is a misfit stream. We finished off at the Agassiz Rock to look at the evidence for glacial striae (see extra) and found that as always reality is not as simple as we also found linear features caused by a fault. We were blessed with fantastic weather, brilliant sunshine and some warmth. Spring has come at long last. You can download a nice leaflet on the geology of Edinburgh from BGS/SNH. More pictures of our teachout on flickr.

We are back at work tomorrow. Negotiations between the Union, the employers and the pension fund are ongoing. Hopefully, we will not need to strike again. Somehow I suspect we will.