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Herring gull chick
The herring gull nesting in the chimney pots on our roof is now a parent as yesterday I spotted a chick. It’s hard to see in this photo so I’ve annotated around it with a red box. I don’t always see it as it’s behind the metal chimney but sometimes it peers out the side […]
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The Umbrella Project
Elizabeth got to dance in town today and yesterday for the launch of the Umbrella Project in Aberdeen which is a nationwide campaign to celebrate neurodiversity or different ways of thinking. One in five of us have a condition like ADHD, Autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, Dyspraxia, and Dyscalculia and the umbrella project seeks to raise awareness […]
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Highland dance finale, sushi, school reports, and a cat pic
The finale for Elizabeth’s school of Highland Dance end of year show was last night. We went to the opening night and it was fantastic. Yesterday I was wishing I’d bought a second ticket so I could go and watch it again but they’d completely sold out. Never mind, we’ll get the DVD when it […]
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Bees, gulls and Grenfell fire
On the pavement outside our house is a tiny bit of dirt beneath a lone tree. The council usually spray the pavement and after years of losing plants this way I now have a sign there. I was delighted today to find two bees feeding from this tiny garden. You can see one of the […]
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The strange language of teenagers plus foxes, birds and standing stones
The kids were talking the other day and said something that made absolutely no sense to me so I asked them to explain and after the explanation I was no closer to understanding what it meant. They speak another language. I’ll tell you what they said and you see if you can figure it out: […]
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Dancing for the Platinum Jubilee
Elizabeth got to perform at Craigiebuckler Church yesterday for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. I took lots of photos and some videos. They really put on a good show at this church as in addition to the dancing there were pipers and singing and crown making and that was just in the 1 hour period we […]
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Sniffing for hamster piss
When we first got hamsters I wasn’t expecting to spend my evenings and weekends sniffing hamster bedding for hamster piss but this is what we do now. For a while Bella was peeing in a sand bath which was great as I didn’t need to go searching for her toilet but she’s stopped doing that […]
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Lighting the beacon
We went to the lighting of the beacon for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee last night. Over 1,500 beacons were lit across the UK and the Commonwealth at exactly 9:45pm BST in celebration of the Queen’s life of service. A lone piper played Diu Regnare (long to reign) which was written by Stuart Liddell especially for […]
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Salt and migraines
It has been about two months since I started the no added salt diet which basically means no processed food, no eating out, and baking my own bread. My blood pressure is now exemplary at around 112/70. And guess what? No side effects because I haven’t had to take any drugs. Actually, I tell a […]
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Highland dance competition
Elizabeth competed in her first highland dance competition at the Newtonhill Highland Festival. She did very well and came 3rd in the Highland Fling and 4th in the Lilt. Well done, Elizabeth! No photography was allowed at the competition so I couldn’t photograph or film her there. She says she enjoyed it and may participate […]
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Growth spurts and the Queen’s Jubilee
Daniel is growing at a rate of about 2cm per month and is now 1.5cm shorter than Ben. At this rate he’ll overtake Ben by the end of June. He’s quite obsessed by it too and checks regularly to see whether he’s taller than Ben yet. I’m the tallest in the house so he’s still […]
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Jumper, cat, and comedy
I made another jumper. It’s a bit too warm and thick to wear right now so I’ll have to wait until winter. But I love it! Last night I put some cat food out for the fox and set up my wildlife cam to get some pics. Here’s the “fox” eating the cat food. I […]
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A new laundry
It has been about 2.5 months since we were woken in the middle of the night to discover a fire in our laundry and I’m thrilled to say we now have a new laundry thanks to our insurance. It’s the first time we’ve made an insurance claim and I am very impressed by how much […]
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Fantastic Mr Fox
We were all very excited to see a fox in our backyard today. We sometimes see foxes in the neighbourhood but this is the first time we’ve seen one in our yard. He was eating the peanuts from a bird feeder that had fallen to the ground. At first I thought it was a dog […]
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Chocolate bean balls
My mother-in-law shared this delicious recipe with me and I’ve modified it slightly and am sharing it now with you. These balls are a hit with the kids so it’s a good way to get fussy eaters to eat beans. They can be modified for adults with the addition of whisky but I think they’re […]
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Aberdeen to Glasgow in an electric Renault Zoe
On Wednesday I had to go to Glasgow for an appointment. Usually I would take the train but this time I decided to try taking the electric car mostly because it was miles cheaper. It shouldn’t be cheaper to drive but it is. The train was going to cost over £140 return for two of […]
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Hamster escapes!
Bella (our hamster) escaped from her cage last night. Daniel was still partly awake when he heard a thud in the hall outside his bedroom. Eventually he dragged himself out of bed to check on his hamster and one of the tunnels had fallen off. She has three levels connected via tunnels, and one of […]
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The avocado tree
A few years ago I planted an avocado seed from a supermarket avocado I ate. Within a year I had a nice potted plant for the kitchen. Here it is back in 2020. Today the tree is close to 3m high. It lives in my office beside my desk. I’m not sure what to do […]
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Slow food
Cutting out salt has been a bit of a learning curve for me. But we’re slowly falling into a good routine and I thought I’d share some ideas for inspiration. I started making my own bread and whether it’s a coincidence or not the start of homemade bread consumption is when my blood pressure dipped […]
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Bunny roundabout
There’s a roundabout in Garthdee in Aberdeen that’s home to a colony of rabbits. It’s a very busy junction in a fairly industrial area with large shopping centres and building supply stores. Someone feeds the rabbits. There’s always a selection of carrots and green leaves and bunnies can usually be seen munching away when you […]
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