insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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The world needs more Bens
Sometimes I feel sad about the world. I read the things people say online and I feel despair. What hope is there for us? Some people try to do the right thing and reduce their impact on the planet but what good is it when everyone else is more interested in their taste buds than…
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Covid-busting diet
We had a very healthy meal tonight from the How Not to Diet cookbook by Michael Greger MD. I love Dr Greger’s How Not to Die cookbook and we eat recipes from it regularly. This new book of his is almost too healthy and I’ve had trouble getting inspired by the recipes. I bought some…
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Meatless Farm and Elizabeth’s biology poster
We had Meatless Farm burgers for dinner last night. I’ve become a Meatless Farm convert: they’re UK-based and much cheaper than the Beyond Burger but with similar ingredients. Both are made with pea protein. They taste delicious too and are good for a quick, easy meal when you don’t feel like cooking. As part of…
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An adventure in Strathdon
There are two mighty rivers in Aberdeen: the Dee and the Don. Both start some 80-90 miles west in the Grampian Mountains and flow into the sea at Aberdeen. The Dee is quite well known thanks to Queen Victoria and Balmoral Castle which is in the Dee Valley. The whole area is known as Royal…
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Gull dinner party
I baked another dud sourdough loaf which I threw onto the back lawn. A colony of gulls swooped in and demolished it all in less than a minute. Before the gulls arrived some local birds had a go. I got this one brave bird feasting right in front of Victoria our cat. I’m not sure…
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Cat and cargo bike
Schools are breaking up in Aberdeen next week but our kids won’t be starting holidays until the 23rd July, about a month later. However they’re not missing out because the holiday time is made up at the other end of summer as they don’t go back until September, about month after everyone here. The online…
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Cat pics, Delta variant, and fast fashion
After my post about Victoria scratching my face last week I was worried people might think we have a psychotic cat and although she’s prone to occasional acts of violence, she’s mostly a very lovable cat. She just likes affection on her terms. Here’s proof. She’s not very fond of being held unless she’s in…
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Bon Accord Baths
I visited the Bon Accord Baths today: a previously council-run indoor swimming pool in central Aberdeen, constructed in the 1930s in Art Deco style. The council closed the pool in 2008 and since then the building has become derelict. The council tried to sell it in 2015 and amid a public outcry at potentially losing…
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The tropics of Scotland
I woke up at 2-something last night to go to the toilet, I looked out the window and it was still light! There’s just no dark at the moment which is ridiculous. It’s light when I go to bed, it’s light if I wake up in the middle of the night, and it’s light when…
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Sourdough bread, Discord, and the electric car
I finally made a loaf of sourdough bread that looks and tastes like sourdough bread. Most of my efforts recently have failed and ended up more like bricks than loaves of bread. But this one is almost perfect. It’s quite satisfying after many many failures to have one turn out more or less normal. The…
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Picnic at Craigievar Castle
It was a very warm bank holiday in the UK today and since both the kids and I had the day off we went for a picnic and a walk. I’m not a fan of hot sunny days like this. Give me dull, muted lighting any day so I wanted a forest walk where we’d…
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Highland dance exam
Elizabeth had her highland dance exam today. It all went well as far as we know but she won’t get any feedback for a little while as it was recorded and the judges will have to watch it. I took this photo of her waiting outside the dance studio in her full dance outfit. They…
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Aboyne stone circle and Crathes Castle
Our first weekend of car ownership has been rather nice. We can be a bit more spontaneous. With the car club you need to plan in advance and book it. With our own car we can just decide on the spur of the moment to go out. Yesterday we had dinner with some friends in…
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Zoe
We have taken a plunge into the dark side and after nearly 7 years of living car-free we are now the owners of an electric Renault Zoe. Yes, I’m almost ashamed to say it: we are now evil car owners. It was not a decision made lightly. We have loved living without a car and…
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Vintage clothing
As my readers of my blog will know I’m a big fan of vintage clothes. I’ve been visiting charity shops for decades; long before it became fashionable. Old and second-hand things have a mystery that appeals to me. Who owned them before? What were they like? How did they use them? Second-hand things have a…
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A self-defence move and a cure for insomnia
Elizabeth shared this YouTube video about a lethal self-defence move with us. Please watch before reading the rest of this post. You’ve just been Rickrolled! Elizabeth likes to Rickroll us. If you don’t know what Rickrolling is it’s what I’ve just done to you: tricked you into watching the 1987 Rick Astley hit, “Never Gonna…
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Bandit Bakery
I discovered recently that the baker who used to make the sourdough for Foodstory Café – Pete Leonard – left to open his own bakery – Bandit Bakery. A few weeks ago I went to check it out. The bakery opened at 10am and I got there at about 11:15am. They were completely sold out…
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I got my first covid vaccination jab
I had my first covid vaccine today after receiving my blue appointment letter last Monday. They’re working very methodically through the population going from oldest to youngest. When your turn comes up you get your letter with the appointment date. I’m 45 and it was my turn today. The whole operation is very slick. You…
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Insect-based food for cats
As a vegan I have found it difficult owning a cat and buying cat food. Cats are obligate carnivores which means, unlike humans, they must eat animals to survive. If you can thrive without harming others then why wouldn’t you? This is why I’m vegan. But it’s not so simple for cats and my plan…
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The Highland road trip past Corgaff Castle
We’re back in Aberdeen and fast wifi again – yay! We loved our weekend away in Aviemore; our first trip away since Christmas last year when the whole of Scotland was put in lockdown that eventually lasted more than 4 months. I think lots of people had the same idea as we did because Aviemore…
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