Fergus Murray
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fergus.oolong.co.uk
Fergus Murray
@fergus.oolong.co.uk
7.2K followers 5.3K following 8.6K posts
Monotropic writer, science tutor, Autistic community organiser and independent researcher. Based in Edinburgh.

they/them.

https://linktr.ee/0olong
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fergus.oolong.co.uk
One of these days when the snowy hills blend in with the clouds.
The Pentland Hills are white with snow, and mingle with similarly shaped clouds. Edinburgh is down there somewhere, too.
November 20, 2025 at 2:57 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
I just can't help feeling like the Guardian is a bit of a Hotdog Guy whenever they publish something like this.
Man in hotdog suit, pointing fingers, yelling 'we're all trying to find the guy who did this'
November 18, 2025 at 11:51 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
'but... why is there only *one* person petting me now?'
Kifl the terrier deals with her other human leaving the room. She is discombobulated, but her belly is still ready for more rubbing, thank you.
November 18, 2025 at 9:15 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Spring cherry blossom gets a lot of attention, but autumn cherry leaves are glorious too.
A glowing orange-yellow leaf lies on the ground, with the sunlight illuminating it from behind casting shadows of grass on it.
November 17, 2025 at 7:32 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
You have a point. Would it be appropriate to pause here to make fun of Wes Streeting's hair?
Was Streeting wears the expression of someone who's trying to work out if you've insulted him. His hair sits atop his head like it resents being there, carefully gelled to keep it under control. He is wearing a shirt and suit jacket, but no tie. He wouldn't want people to think he was stuffy.
November 17, 2025 at 9:42 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Something sobering about that "this article is more than 17 years old", right?
A Guardian screenshot. "This article is more than 17 years old Epstein: US billionaire jailed for soliciting underage sex" Elana Schor in Washington Wed 2 Jul 2008 One of America's richest men, who holidayed with Prince Andrew and lent his private jet to Bill Clinton, has begun serving an 18-month jail term after pleading guilty to soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
November 16, 2025 at 12:11 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Look at it!
A dog paw from underneath. It's very fluffy, in between the toe pads, in a mix of black, white and browns. It looks somehow like a different dorky monster head. The concave ends of the claws look a tiny bit like ears, maybe? It's more just that it's got the energy of a dorky monster, though.
November 13, 2025 at 10:32 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
I really like my dog's paws.
Close-up of a hairy black dog paw. The claws have flattened ends. The whole thing looks a bit like a dorky monster head, somehow?
November 13, 2025 at 10:25 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Have you tried the Uplift feed? That's something, at least.

Here's a video of my dog doing a zombie stretch, in case you enjoy that sort of thing.
November 12, 2025 at 7:30 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Another pretty sunset yesterday.
A lot of purple clouds, with pink, orange and peach tones. There's a nearby skyline of terraced houses in silhouette.
November 11, 2025 at 9:03 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Please rub belly (not pictured).
Dog face, from the nose down to the beard. Below, the upper part of her chest, with paws folded above it in expectation of affection.
November 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
...and here's the sunset through a zoom lens.
Dramatic clouds, dark with golden edges, narrowly obscure the setting sun. In the foreground, bare tree branches meet chimneys and TV aerials in silhouette.
November 10, 2025 at 9:08 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Here are the pictures of yesterday's sunrise-mist from the big camera.
Many layers of Edinburgh, receding into golden drizzle-mist. The Pentland hills are half-hidden by the glow of the rain. Nearby spires and trees stand out black against the layers of glowing gold. This angle is similar to the previous one, but closer to the sun, so the contrast is ramped up. We can see another church-spire in the distance, and tree-covered hills behind.
November 10, 2025 at 9:01 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
The haar from a distance, after sunset this morning.
The clouds in the sky are losing their dawn tinge. Not much sunlight is reaching the city. In the middle distance, a thick fog lays low over Edinburgh; it is impossible to see the bottom of the Pentland Hills, but their peaks are entirely unobscured. The fog hasn't reached the nearby church, so its spire stands out vividly against the white.
November 10, 2025 at 7:59 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Later...
Sunset clouds, and blue sky fading to orange. Not quite as golden as the morning, but still quite spectacular especially around the sun.
November 9, 2025 at 5:12 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Just the sheer volume of leaves really is something.

Here's the ground under that same sycamore, after a little more rain and wind.
A huge carpet of yellow leaves; above, sycamore branches still loaded with even more.
November 9, 2025 at 12:37 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Pretty amazing light in Edinburgh just after sunrise this morning.
The drizzle-haze over the city, especially towards the hills, glows with the warm yellow light of the just-risen sun. The glow extends into the clouds above.
November 9, 2025 at 8:43 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Lol, did a whole book fair event and totally forgot to mention anywhere that I have a chapter in a book that is obviously for sale here
bsky.app/profile/ferg...
Piles of Someone Like Me on a signing table
November 8, 2025 at 5:51 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Sycamores are incredibly productive trees. Not just the volume of leaves they produce (this one has only shed about half its messes, and already covered an area larger than it is wide) but also its plentiful helicopter seeds, which rapidly root and shoot up - they're a major weed in areas like this!
A slender sycamore tree, taller than any of the nearby houses, is covered in golden leaves. So is the ground.
November 8, 2025 at 12:27 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
The emptiness of this shop feels like a very on-the-nose metaphor.
It's a shop front titled 'we're better together in the UK', presumably a reference to the campaign against Scottish independence. The shop is empty except for a pile of squares in the corner. Possibly old ceiling tiles. As if to emphasise the void, there are patches of sunlight at the back, shining on the bare lino floor.
November 7, 2025 at 5:02 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Kifl chills.
Sleepy (but not sleeping) dog, on her side. One of her ears is draped along the sofa behind her. The dog, on her back now, bends around and gives us a look. The whole pose seems to suggest she would like you to rub her belly now, please.
November 6, 2025 at 7:56 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Oh, this is even better: if I go into the app, it's going to cost me £43.49 plus tax.

What???
Another screenshot: Enroll Purchase Course 43.49+tax High quality video content, practice materials, graded assignments, and discussion forums Stand out with a valuable credential. Earn an employer-recognized certificate of completion
November 6, 2025 at 4:18 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
I would seriously consider paying £36 for this course, but not after clicking on an 'enroll for free' button. 😐
#coursera
Screenshot of a Coursera course from the University of Edinburgh. Philosophy and the Sciences: Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences Instructors: Professor Michela Massimi Dr. Alasdair Richmond Dr. Suilin Lavelle and others. The button says 'Enroll for free / Starts Nov 6'. Apparently 84,760 people are already enrolled. The next page says "This course costs £36. Start your learning journey now and master the material in this course to earn a certificate that showcases your knowledge and achievement."
November 6, 2025 at 4:12 PM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
This year's Edinburgh Radical Book Fair has started!

On Saturday at 4pm, I'm chairing 'Divergent: Weird pride, unruliness & outsider wisdom' with @cjdebarra.bsky.social and @acaciathorns.bsky.social (frank r. jagoe can't attend in person, unfortunately).

#WeirdPride
@lighthousebks.bsky.social
Flyer-style image for the event, 'Divergent: Weird pride, unruliness & outsider wisdom', party of Edinburgh's Radical Book Fair. Date: Saturday 8th November Venue: Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9SU Time: 4.30-5.30pm. The flyer shows the covers of of CJ De Barra's 'Neuroqueer: A Neurodivergent Guide to Love, Sex, and Everything In Between' and 'Significant Others, a collection of texts by Frank Jagoe'. The background shows leaves of gingko, perhaps the weirdest of all trees, and an image of hands cupping a source of ornate smoke.
November 6, 2025 at 9:32 AM
fergus.oolong.co.uk
Clouds after sunrise, at 1 minute per second.

The constant creation of clouds in a particular region of space is especially striking in this one. It looks like it's centered on the church spire, but that's *probably* a meaningless coincidence.
November 6, 2025 at 9:09 AM