insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Whose conspiracy is it?
One argument I’ve heard in the climate change debate is that scientists around the globe are in on some kind of conspiracy, the purpose of which is to gather research funding for themselves. As the wife of a University academic, I find this argument quite amusing. Here’s why. My husband, Ben, has applied for and…
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Could New Zealand get a Magnitude 9 earthquake?
I recently listened to an interview on Radio NZ with Chris Goldfinger, professor from Oregon State University, on super-earthquakes. You can listen to it online, but here is the gist of the discussion. Historically, geologists have thought that mega-earthquakes (Mag. 9), like the ones that occurred in Japan in 2011 and Sumatra in 2004, were thought…
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Recipe: vegan nut brittle
I love sugar and desserts and all things sweet and I reckon that if you’re going to indulge in something deliciously sweet, then it’s a good idea to make sure it’s full of nuts. Nuts are a good source of protein and will help slow the absorption of sugar into your blood stream which is…
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Housing in Auckland
There is much talk in Auckland at the moment about how to provide affordable housing for a growing population. Should the city continue with the urban sprawl that it is notoriously renowned for? Or should it densify and become more compact? I’m sure everyone can guess my thoughts on the matter. Urban sprawl = depression,…
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First days at kindergarten
I am at home with no kids! Not one! Elizabeth is enjoying her second day at kindy and so far, so good. There were no tears at all when I left, no clinging, just a kiss goodbye followed by a return to play. I would like to say this is all my doing and that…
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Top 5 things I hate about hot climates…
I have to shave my legs – too hot for jeans. I can’t wear the same bra and shirt for days on end (I do change my undies everyday though). I have to share my pantry with insects. Just a couple of weeks ago I found maggots in there. Who wants to get all hot…
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Kindergarten Talk
We got the kindy call for Elizabeth on Monday and she starts kindy next week. She is cautiously excited about it. We have spent the week visiting and getting familiar with the place (she does know it quite well from Daniel’s time there). For the first time in more than 6 years, I will have…
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Make a wish
Elizabeth has just discovered how much fun it is to make a wish on fluffy dandelion seeds, spreading the invasive weed far and wide. Me: What did you wish for? Elizabeth: Coins. That’s a bit materialistic for a 3-year-old, isn’t it? Elizabeth: Chocolate coins. Phew. She’s more interested in chocolate coins than metal ones. That’s…
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First Ballet Class
Elizabeth had her first ballet class today and she loved it!
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Auckland has a mother-in-law problem
Yesterday afternoon my fab husband babysat so that I could enjoy a could of hours skating at the ice rink. It was great exercise without feeling like exercise because it was fun and there was no risk of keeling over with heat stroke. This is how exercise should be. I could avoid the heat stroke…
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Am I more like Amy or Penny?
Ben and I are devoted fans of the American sitcom, Big Bang Theory. There are two female characters in the show – Penny and Amy – and I have been wondering who I’m most like. Penny is the fun, cool, beautiful, man-magnet, actress-wannabe who works in a cafe. Amy is the nerdy, insecure, intelligent, neurobiologist…
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Waitangi Day
A friend of ours said to me this morning, “I read the article you wrote for Stuff Nation”. What!? A couple of weeks ago I made a blog post about how to save the world by bicycle. I’m quite passionate about this topic and really wanted to spread my thoughts and because I only have…
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My husband looks like my dog
“Did you get the dog to match your husband?”, a woman asked me today. This is because I shamelessly entered both dog and husband in the SPCA pet-owner lookalike competition at the Torpedo Bay Naval museum in Devonport and she was astounded by the resemblance. I could have answered with, “I got the husband to…
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Happy birthday, Daniel!
Just before midnight tonight, 6 years ago, Daniel was born. Happy birthday, Daniel! He got to open his presents from us this morning. I crocheted him a solar system. It’s not to scale and the planets have eyes and smiles which is not very scientific, but he loves it. It is now a project for…
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Monkey in a rocket
I feel sad today. A photo I saw this morning is to blame. It’s the widely publicized photo of a wretched monkey, restrained and sent into space in a rocket by the country of Iran. All the media articles I’ve read talk about fears that Iran may now possess the technical know-how to fire missiles…
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I crochet, therefore I am
I taught myself to crochet just after Daniel was born, almost 6 years ago now. I have been crocheting ever since. As long as I have hook, yarn and hands to work them with, I will crochet until I die. My yarn stash has grown over the years and is kept in much the same…
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Where are the penguins?
Yesterday I took the children to the snow and the beach on the same day. There are few places in the world where you can do this and I don’t count Auckland as one of them because the snow was fake snow at Snow Planet. Christchurch is just such a place though. Although the beach…
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Road works and Daniel's party
Street Maintenance Auckland Transport has spent the last week ripping up the footpaths and kerbs on our street and replacing them with new footpaths and kerbs. I can’t think why they’re doing this as the footpaths and kerbs looked fine to me before. What I find even more frustrating is the absence of a cycle…
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