## hpr3575 :: An Edinburgh Blether

 Introduction
Hosts:

MrX
Dave Morriss

We recorded this on Sunday March 6th 2022. The last time we set up a chat like this was back in March 2021, almost exactly a year ago surprisingly!
Note on the title: we spoke a little on the subject of the Scots language in the show - when speaking of the current census - so the title uses a Scots term.
Topics discussed

COVID:

Losing track of time



Christmas:

A quiet time for both of the hosts, with some family time



Dave’s family matters:

Son graduated after doing an MSc and got a job quite quickly last year
Daughter had graduated from an MSc the year before and also got a job this year.
Dave had a bout of shingles in early January, which lasted about 6-7 weeks overall. If you can get a shingles vaccination as you age, get one!



UK heating, boilers, etc.

MrX’s in-laws had a boiler failure during the cold weather, and a gas leak!
Dave had a leak in his cold water tank in the attic which flooded the room below. He decided to completely upgrade the heating system, remove all tanks and put in a new pressurised condensing gas boiler. See the Wikipedia page for an overview of central heating systems.
Old-style plumbing; coal fires, back boilers and dampers.
The era of coal:

Gas poker used for starting domestic (usually coal) fires
Coal gas made from coal, superseded by natural gas
Gasometer storage device for coal gas




Internet connectivity:

Dave has transitioned from ADSL to fibre since the last show

Fibre to the Premises, with up to 1 Gbit/s if desired
New router using Wireless 6

MrX has Fibre to the Cabinet
Dave’s new router doesn’t allow the Pi-hole to work at the moment



Chromebook:

MrX has acquired a Chromebook since our last show

It is convenient to use. Made answering the online Scottish Census quite straightforward.




Census and Scots Language:

The Census asks about the Scots Language, whether the person can speak and understand it.
Dave follows @lenniesaurus on Twitter who introduces a daily Scots word.
According to Wikipedia:


Scots is recognised as an indigenous language of Scotland, a regional or minority language of Europe, and a vulnerable language by UNESCO. In the 2011 Scottish Census, over 1.5 million people in Scotland reported being able to speak Scots.


Links

Scots words:

Scots Language
The online Scots dictionary (English to Scots)
@lenniesaurus on Twitter - poet and Scots language enthusiast



Plumbing, heating:

Central Heating
Hot water tank
Immersion heater
Gas poker
Coal gas
Gas holder/gasometer



Internet connection:

ADSL - Asymmetric digital subscriber line
Fibre to the X - different types of fibre connection


