Month: January 2018
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Make Union Street Great Again!
I made a few signs about the event coming up in Aberdeen on Saturday, 3rd February, asking for a bike path for Union St. I put one of the signs in Foodstory on the weekend and they took a photo of it and posted it to Facebook! Foodstory are the best. Please go there! I’m…
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Socks
Some mid-winter sock-shine from Sockamore. These were a free gift from the Swedish-based sock company. They have a pattern to suit every mood. Vibrant socks for the jovial, animal socks for the beasties, and intense socks for the philosockical.
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Calling all Aberdonians!
Where: At the King Edward statue, corner of Union Street and Union Terrace. When: Saturday 3rd February from 11:30am – 12:30pm. Aberdeen City Council wants to pedestrianise the city centre but there are no plans for a protected bike path on Union Street. The best way to get more people on bikes is to give…
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The mighty River Dee
The River Dee is looking particularly beautiful today. I’ve never seen it with so much ice, not this close to the harbour. Much of Scotland has been blanketed in snow over the past week except for Aberdeenshire. We’ve had crisp, dry, cold, but sunny days. If I can’t have snow then my second choice is…
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Part-pedestrianisation of Broad St
To say I was disappointed when the Aberdeen City Council announced in June 2016 they were to go ahead with a part-pedestrianisation of Broad St is to say I’m unmoved by a bit of snow. Perhaps I get too emotional about these things but just as I’m overjoyed to see snow, I was deeply saddened…
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Scots Wha Hae
It’s that time of year again when the kids have to learn a poem at school for Burns Night which is the annual celebration of Robert Burns. The first year we arrived here Daniel was very disgruntled about having to learn a poem by heart. “Why do I have to do this”, he asked, “What…
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Cargo bike options for older kids and adults
We’ve had Busby our bakfiets for almost 5 years now. He has been a fantastic investment and I’ve got so much use out of him. However for the past couple of years I’ve struggled as the kids are bigger and heavier than they once were. The hills are much harder than they used to be…
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I am not a cyclist
This is a cyclist: This is me: A cyclist has special clothing for cycling, a helmet, an expensive bike, clip-on shoes, and they travel fast. I, on the other hand, cycle slowly, I don’t wear any special clothing, and I’m terrified of those clip-on shoes cyclists wear. I ride my bike in regular clothes. I…
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Scottish Gaelic
The kids have started watching cartoons in Scottish Gaelic and I’ve been encouraging this because watching cartoons is a nice way to learn a new language. Gaelic is the original language of Scotland after the original original language, Pictish, became extinct. I’m not sure what came before Pictish. Gaelic is one of three official languages…
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Is healthy food expensive?
I got a huge bag of fresh fruit and veggies (and a bottle of sweet chilli sauce) from Sainsbury’s today and I was amazed when it only came to £14.39. Here’s what I got: Afterwards I ducked into Holland & Barrett for some vegan junk food and it was surprisingly expensive at £25.93. It’s not…
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In love with Scotland
I love Scotland so much it hurts. I love the accents, the landscape, the humour, the climate, the weather, the people, the culture, the local produce, the animals, the plants, the traditions, and even the music. Who doesn’t love a highland cow or the fields of purple heather that blanket the hills in autumn? There’s…
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It’s Veganuary!
I’m a bit late with this post because it’s already the 5th of January and Veganuary is upon us! If you’re looking for a New Year’s resolution then try going vegan for one month. It doesn’t have to start on the 1st of January. You can start at any time. When you sign up on…
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I made socks
Ben bought me some sock yarn which he got in Germany on a work trip over a year ago. I only just got around to turning them into socks, but sadly, I ran out of yarn. I made them from the top down so I couldn’t make them shorter without unravelling the whole lot. In…
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New Year’s walk up Mither Tap
I woke up this morning determined to climb a hill. I pitched the idea to the kids first. Me: Would you like to climb a hill today? Elizabeth: Ok, sure. Daniel: Will there be a cafe? Me: No. Daniel: Then I don’t want to go. Me: We could take a picnic? Daniel: No, thanks. Me:…
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