insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Elizabeth got a bronze medal
Elizabeth competed in the Robert Burns World Federation North East of Scotland schools competition today. She recited The Banks O’ Doon by Robert Burns and did marvellously. She came third and got a bronze medal. I took a video. The standard was high and there was lots of tough competition so we’re very proud of…
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Ventilation shaft on Justice Mill Lane
On Justice Mill Lane in Aberdeen is this lovely pole. I’ve always admired it and wondered what it was. Ben recently borrowed a book about Aberdeen from the local library and it gets a mention in that. It was built in 1905 as a ventilation shaft for underground tunnels containing electricity cabling. The ventilation helped…
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Fossil free funds
I have been looking for a pension (superannuation) fund for a couple of years now that’s completely fossil fuel-free. It was harder than I expected because even the self-described “ethical” funds had a small proportion invested in oil and gas. Finally, I’ve found one! It’s the Baillie Gifford positive change fund. They get an A…
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Eating insects
For several years now I have been quite interested in entomophagy which means eating insects. I’ve started buying insect dog food for the dogs we borrow and this week I bought a packet of ground buffalo (buffalo is a type of beetle, also known as mealworm) from a Welsh company called Bug Farm Foods. It…
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Sometimes we need pancakes for dinner
I’m really snowed under with work and cycling-related activities right now that I couldn’t be bothered cooking dinner tonight and since I’m the parent I get to decide what we eat so we had pancakes. The kids were shocked and delighted all at once when they found out. I’ve found a great recipe for vegan…
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Recipe for oat milk and cookies for the remaining pulp
I’m so excited about making my own oat milk that I’ve been experimenting a bit with different recipes to get a flavour that I like. Here’s what I’ve settled on for now: 2 cups oats 1L water 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like it) a small slice…
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Making your own milk
One of the advantages of drinking plant-based milk is that you can make your own. You can’t do this with dairy unless you get your own cow. For a little while, I’ve been trying to make my own oat milk using a cotton bag to strain it. This is quite messy and time-consuming so I…
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A night to remember at the Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar
This is going to be a long post with lots of photos so apologies in advance. We’ve just had a magnificent weekend in Braemar staying at the luxurious Fife Arms hotel. It’s quite a contrast to our recent glamping adventures and definitely opulent but worth every penny. I’ve been longing to spend a night at…
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Daniel just metres from the Duchess
The Duchess of Cambridge was in Aberdeen today helping at a café that employs people who were previously homeless and also donates the profits to good causes. Daniel walked past the café while she was there and saw a lot of cameras and commotion out the front. He didn’t know what was going on so…
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The best diet
For about a month I tried skipping breakfast in order to lose a couple of kilos so I could zip up one of my favourite dresses again. I lost one kilo after about three weeks and nothing much happened after that except that I found myself starving all morning and sniffing marmite from the jar.…
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Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper
I’ve stopped skipping breakfast. I’ve decided it’s not a very good way to lose weight and apparently there’s evidence to back this up. All calories are not equal – it depends what time of day they’re eaten. The same calories eaten in the morning are less fattening than exactly the same calories eaten in the…
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On Donald Trump and the acquittal
The news from America that Republicans voted almost overwhelmingly to acquit Donald Trump, although expected, is frightening for us all. It’s sending the message that it’s ok to use your power as a president to try to rig an election. This is the sort of news I’d expect to come out of Mexica or Kenya…
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A weekend at the Barley Bothy
We’ve just had a lovely weekend at the Barley Bothy: a little hut on a strawberry and sheep farm near Huntly. You can watch the making of the hut on Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces, (series 4, episode 4). We like staying in interesting places because that’s all part of the holiday experience and the Barley…
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We have a teenager in the house
Daniel turned 13 this week. They say it gets hard again when kids become teenagers. We’ve been enjoying the golden years with both kids between the ages of 6 and 13. They’re reasonably independent in this age bracket and all the sleepless nights and nappy changing is behind you. You’re also still a big influence…
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Elizabeth’s application form
Elizabeth has applied to be on a Scratch game creator team at school. She completed the application form all by herself. We never even saw it until she’d filled it in and she’s done a terrific job for a 10-year-old. I’d hire her! Filling in forms is not easy to do but it’s an important…
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Insect dog food
Sustainability in dog food is becoming a thing. The dogs we look after always come with their own food which their owners provide but I feel a bit depressed giving regular dog food to dogs. We know how unsustainable livestock farming is and we’re already consuming beyond our resources just to satisfy our meat-heavy diet…
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Creag Choinnich revisited
We took our Aussie visitor to Braemar for a walk up Creag Coinnich today. Creag Coinnich is a wonderful little hill walk as it’s not long but you are rewarded at the top with magnificent views that significantly outweigh the effort required to get up there. It’s only 3/4 of a mile and takes about…
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I finally got my husband to wear a skirt
It’s Burns Night tonight which is an annual celebration of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. I think it’s traditionally called a Burns Supper but we’ve never been to one before so we were not 100% sure what’s meant to happen. However, we have an Australian visitor joining us for the weekend so we did some…
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The 16:8 diet and inhaling marmite
I have been on the 16/8 diet for a few weeks now. This diet lets you eat whatever you want for 8 hours in the day. For the rest of the 16 hours you can’t eat anything. You can choose when the 8 hours fall and mine are typically from 11am – 7pm. Essentially I’m…
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Serving drinks on a train
I had a funny dream last night that I was on a train and Prince Charles was on it serving drinks. He served me a sparkling water and I didn’t know whether to bow or curtsy or say “his majesty” or what. It was all very awkward. Perhaps this was prompted by Meghan and Harry’s…
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