About this blog…

I called the blog “the ubiquitous blog” for the obvious reason that everybody seems to have one these days and I wanted to teach myself more about blogging. I started writing it with the vague idea that I would write about computers, which I spend far too much time using, and ecology, which is of professional interest to me (I am a trained ecologist with degrees from the Universities Edinburgh and Aberdeen, my MPhil. thesis was on the potential effects climatic change on mountain vegetation in Scotland). As a professional ecologist I have worked in areas as diverse (and related) as biodiversity, forestry, upland ecosystems, climate change, and air pollution (a list of publication is here). However it has become, as personal blogs so often do, more about my other interests such as my cycling and whatever else enters my head at the time. The view and opinions express in this blog are entirely my own and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of any organisations which I am associated with.

If you like the way I write and would like me to write something for you, please feel free to ask.

But who am I? Now there is a question I have been asking all my life. I am widely known as Kim (note Kim’s are not all Kimberly’s, I have an XY genotype), although old friends and family know me by a slightly different name (the reason is a story I will keep for another day). I come originally from the North East of Scotland, I now live in the South East of Scotland, and in between I have lived in Singapore, England and Norway. I have also travelled a wee bit too.

Interests, well as stated above ecology and computers, also politics, history and philosophy, spring to mind. Outdoor pursuits, skiing (all forms), walking (preferable over mountain and hill), and cycling (mountain biking on holiday, weekend touring, daily utility cycling and commuting, I am also a qualified Cycle Trainer, if you would like some training please get in touch). Outdoor pursuits which I have formerly engaged in (maybe to be resumed one day); sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, scuba diving, swimming and running.

There maybe some who are wondering if I know how to drive, well I have held a clean driving licence for the whole of my adult life. I have also held a number of advance driving qualifications and was for a period of four years a full qualified Driving Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructor. For a time I also held a trainee HGV 1 driving licence. So if you were wondering, the answer is: I am an experienced and knowledgeable driver.

Just in case you are interested, the photo above is the view across the Inner Sound from the Applecross peninsular to towards Isle of Skye with the Isle of Raasay in front. If you would like to know more about “the ubiquitous blog”, I can be contacted here.

You may have noticed when reading this blog is that the author is dyslexic, so I hope you will excuse the occasional spelling error. Please feel free to contact me and let me know where they are.

Before anyone else asks, this is my personal blog, I don’t take unsolicited material, so don’t bother asking if you can write something for me. If I want to post material written by someone else, I will approach them. If you send me a message offering to use my blog as a platform for your writing, I will treat the message as spam.