Category: Journal
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Elizabeth on stage with Capercaillie at Aberdeen Music Hall
Elizabeth had the very great honour last night of playing the violin on stage with Capercaillie at Aberdeen Music Hall as part of the Scottish Culture & Traditions (SC&T) youth performance group. They played two songs with the renowned Scottish band: Callum’s Road and Lisnagun. Elizabeth is the 4th from the left counting from the…
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My first cable jumper
I just finished knitting my first cable jumper. I’d never knitted with cables before but I’m always up for a new challenge and it turned out to be easier than I was expecting. It still took me ages because I ran out of yarn at one point and was also knitting several other things at…
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Exams, birds, and what we can learn from the anti-slavery movement
Both kids are in the thick of exams right now. Elizabeth is doing iGSCE and Daniel the International Baccalaureate (IB). Elizabeth has 16 exams in total which seems like an enormous number but she’s managing it all very well so far. Daniel has 14 and is through the worst of it as he completed the…
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Ducks, walk, and hamster
The ducks appeared in our yard again today so I watched them to see what they would do and they went to our pond. We have a tiny pond that only fits one duck at a time and the drake was the perfect gentlemen and let his girlfriend go first. She spent a little while…
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Dancing, ducks and dinner
Yesterday Elizabeth danced at her school’s annual international festival. She did the hornpipe and it was fantastic but I’m in trouble because my camera ran out of space mid-way through recording it so I only got the first part. It was the best hornpipe I’ve seen her do too. Ben got some photos which I’ll…
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Dinner last night and earlier in the week
I’ve been meaning to share photos of dinner each night because that’s what people do these days isn’t it? Plus I’m sure everyone is dying to see what I eat. Last night was a lentil almond curry, make with beluga lentils but red lentils would work just as well. We had it with brown rice.…
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How far does a hamster run each day?
Our little hamster has settled in really well to her new home. She’s now in a Savic Plaza 120 which is 118cm long and 64cm wide. It’s a huge cage and I can tell from her body language that she’s enjoying it as she’s been doing very hamster things like burrowing, foraging, and rolling in…
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Dinner tonight
Mum made tabbouleh several times when she was visiting and it was a huge hit with everyone, especially the kids. So I decided I’d start making it regularly too. Dinner tonight was tabbouleh with roast vegetables and peas. I love roasted vegetables and they go well with tabbouleh. There are 13 different species of plants…
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A new hamster, highland exam results, and graffiti
We adopted another hamster. I wasn’t planning to get another but I saw a plea on Monday on the hamster rescue Scotland network Facebook page about an ad on Gumtree. Someone in Aberdeen was giving away their hamster and the creature was currently in a totally unsuitable cage. I don’t want to be judgemental because…
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Another day in St Andrews, the Caird Hall Gathering in Dundee and memories of Christchurch
They say you can’t visit St Andrews without running into someone you know and thus far this has proved true for us. Last weekend we ran into someone from Daniel’s school also attending the offer holder day. Yesterday Daniel and I were there again and the strangest of coincidences happened. I didn’t technically know the…
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The local vixen marking her territory
I have a water bowl in the backyard for wildlife and a camera pointed at it so I can see who visits. A local vixen has decided the bowl is her territory and has started leaving her scent. I thought this was just something male dogs did. Here she is caught on camera last weekend…
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Photos from Aberdeen University
Last Friday Mum, Daniel and I went to the University of Aberdeen again as I wanted her to see King’s College Chapel which is only open on weekdays. We got all these nice photos. This next photo is of the Evolutionary Loop 517 sculpture which was created by London artist Nasser Azam who was inspired…
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Newburgh seal colony
We took mum to see the seals yesterday as she’d never seen them before and it’s quite a fun outing. There are hundreds of them lounging on the sand at the mouth of the Ythan Estuary in Newburgh which is about 16 miles north along the coast from Aberdeen or a 20 minute car drive.…
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St Andrews offer holder day and McIntosh Halls
We spent yesterday in St Andrews for the University offer holder day. This is a day for students who have received offers from St Andrews and who are either trying to decide which offer to accept or who have already decided and want to learn more about the course and accommodation. Daniel has accepted his…
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Highland cows at Crathes Castle
I got some nice photos of the highland cows at Crathes Castle today. It’s always a good day for a walk at Crathes. Crathes Castle was built by the Burnetts of Ley family in the 16th century on land that was gifted to the family in 1323 by Robert the Bruce. The family lived in…
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Critters and a cathedral
We’re back in Aberdeen after a lovely 5-day break in Aviemore. Victoria came with us as always and although she meows the entire way in the car, once we’re there she seems to quite enjoy exploring a new place. Lucille the hamster went to Mrs Murray’s Cat and Dog home for boarding. We take her…
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The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain and Loch an Eilein
We went up the Cairngorm funicular railway today to the UK’s highest restaurant and bar – Ptarmigan – which is at just over 1,000m. It was our first ride on the funicular which opened in February this year after being closed in August 2023 for safety reasons. The work required to get it back in…
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Freezing dip in the Green Loch
The Green Loch or An Lochan Uaine is probably my favourite loch in Scotland. When the sun is shining it’s a luminous green colour and very enticing. It’s also reached by a very pleasant forest walk that’s relatively flat and very pretty. We visited today and went for a brief dip. In my case at…
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Banchory Lodge Hotel and garden wildlife
Mum and I had lunch with some friends at Banchory Lodge Hotel last week to celebrate my friend’s birthday. It was lovely. We had a table right beside the river with captivating views as you can see in the photo. There’s nothing vegan on the menu but if you let the waiter know the chef…
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Daniel is going to St Andrews
Daniel got some exciting news last week: he received an offer to study computer science at the University of St Andrews. This was his top choice so he’s planning to accept it and will commence university in September this year. I never imagined I’d one day have a child at St Andrews University. It must…
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