Category: Journal
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Tinder for dogs
We’ve been doggy-sitting a friend’s pooch today. Meet Bramble: Our dogs died several years ago and with the harrowing pain that came with their death and our move to another country we haven’t felt we could take on another dog. However I miss having a four-legged friend sniffing about the house and so we decided…
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Back home through Ballater
We are back in Aberdeen after a lovely few days staying in Braemar, my favourite village in Aberdeenshire. We stayed in self-catering accommodation in the centre of the village – Tigh Na Tri Cottage. I definitely recommend it. We had everything we needed and cooked most of our meals at home. There were also toys…
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Creag Choinnich
We walked up to the top of Creag Choinnich today and it was marvelous. It’s probably one of the loveliest hill walks I’ve done in Aberdeenshire. The views from the top are even nicer than those at Bennachie. I love hill-walking. The effort required to get to the top is always rewarded with magnificent views…
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A lost kayak and the Queen’s Drive circuit
Some kayakers lost a kayak in the River Clunie today and we watched the rescue operation. I’m amazed anyone kayaks on this part of the river because it looks way too treacherous to me. The kayak was bobbing up and down for a long time – at least half an hour. It was caught in…
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Photos of Braemar
We’re in Braemar today and gosh I love this place. I think I could retire here. You can just make out the River Dee in the valley in the next photo. This is the River Clunie gushing beside the Fife Arms Hotel. The entrance to the Fife Arms is beautiful. This is the duck pond…
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How to be a healthy vegan
Climate change is spawning a mass vegan movement in a way that concern for animal welfare never did. Animal Liberation was written in 1975 and until the last few years, veganism was a fringe movement with a bad reputation. Its impact has been small and slow. But this has changed with rising concern for the…
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Skiing in Aberdeen
We had another glorious day in the snow today. My mum is visiting and here she is getting into the spirit of the day and throwing snowballs at the grandkids. We got out our skis and went into the park to practice. Even Granny had a go. It was snowing quite heavily. You can see…
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Winter wonderland
We woke up to a glorious winter wonderland this morning which was followed by a lovely sunny day. I cycled to Newton Dee like I always do. It wasn’t slippery but it was hard work cycling on the snow. There was lots of resistance; a bit like cycling on the grass. I was grateful for…
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Happy birthday, Daniel
My boy turned 12 yesterday. Where did the time go? He came into the world listening to his mother swear like all babies did prior to the word “epidural” entering the lexicon. It wasn’t my choice not to have pain relief. He was just too quick and we were living in a third world country…
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How to get exercise without doing any exercise
I’ve started wearing my Fitbit again and yesterday, without doing any exercise at all, I managed to clock up 15,427 steps and 87 minutes of moderate activity in one day. Now before you get all excited about the possibility of getting exercise while Netflix cruising on the sofa, let me explain what I mean. Yesterday…
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Burns night
It’s the 25th January today which in Scotland means it’s Burns Night. This is an annual celebration of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. It’s not a public holiday here but that doesn’t mean it’s any less a special day for Scots. It’s typically celebrated with haggis, whisky, tartan, and of course poetry. Every year at…
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Ice on the River Dee
There are big chunks of ice on the River Dee today. I took pics. It’s very pretty.
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Skiing at the Clashindarroch Forest
We had a magnificent day today. We ventured into the Clashindarroch Forest with our newly bought, second-hand, cross-country skis. Last year the Huntly Nordic Ski centre had a sale of second-hand skis and we decided to get some for just this purpose. I love the snow and I love being outside in it and what…
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Prince Philip is setting a bad example
Last week Prince Philip was involved in a car crash after pulling out of the Sandringham estate in his Land Rover and onto the A149. He’s received a lot of criticism for driving at 97 years old and many people are calling for him to relinquish his licence. The whole affair has outraged me but…
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View from the cycle path
The view from the cycle path today was misty with streaks of sunlight melting the snow. You can see on my bike’s dashboard that it’s 3°C. There were icy patches but I felt very stable on my three-wheeled beast.
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Snow and Brexit chaos
We finally got some snow today. The first snow of the year and winter. It was beautiful but will probably be all gone by tomorrow. Daniel told me that he and his friends are going to form a band. Daniel has been learning the guitar for nearly a year and he’s got a friend who’s…
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Pieces of eight
For Christmas I bought Ben a book by Simon Singh called The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets. I think Ben is enjoying it because I’ve heard him laugh a few times, most recently this morning after reading this joke: Q: What says “pieces of seven, pieces of seven”? A: A parroty error. I didn’t get…
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The hungry gap, vegan haggis, and cast iron cookware
I heard a new word recently – well, two words – hungry gap. It has come, once again, into popular parlance thanks to Brexit. Britain imports more food than it produces and there are fears that without a trade deal on 29th March 2019, Britain will run low on food. Before Britain became a net…
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When did everyone become so young?
People in TV shows have all become very young all of a sudden. Why are there so few old people? I know what you’re thinking – I’m not a spring chicken anymore and suddenly aware that I’m older than lots of people. TV shows have always been full of young people, I just didn’t notice…
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Dunnideer Castle
It seems like too long since we went for a proper walk. That is how I felt this morning when I woke up and so off we went in search of a hill. I got my fix just next to Insch, at Dunnideer Castle. Insch is a small village about 45 minutes by car north west…
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