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Andrew Skudder

@skuds.bsky.social
71 followers 166 following 826 posts

Mon-Fri: managing risk and Excel-whispering Sat-Sun: buying as many records as I can carry on a motorbike Everyday: drinking tea, reading books, counting the days until retirement

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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
A very chilled day today. I made a great big beef stew and while it was cooking we borrowed next door's Alsatian and took her to the Barony A Frame park for a long walk. It will have to do until/unless we get another dog ourselves.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New post on Skuds.org called "September 2026" Read it here: skuds.org/2026/10/september-2026
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
New post on Skuds.org called "The last lap" Read it here: skuds.org/2026/09/the-last-lap
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Having a good surprise day off. Drove into Cumnock for a bacon roll, picked up some 7" singles at the local charity shop, then took the bike out to fill it with petrol and came back the long way.
A pile of 7-inch singles by Madness, Bob Marley, the Smiths, Tom Robinson, Talking Heads, XTC, the Specials and Doctor Feelgood.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As well as a very nice little record shop (The Record Market) there are some nice-looking buildings and statues in Paisley. Unfortunately the museum is closed (renovations?) Worth a visit, apart from the post-apocalyptic shopping arcade, which is truly grim.
A small steep road, leading up to a church. Actually a lot steeper than it look sin the photograph.Paisley Abbey. A big old church in the gothic style.Coats Paisley. Looks like a church, and probably used to be a church but is now an 'event space'. 
Today it was host to a wedding. Zoom in and you can see a lone bagpiper playing the bride and groom out.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Managed to resist the temptation to come home from Paisley with a Dalek. Would have had trouble getting it on the bus, nowhere to keep it, and it did not look as impressive close-up as it did from across the street.
A blue shop front with the name "Bailey's Antiques"

In the window can be seen a full-size Dalek.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Visited Paisley. Lovely record shop there! Came back via Glasgow and Kilmarnock. Really hammered my free bus pass today! Came home with a bagful of (mostly 80s) vinyl. Filled a couple of gaps in my collection. Realised when I got home that I already had that Temptations LP, but only £4 wasted.
Vinyl LPs by Jimmy Sommerville, Bob Dylan, Toyah, Alan Parsons Project and Van Morrison.

All from The record Market, a shop in Paisley. £39 for the lot.Vinyl LPs by Elton John, Billy Joel and the Temptations.

All from Missing Records, Glasgow. £17 for the lot.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Good day at work today. I was already looking forward to the normal half-day on Friday but then discovered that Monday is a bank holiday. Sort of. For some reason our Glasgow office works on the early August Scottish bank holiday but then has a day off in September instead. Long weekend!
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Bloke in our local chippy had a pizza. The look on Jayne's face when they added the salt and vinegar was priceless. Still adjusting to Scottish life.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Car review in today's Times says that the new £173,000 Bentley EV is 'designed to appeal to younger drivers'. You'd think that appealing to people who could afford it would be a better business case. Of course 'younger' is comparative and maybe it just means younger than normal Bentley owners?
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Thinking of becoming a right-wing anti-immigration agitator with a YouTube channel and X account. I don't believe in any of that shit, obviously, but it seems to be where the money is these days, and all those biscuits and records ain't going to pay for themselves.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Council delivered 3 new bins today. We now have 3 separate recycling bins + 1 general waste. They all get collected on a 4-weekly cycle, different bin each wednesday (+ food waste every week) Total binmaggedon up here in East Ayrshire!
Three big wheelie bins in a row outside a garage
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Well that didn't last long. Had an EV for a couple of weeks and now it's back with the dealer because the 12v battery died.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I did buy a record while in Edinburgh though; Doublespeak's self-titled debut.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Finally visited Edinburgh for the first time. Very good if you like whisky shops and kilted bagpipe buskers, steep roads, and tourists everywhere. Could be improved by having a burger van at the park&ride.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
For some reason, the Slik chapter has been overlooked, despite providing Midge Ure's first number one single. www.thesdeshop.com/products/mid...
thesdeshop.com
Chapters: The Best Of Midge Ure SDE exclusive blu-ray audio
Chapters: The Best of Midge Ure is a brand new compilation album available on this SDE exclusive blu-ray featuring Atmos, 5.1, new stereo and instrumental mixes of Midge Ure's greatest hits.  Midge is...
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Ah. This might explain all the racket - a rare home defeat, and a missed chance of revenge for losing at Largs last month.
Football result from the BBC website. Auchinleck Talbot nil, Largs Thistle 1
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Its nearly 4 weeks since I bought any vinyl. Ironically, this is a record.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Auchinleck Talbot v Largs game sounds a bit lively. Can hear the crowd shouting from inside my house!
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Productive weekend doing grown-up stuff Bought a drain snake and unblocked downpipe outside Shaved the bottom of the back door to the garage so it opens properly. Re-did caulking on the shower to stop it leaking Got round to driving the new car after a week of ownership
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Reposted by Andrew Skudder
This Is My Glasgow @thisismyglasgow.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Street advertising, Glasgow style - Direct and to the point, with not a single wasted word! I spotted this on Garth Street in the Merchant City area of the city today. #glasgow #advertising #merchantcity #haircut
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Had my EV for 3 days. Not driven it yet. Been wfh. So much fucking jargon though! KwH, type 2, preconditioning... and so many apps! How is all this supposed to be better?
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Excel can't add up! If you are summing cells that would add up to zero, and one of the cells is zero then the total comes to not-zero. A blank in cell B7 is fine, but replace it with 0 and it all goes pear-shaped.
Screenshot from Excel. Cells containing values of 1.1, 2.2, -3.3, and zero. Another cell which adds them up and comes to more than zero.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Bin day today. General waste only collected every 4 weeks here so you don't want to miss it! Especially not with the amount of cat litter we now have in our bin.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Took possession of a shiny new electric car on Monday evening. Might get round to actually driving it at the weekend, but still a couple of weeks before I get a charger installed.
A silvery grey Citroen eC3 Aircross car parked on a driveway.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I may have arranged to buy an electric car today.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
This is a development I am very much not in favour of!
A 16-year-old tabby cat sitting on a cabinet, next to a turntable
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Something to look forward to - but tickets for Glasgow don't go on sale until tomorrow morning. Will have to set a reminder.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Big day today. Our new sofa arrived so we no longer have to take turns sitting in the one comfy chair. More importantly, it means that the place finally feels complete and like a proper home. Still lots to do of course, but all the basics are here now.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
We had Kilmarnock pie for dinner today. Not bad at all. Followed by the gradual acceptance that we don't get a bank holiday up here tomorrow.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
In Essex. Every lamppost has a tattered flag. Or two. Glad I now live 400 miles away from this brexitty shit hole!
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This is what happens if your house does not wear hi-vis and a cycle helmet!
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Discovered another thing to love about Scotland. Empire biscuits! Where have they been all my life?
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Went for a 40-mile ride on the Honda today, having decided that 3 weeks was long enough for my arse to recover from the 450-mile ride to bring the bike up here. Might not be too many dry, warmish days left, so best to make the most of it while it lasts.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Went to the 'Vintage & Vinyl Market' in Ayr. Described as "a vibrant mix of retro fashion, classic records, quirky collectibles, and unique finds" But it was really a record fair with just two traders there. Came home with some funk though, and explored a bit more of Ayr.
Two vinyl LPs, by Funkadelic and Sly & the Family Stone
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Wedding anniversary today. 25 years! Really not sure how Jayne managed to put up with me for so long, but very glad she did.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Just finished an advance copy of this and it is wonderful. It is that rare thing; a non-fiction book that is also a page-turner, because of the sharp and witty writing style. It is also beautifully illustrated by the author (is there anything he can't do?)
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
In the last two weeks I think I have turned the TV on twice (both times to watch Last Week Tonight). Starting to wonder if I really need it.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
If anybody is ever in the Kilmarnock area, then I can thoroughly recommend a visit to the Dick Institute. A mixture of art, natural history, local history, industrial history, and lots of Burns-related stuff, plus a library on the ground floor. And free admission!
The main entrance of the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock. A large symmetrical building with a main, columned entrance flanked by two wings.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Here's where yo mamma got her O levels!
Sign outside the Dick Institute in Kilmarnock.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
After the cows we looked around Stirling and Falkirk. I may have visited a record shop or two, and may have come home with more vinyl. Bought the single by Telex especially for the b-side (Moskow Diskow)
Four vinyl LPs, by Was (Not Was), Simple Minds, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and Kansas. All bought at Europa Music in Sterling.Three vinyl LPs by Earth, Wind & Fire, Crusaders, and Shabba Ranks, plus a 10-inch single by Thousand Yard Stare, and a 7-inch single by Telex.
All bought at Silver Machine Records in Falkirk.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Jayne wanted to to go and visit some highland cattle this morning so we did, and she enjoyed it. Nearly as much as I enjoyed the spectacular bacon-filled morning roll beforehand.
A close-up of a black highland cow with wonky hornsA light brown highland cow lying down
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Garage is starting to look good now!
A yellow Honda CB500F motorbike in a garage. Behind it are shelves containing helmets, gloves, and assorted biking paraphernalia and some textile jackets hanging on hooks.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
A gun shop next door to a Wetherspoons. What could possibly go wrong?
A large church building, now operating as a JD Wetherspoons pub. Immediately next door is a shop called Gamesport of Ayr which sells guns and fishing tackle.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Visited Ayr today. Saw a couple of people dressed as pirates wandering around and wonder if they had anything to do with the Galeon Andalucia which is currently moored, or just like dressing as pirates.
Ayr High Street, looking North towards the Wallace Tower.The Galeon Andalucia, a replica of a Spanish galleon, parked in Ayr harbour for a month.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Paid a visit to the Dalcairney Falls today. Missed a turning and went the (very) long way round, but didn't mind because the landscape was so dramatic everywhere. Jayne happy to see a farmer in a kilt out doing farmery things, and sheep wandering in the road.
A waterfall pouring into a pool, and then running off to a cascade into a stream. All surrounded by trees.View from the other side. A stream goes under a stone bridge and then becomes a waterfall into the pool below
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
What emergency alert is this that all the fuss is about? Not had anything here. Maybe they can't get through all the Ayrshire drizzle?
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
For sale: one owner. Not used. Perhaps having these in Scotland was a tad optimistic. The clouds did a good enough job of protecting my eyes.
A pair of eclipse-viewing glasses.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Disappointing eclipse. Now spitting with rain.
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Andrew Skudder @skuds.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
Out for an evening walk. No sign of drought here in East Ayrshire!
Puddles surrounded by green grass.
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