Category: Photos
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Angels, Christmas Trees, and Opshopping
Elizabeth said to me today, “I know what angels look like”. To which I replied, “How do you know what angels look like?”. Elizabeth: “Because Mr MacDonald (not his real name) put one up on the white screen”. Then I asked her what they look like and she said, “An orange clown”. The kids have…
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Marischal College, Aberdeen
It’s a beautiful day in Aberdeen today. I had to run some errands in town this morning and I took these photos of the very gorgeous Marischal College. It’s the second largest granite building in the world, and is owned by the University of Aberdeen and leased to the city council. Apparently much of the…
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The beach, Aberdeen
I had to take my Thunderbolt monitor to the Apple store this morning because the camera is blurry and I can’t fix it. It’s still under warranty so they’re going to replace the camera for me which is great. But are you wondering how I got a huge and heavy Thunderbolt to the Apple store…
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Newtown Grafitti
My father-in-law, Mike, died earlier this year but before his death plans were in progress to take some of his 29,913 photographs of Sydney and exhibit them. A documentary is being made about Mike by the very creative Rachel Jordan and she also wants to make these exhibition plans a reality. You can read more…
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Newton Dee
There aren’t very many off-road cycle paths in Aberdeen but there is one very good one: Deeside Way. It runs along an old train line from Duthie Park all the way out to Ballater, a total distance of 41 miles. Unfortunately the line is no longer used by trains; it was closed in 1966. But once…
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Dunnottar Castle, Scotland
We had the bestest day ever today. We went to Dunnottar Castle, a Mediaeval ruin on a dramatic and rugged outcrop near the village of Stonehaven. We caught the train to Stonehaven which was wonderful. I love trains and have sorely missed this mode of transport in New Zealand. It was only about 15 minutes…
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Plants that are longer than they are wide
In the interests of promoting gender equality in blogs, I thought I’d dedicate a blog post to plants that are longer than they are wide. I took these photos last weekend at the Duthie Park Winter Gardens:
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Sexism, carnivorous plants, and cycling
I sometimes have problems spotting the more subtle forms of sexism. I’m not sure if this is because I’m a woman and I just don’t notice, or if it’s for some other reason. Fortunately I’m married to a feminist so I’m unlikely to be taken advantage of for being so naive about this. What constitutes…
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Butt plugs, deadly nightshade, and hookers
Apparently a large, green, blow-up Christmas tree in the centre of Paris is outrageous and humiliating if you’re of a right-wing political persuasion. The sculpture, which was part of an exhibition of modern art, was vandalised by right-wing protestors. Why? Because it looks like a butt plug. I have to confess that I didn’t even know what a butt plug…
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My new home: Aberdeen
Aberdeen is endearing itself to me. It’s the little things that make a difference. Like this front gate I walked past yesterday with a tin of biscuits for the guard dog. Just in case you want to rob the place and a fierce dog is standing in your way, the owners have helpfully provided the dog biscuits…
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Footdee, Aberdeen
We went out for a long walk this afternoon to an old fishing village at the very tip of the east end of Aberdeen harbour. It’s called Footdee, or “Fittie”, as the locals call it. Aberdeen harbour has been hijacked by the oil industry and none of it is walkable to the public (not that…
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Duthie Park, Aberdeen
We’re in Aberdeen and still all a bit tired and jet-lagged but glad to have all the hard stuff over and done with. We ventured out for a walk in Duthie Park yesterday and it was wonderful. They have an enormous winter garden as well as some brilliant playgrounds. Can you judge a city by…
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Larnach Castle, Dunedin
We couldn’t leave Dunedin before making a trip to Larnach Castle. It’s touted as the only castle in New Zealand but whether it really is a castle is probably debatable. It was built by a merchant baron and politician, William Larnach, in 1871. It’s on a prominent spot and has battlements and turrets but lots of…
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St Clair, Dunedin
Another wonderful day in Dunedin. We return to Auckland tomorrow and I feel sad about that. This evening we went out for dinner in St Clair, a very lovely beach suburb. We went to The Spirit House, a superb Thai-Vietnamese-Korean restaurant overlooking the sea. The food was delicious, the views wonderful, and the service I…
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Dunedin homes
On my run this afternoon I took some photographs of some of the homes in the local area. I quite like seeing things other than the usual tourist attractions when exploring a different city, like streetscapes and the types of homes people live in. So here are some of these scenes from Dunedin:
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Dunedin Botanic Gardens
I managed to escape my computer briefly today to visit the Dunedin Botanic Gardens; a place that is always well worth a visit.
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Magnificent Dunedin
We’re in Dunedin for a few days: my favourite New Zealand city. Dunedin is right at the bottom of the South Island while Auckland is right at the top of the North Island. It’s a lovely city: small, fairly compact for the Antipodes, magnificent views from most parts, and in my view, it’s the most…
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An Australian family history
Inspired by AndThen’s recent post about his family history, I thought I’d write a bit about my own. My family history is quite colourful. My great-great-great-great-grandfather was some kind of representative for Germany in a trade dispute in Cape Town, South Africa. His name was Maximilian Thalwitzer and he was born in Germany but later…
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Fluffy has escaped!
Fluffy escaped. There were tears. There was much searching, but we can’t find him. I did manage to get this photo of Elizabeth letting him out of his home for a walk before he disappeared though : I’ve just come back from a run and it was fabulous. My bike has a flat tyre. I really must learn…
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Auckland, Minecraft, and dolphins
I never thought I’d be so pleased to see Auckland but I was very happy when my plane landed here yesterday. I had a really great time in Hawaii but Elizabeth struggled while I was away and so I struggled as a result. Daniel was fine though. He thinks my new job is wonderful because…
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