Elizabeth looking cold in the water but very happy.
Lunch, a walk, and a swim in the Cairngorms
Grandad is here!
I haven't seen my dad in over four years. He did plan to come for a visit in 2020 but then covid happened. He finally arrived this week and here he is sporting his new "Grandad" tshirt. We're all absolutely delighted that he made it. Before he arrived there were discussions about how much taller… Continue reading Grandad is here!
Rocket update and letting the “weeds” grow
I'm getting slack with my blog posts as it has been a while since I last posted anything. We haven't been doing as many things on our weekends as Daniel has had exams and hasn't wanted to go anywhere. There's less to share when we're not out doing interesting things. But that's about to change,… Continue reading Rocket update and letting the “weeds” grow
I finished knitting a jumper
I finished knitting Ben's jumper today. It took me quite a while but there was a lot of yarn to knit. I'm pleased with the end result and I think Ben is too. It's maybe a bit on the large size but better too big than too small I guess. Victoria helped me tie up… Continue reading I finished knitting a jumper
Elephant Sessions
We saw Elephant Sessions live at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen last night. It was excellent! Elephant Sessions is a Scottish indie-folk band and I would describe their music as a mix between folk and dance music. It's entirely instrumental with Euan Smillie on the violin, Alasdair Taylor on the mandolin, Seth Tinsley on bass,… Continue reading Elephant Sessions
The magpie and Rocket
I recently got a large bird-feeding house with a high capacity because I was having to refill the tube feeders so frequently I thought this would last longer. However a magpie with a discerning palate has discovered he can flick through the seed picking out the bits he likes. He empties it in less than… Continue reading The magpie and Rocket
Coronation of King Charles III May 6 2023
I made scones for the coronation today. These are vegan, salt-free, and scrumptious. I watched most of the coronation while I was knitting. It's fascinating to see people who are not actors do and say things that would be more fitting in a historical TV drama series. The British are very good at retaining customs… Continue reading Coronation of King Charles III May 6 2023
One pot, pan, planet cookbook
We've been fairly house-bound of late as Daniel has been studying for his GCSE exams which started last week. He's been studying so hard we've had to encourage him to relax and try not to worry about them so much. He's coping tremendously well because I can remember how stressed I got about exams and… Continue reading One pot, pan, planet cookbook
Home-grown and a Rocket update
This is my lunch most days. It consists of my home-made sourdough which I bake several times a week now. As well as avocado, beetroot, tofu and today I have home-grown radish and rocket. Not much grows at this time of year but radishes and salad greens do. I've also had a constant supply of… Continue reading Home-grown and a Rocket update
A beautiful wedding
We went to a friend's wedding yesterday and it was marvellous. Weddings are wonderful things. What's not to like about food, wine, dancing, and funny speeches? But weddings in Scotland are even better because they have ceilidhs. The ceremony was in the winter gardens at Duthie Park which was perfect. Aberdeen put on a beautiful… Continue reading A beautiful wedding
Hamster, home, and water leaks
A couple of people have asked me how Rocket is doing and he's doing great. I took this video of him the other day rolling in his sand bath. This is just his travel sand bath as we had to take him in a smaller cage for our holiday so I used the smaller sand… Continue reading Hamster, home, and water leaks
Fettercairn Distillery
Earlier in the week we visited Fettercairn distillery which is in the loveliest of little villages, Fettercairn. Fettercairn has a general store, a cafè, a dress shop which was incredibly busy when I went in - it seems people travel from all over to visit it - and of course the distillery. The village has… Continue reading Fettercairn Distillery
House of Dun
We went for a tour of the gorgeous House of Dun today, a Georgian home built for the Erskine family in 1743 by the architect William Adam. In 1980, the 21st and last Laird of Dun, Millicent Lovett (nee Erskine), died without an heir and left the house and contents to the National Trust of… Continue reading House of Dun
Photos of Glen Esk, Fettercairn, and Fasque House
This is a collection of photos of Edzell and surrounds from the past two days. This is the gorge in the River North Esk looking downstream towards Gannochy Bridge. Incidentally we think we've been pronouncing Gannochy incorrectly. It's not like the potato pasta - ga-nocchi - but more like the thing you blow your nose… Continue reading Photos of Glen Esk, Fettercairn, and Fasque House
Glen Esk and Loch Lee
Scotland never ceases to surprise me with its landscapes. Decades ago when I came here as a very young adult I can remember driving around with friends and it felt like every mile or so we wanted to stop the car and take photos. It felt a bit like that today. You can drive up… Continue reading Glen Esk and Loch Lee
Angus for a holiday and Rocket relaunched
We've come to Angus for a holiday that is three years overdue. We booked it originally for April 2020 but covid cancelled it so the holiday was rescheduled for 2021. Covid cancelled that too and it got rescheduled for 2022 but I made the mistake of booking a time that did not coincide with school… Continue reading Angus for a holiday and Rocket relaunched
Diversity blend flour
I recently discovered this diversity blend flour from Hodmedods and have been putting it in my home-made bread. I mix is with my usual multigrain flour and the bread turns out like this. Doesn't it look delicious! The ingredients are fantastic too - organic wheat, lentils, barley, peas, rye, oats, spelt, nettle, seaweed. It's wonderful… Continue reading Diversity blend flour
Protest at NZ High Commission in London
Since the voices of Iranian New Zealand women were suppressed through violence and intimidation in Auckland on the 25th March 2023, I thought I would share a link to a live stream outside the Iranian New Zealand High Commission in London, filmed yesterday, where British women give them a voice. You can watch it here… Continue reading Protest at NZ High Commission in London
I may not agree with you but I defend your right to say it
At the Let Women Speak event in Auckland on Saturday 25th March 2023 women were denied the opportunity to speak by a violent and intimidating group of protestors. You have to wonder what ordinary NZ women want to say that would trigger this rage. We don't know because they weren't given the opportunity to speak.… Continue reading I may not agree with you but I defend your right to say it
Aurora in Aberdeen finally and World Athletics bans
We saw our very first aurora last night and in Aberdeen too. Cities aren't usually good places to see it because of the light pollution. My photo of it is a bit pathetic but I was still pretty chuffed to finally get to see it. I dragged everyone out of the house at 9:30pm and… Continue reading Aurora in Aberdeen finally and World Athletics bans
rachel.blog 