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Graeme Beale

@midfyffe.bsky.social
574 followers 778 following 945 posts

Works in @RESAS in the Scottish Government. Head of the Strategic Research Programme - Rural/Environment. Quaker. Writer of sub-par cat poems and other things.

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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 52m
Someone somewhere must be sitting on a mountain of reusable water bottles. The water bottle cycle 🔁 I buy a reusable water 💧 bottle (for the environment). Said bottle disappears in mysterious circumstances. I buy a reusable water 💧 bottle. It’s baffling.
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Reposted by Graeme Beale
Barbara J Bone @barbarabone.bsky.social · 58m
An oligarch with a brolly ?
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 3h
Feeling obliged to share my Amazon info. Devastating levels of detail. I feel seen as my local Gen zees would say. They know I drink coffee and probably have a washing machine.
Amazon infos review saying coffee in various ways
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 4h
Every time I see the word broligarch I think some words truly should never be spoken. In this case it's because bro and oligarch don't us the same letter o.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 10h
Morag’s been howling for minutes because Teddy (the neighbours cat) is in the front garden. Not inside. Not stealing her food. Just sitting on the lawn. #cat
Morag windowsill cat 🐈
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 22h
It's spooky season. Therefore you should all enjoy truly the most amazing version of Season of the Witch. It's seven hypnotic minutes of swirls and a hammond organ. Singer - Julie Driscoll. Jut go with it. youtu.be/dCKZPEleI-U?...
youtu.be
Julie Driscoll - Season Of The Witch (1968)
YouTube video by GoCoffeeGo
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
I mean a question about Only Connect is like the Bluesky bat-signal, no?
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A few series ago Victoria C-M said that they had done that analysis and it had broadly the same accuracy/ response rate sad the other question types. IIRC picture clues were slightly less well answered.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Ordered a book which will be coming from the US at some point. It feels like an adventure. Will it arrive? Will there a be a tariff randomly added? How long will it take to get here? All the thrills of being a C18th merchant wil a slightly lower chance of dying from plague.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
LPT: free yourself from optimism bias by never having hope!
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Ahm no' a grass.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
#Scottish #LIDAR folks. An exciting announcement of a first conference, looking to build a user community on the new Scottish LIDAR data. 2/12/2026 @ Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. Please do RT if you think you know people who might be interested! luma.com/y3vt0vha?dm_...
luma.com
Scottish LiDAR user conference - building resilience in our landscapes · Luma
With the Scottish Land LiDAR Programme (2025–2027) now releasing its first data, the landscape of Scotland is is set to be revealed in unprecedented…
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Also on the is this #pie #quaker? question. Pork and egg pie. Limited overall score given the volume of pork. However an unending egg is an appealing idea. Where does it begin, when does it end, are we all in some sense egg? Good to fair Quaker score. www.marksandspencer.com/food/british...
marksandspencer.com
British Pork and Egg Gala Pie Slices | M&S
Our Pork and Egg Gala Pie Slices are crafted with 100% British, outdoor-bred pork for quality you can trust. The delicately seasoned meat is combined with free-range egg and encased in flaky pastry. S...
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It was #quaker week this week and we were absolutely overwhelmed to have a new face at meeting today. We celebrated by not having any heating and having everyone in coats and nearly able to see their own breath. Hope yours was as good.
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Reposted by Graeme Beale
General Boles @generalboles.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
RELEASE THE NEXT EPISODE IMMEDIATELY I PAY MY LICENSE FEE #CelebrityTraitors
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Neat little image from meteoblue showing what kind of climate we had in Europe this summer. London had the summer that you used to expect in Portugal. Paris on the south coast of Spain. #climate #change.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Yeah that was my assumption too. Probably they shouldn't have left all the thinking to the intern.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
But look 1000+ member parliament! Such japes!!
AMS map
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
This was a lovely post. Whittier’s Snow-Bound is just a wonderful place to start reading his works. As long as you’re ready to feel the cold 🥶.
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Quakers in Britain @quaker.org.uk · 01/10/2026
John Greenleaf Whittier, Waldo Williams, UA Fanthorpe, Rosie Bailey – there are many Quaker poets. Rhiannon Grant shares some more in this blog for National Poetry Day www.quaker.org.uk/blog/expressing-f…
quaker.org.uk
Expressing faith through poetry
For National Poetry Day, Rhiannon Grant collects some Quaker poetry and suggests where to find more.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A moment’s peace means a #poem for world poetry day. Strangely also world #Quaker week too.
Birdsong at the Foodbank
It was quiet at the Foodbank today,
I could hear the Robin in the garden,
Confirmed on my birdsong phone app.
More donations than deliveries,
The bakery had sent fresh rolls,
Still warm with love and a halo of flour.

Quiet can be good,
It means this week no-one is asking.

The rows of cans sit silently shining,
Low autumn rays light the cracked window,
The cereal boxes stacked haphazardly high,
Like away fans at a football match.

Next week we’ll be here again,
Hoping for quiet.

GB 1st October, 2026
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
On principle I’m not watching your podcast. In much the same way that I don’t go to the National portrait gallery to listen to the pictures.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Fascinated by this picture on Sky News site. I’ve been to many petrol pumps over the years. But never, I think, rainbow 🌈 pumps. I’m guessing this is where the people who have “powered by pixie dust” bumper stickers fill up?
A row of petrol pumps with blue green tell red and black handles.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Feel like Nigel was phoning it in a bit today.
Sausage and beans
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
There should be a “cobble-free” option on Google maps for cyclists in the rain.
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Reposted by Graeme Beale
Dr. Sarah Parcak @indyfromspace.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
On Easter Island, less is Moai
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derek guy @dieworkwear.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Tweed is such a beautiful fabric to wear this time of year because it produces, in Dolly Parton's phrasing, a coat of many colors. Even a solid-colored brown is not just brown, but bits of red, blue, and yellow to produce something that looks lifted off the Scottish landscape.
There are two photos taped together. The top shows a brown stone building with a brown thatched roof. It's surrounded by green grass, stone walkways, and blue-gray sea. Below is a checked brown tweed that reflects the colors in the landscape above it. There are two photos taped together. The one at te top shows a rocky hillside with green and straw-colored grass, gray rocks, and a tan sandy beach below. The blue waters are crashing at the shore. Below is a green herringbone tweed that reflects the colors in the landscape above it. There are two photos taped together. The top shows a field of green and straw colored fields with bits of purple flowers. Below is a a series of checked brown tweed that reflect the colors in the landscape above it. A swatch book of solid-colored tweeds. The green tweed has visible flecks of red, gold, and blue.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It is officially autumn. (I have had porridge for breakfast and turned the heating on as it was 15 degrees when I came downstairs.)
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie 7: Fish pie An edge case - mashed potato crust will always raise an eyebrow on 'pie inclusion', this actually increases it's quaker score. As an "Edge People" this clearly rockets up the quaker score. Ideally served in traditional enamel ware for max Q-points. www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes...
bbc.co.uk
How to make fish pie recipe
Make the ultimate fish pie recipe with bags of flavour from smoked haddock, prawns and cod, all topped with creamy mashed potato.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie 6: Fray Bentos Chicken Tikka. FB is very popular at the Foodbank, so immediately scores well on equality and community. A bit of actual flavour, and the tin to bake in makes it popular, but also not great ecologically. Medium quaker score. groceries.morrisons.com/products/fra...
groceries.morrisons.com
Fray Bentos Chicken Tikka Pie
64 Pastry layers<br>Hand-placed by experts. Devoured by you. With lids like this, no wonder we're the #1 pie in a tin.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie 5: Steak and Kidney pie Simple innards & leftovers, surrounded with shortcrust. This has to be a top-end pie (points deducted for meat of course). Eaten by the middle class but felt to be working class it has strong quaker resonances. Medium/high quaker score www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes...
bbc.co.uk
Cherry pie recipe
A juicy, bright cherry pie is pretty hard to beat. Will you serve yours with custard, cream or ice cream?
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie 4: Cherry pie. SWEET PIE ENTERS THE LISTS! Inclusion of Demerara sugar here clearly runs counter to centuries of quaker tradition. This pie could ask if you were a friend of the planters. Even cherries seem decadent by design. Very unquaker. www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes...
bbc.co.uk
Cherry pie recipe
A juicy, bright cherry pie is pretty hard to beat. Will you serve yours with custard, cream or ice cream?
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie 3: Salmon Wellington. Could there be a less quaker pie? It's named after a General, so very low peace score, and makes extensive if delicious use of puff pastry. Pairing an expensive (unsimple) with watercress and/or dill, tasty but low scoring on the quaker scale. www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes...
bbc.co.uk
Salmon Wellington recipe
A whole salmon en croûte is a lovely Christmas party centrepiece. Nigel Slater's simple recipe uses ready-made pastry to make it quick and easy.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie 2: Cheese and potato. Good vegetarian option, solid filling, high simplicity score. This can be reduced for use of filo or puff, but increased if there is a top and base shortcrust. Ideal for home baking giving good community and equality score. britishbakingrecipes.co.uk/hairy-bikers...
britishbakingrecipes.co.uk
Hairy Bikers Cheese and Potato Pie Recipe
Hairy Bikers’ Cheese and Potato Pie is a comforting, hearty dish that combines the creaminess of mashed potatoes with the rich flavor of cheese
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Pie number one. The Melton Mowbray Pork pie. This pie has a good midlands heritage, a thick pastry w/ pork. High simplicity score The level of gelatin feels very un-quaker and the fact it has a DGO suggests unquaker pretention. Overall Medium-low quaker score. porkpie.co.uk/cdn/shop/col...
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It's #Quaker week! In the last couple of years I've offered an AMA to anyone who wants to ask about #quaker things. Since no questions flooded in, this year I'm celebrating in a different way. I shall be rating pies 🥧 By how quaker they are. Feel free to suggest your favourite pie.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Direlton Castle used to have the absolute best slogan. You could buy a poster that said "Spend an Interesting Afternoon at Direlton Castle, home of the world's longest herbaceous border." I always loved the ambition - like it won't use your whole day, but we could pitch for the afternoon maybe.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Caithness seems to have escaped from Highland Council and gobbled up a bit of Sutherland.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Genuinely fascinated by the Scotland sections in this map. Like, what are the regions here? Fife seems to have ceded Newburgh/Tayport to Dundee, Perth and Kinross now extends to the west coast? Mesmerising.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Yeah, that latter point is really big. From a govt pov. Open data portals are built with good faith usage in mind. There’s an assumption they’re for people who are interested in a policy problem. That’s a natural limit. Bots just don’t have that. Who knows what/why they’ll download a dataset?
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I rarely go on Facebook. Baffling AI slop like this is why. Yes there is a castle in the middle of Loch Leven... but... um??? Wot?
AI slop of loch Leven Castle
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Little vignette in the furniture project shop. Just overheard the best conversation here. “Oh that one’s nice. “ “Mum that table’s glass topped,” “Yeah it’s nice” “Just say you don’t like your grand weans.”
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Just did this 1.1 degree up here in Kinross, but looking at Oxford where we went in the summer it was more than 4 degrees. Just scorching.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Who got up early to do uninterrupted survey analysis? Who just lost the last 3 hours with a network crash? 😵‍💫 Almost feel like a proper researcher again…
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
2 Coffee at breakfast, one tea later in the day.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
By your mid forties it is essential that you have at least half a dozen keys 🔑 of unknown origin. We don’t know why this is. Only that it is.
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I think I found the prize-winner for AI craft poster #slop on the Kinross notice board today. For the Christmas #craft fair. AI confirmation text left on at the bottom. “your festive poster is above”
Poster advertising a craft fair that says your festive poster is above
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I have spent time in the last couple of weeks looking through UKRI project bids for 'policy relevant projects'. Genuinely if you, as an academic, want to claim deep expertise why would you repeatedly misname organisations outside England, and/or assume their role is to 'translate Defra policy'? 🤷‍♀️
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Reposted by Graeme Beale
Dave Walker @davewalker.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
New cartoon: The RNLI
Cartoon titled “The RNLI: Some of the people they help,” showing six scenarios involving people rescued by the RNLI. Including a man caught by the tide, a YouTuber swimming without preparation, a middle-lane driver, a neighbour with different political opinions, a superyacht owner who forgot to refuel, and people crossing the Channel in a small boat. The final caption reads, “All human beings – all deserve saving.”
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Graeme Beale @midfyffe.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Shostakovich would like a word...
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