Multilingual support in the different parts of the UK government

I genuinely think these two (different) documents might be the best translations of public documents I've ever seen. I am disappointed that not more of the Scottish govt's publications are in Scots, and would like to see this remedied.

Scots version: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/mtspwfy/documents/MTSPWFY-Sco.pdf
English version: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/mtspwfy/documents/MTSPWFY-Eng.pdf

Ulster Scots version: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/code_of_courtasy_ulster_scot.doc
English version: http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/code_of_courtesy_february_2006-2.doc

I didn't even know Ulster Scots was a language until today, I'm woefully uneducated. I want to learn it now. In addition to learning Provençal. Which I also want to learn.

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TAD - Day 26: Carnelian and argentium earrings

Continuing somewhat of a theme, as the more observant amongst you will notice. I love the colour of these beads though - so summery! The weather's improved dramatically here, so I've been spending time on the beach, pretending to write more of my story - I've got about 2500 words done in the last couple of days, so it's not all been time wasted!

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010

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TAD - Day 25: a pearl and sterling silver bracelet

I appear to have completely forgotten to post this yesterday. Bad me. I blame the sunshine - it's nice weather here again finally!

Anyway, yesterday's Thing was a red and white freshwater pearl bracelet, wrapped in argentium sterling silver and finished with a handmade argentium toggle clasp.

Today's Thing will come later, as inspiration strikes...

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Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010

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A productive day

Today has been what passes for a productive day round these parts. I've done another load of laundry, another load of dishes, written 1600 words of my story sitting in the sunshine on the beach, got slightly sunburnt, and made a new pendant. And it's only half past 3. What miracles the rest of the day might hold!

(That or I'll go back to bed. It's a hard life.)

Pic of new pendant, made of argentium sterling silver wire and blue glass beads:

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TAD - Day 22: Larvikite and argentium silver pendant

Today's Thing is a pendant made from a larvikite slab, wrapped in argentium silver wire.

Wikipedia tells us that "Argentium sterling silver is a modern sterling silver alloy which modifies the traditional alloy (92.5% silver + 7.5% copper) by replacing some of the copper with the metalloid germanium. As it retains the 92.5% silver content of the traditional alloy, it is still referred to as sterling silver." For jewellery makers, the important thing about argentium is that, due to the modified alloy, it tarnishes much slower than traditional sterling silver.

Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010

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TAD - Day 21: argentium sterling silver and sardonyx earrings

Shameless copying of Friday's earrings, but in silver this time. My argentium wire finally turned up, so I thought I'd make use of it! Sadly lacking in ideas after this weekend, which turned out longer than I was expecting - they overbooked our flight back home yesterday evening, and since we weren't bothered about an extra night in the UK, we volunteered to move to a flight this morning; the girls who were otherwise not going to be able to fly were crying and looked like they needed to get to France much more than we did!

It was actually a fairly good night - there were four of us volunteers, the airline put us up in a hotel and gave us some money for dinner, and supposedly are giving us £100 each compensation for being nice, which is useful - I'll believe it when I see it...

Anyway, earrings:

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from thing-a-day 2010

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TAD - Day 19 and Day 20: more earrings

I'm unlikely to be able to make anything for tomorrow - it's Dentist Day again - so I've made two Things today, to sort of make up for it.

Two pairs of copper earrings, one with square larvikite beads (and tiny little onyx rounds) and one with sardonyx beads.

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IX10 - The Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs 2010

Thank you everyone who voted for me - my blog ended up at number 71 on the list of the Top 100 International Exchange and Experience Blogs for 2010! You all must have done some serious repeat voting!

(Full list of results can be found at http://en.bab.la/news/top-100-international-exchange-experience-blogs-2010 if you're interested)

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TAD - Day 18: silver and blue dragonscale bracelet

ETA: Now with pictures!

Today's Thing is a bit of a cheat - it took longer than half an hour, and I actually started yesterday. But it's taken so much time, I a) want to share it and b) don't think I've got the energy to do another piece today!

It's the bracelet to match the earrings I posted the other day, made from aluminium in silver and blue.

See the full gallery on posterous

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TAD - Day 17: Copper and amazonite earrings

Another bit of a lazy Thing today, since I'm trying to get this dragonscale bracelet finished, though I did get a whole load of ear wires done, too, like the one in these earrings. Anyway, today's Thing: a pair of amazonite and copper wire-wrap earrings.

Posted via email from Nicole - Thing a Day 2010

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TAD - Day 16: Silver and blue dragonscale earrings

Yesterday's Thing is something I can't photograph well, but it's a stand for hanging earrings on to photograph. I'm not sure it works, so I haven't used it in the photos of today's Thing, a pair of silver and blue aluminium chainmaille earrings in the dragonscale weave. I'm going to make a matching bracelet at some point, I think the mix of colours looks good.

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Nicole - Thing a Day 2010

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Flower festival - with pirate ship and everything

Continuing the carnival theme - the UK should totally do carnival, you know - today was the combat naval fleuri here in Villefranche. Though I'm not sure I didn't miss something, since I saw no combat, per se... Perhaps it's named after the vicious competition amongst otherwise grown women for flowers on the quayside - honestly, I thought some of them were going to leave bruises as they attempted to grab their share!

Lots of fleurs though - the boats, owned by families that have been in Villefranche for generations - are decked out in bunches and bunches of flowers, which are slowly stripped in the course of the afternoon and thrown at the people watching. My bouquet, since I arrived early enough to be at the front, is clearly fabulous - I left after a while to let the less fortunate people have a chance. I'm just that nice ;-) Also, I feared getting pushed into the sea by those behind me. It looks cold.

So, anyway, flower boat photos:

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Lemon Festival - Part 2: the parade

Apart from the idiocy of people and their apparent inability to stand in a line to watch a parade go past, I loved this. (When I rule the world, though, snipers will be stationed at parades to look for people pushing in front. Particularly you tall people who push in front. Don't say I didn't warn you...)

Photos:

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