insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Physical distancing for 12 months #COVID2019
The behavioural and social interventions implemented by the government over the past couple of weeks will be in place for 12 months, according to this article from the government website – Consensus view on social and behavioural and social interventions. But there may be periods during this time when some restrictions will be partially relaxed…
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Phantom symptoms
Am I the only one who has been feeling my forehead, palpating the glands in my neck, and imaging various other phantom symptoms, wondering whether I’ve caught the virus? Probably if you’re not sure whether you have a fever you don’t have a fever. Nevertheless, I decided to take my temperature just to make sure,…
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Cycling to the rescue
It’s the last day of school today for goodness knows how long but it’s not all bad. There are some benefits to this virus. For instance, there’s noticeably less traffic on the roads, especially around the school gate. I think many parents have already withdrawn their kids from school. The air smelt cleaner and fresher…
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Science press briefing #COVID2019
There was a good press briefing today with Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance in which they explain the reasons for the decisions the UK has made since the start of this outbreak. It starts at around 5 minutes. Chris Whitty explains the strategy, “The idea that we’re going to put this virus back to…
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19th March 2020 update #COVID2019
Schools will be closing on Friday this week for the foreseeable future. It’s unlikely they will open again before the summer holidays which means they’ll be shut until August and potentially longer than that. Much depends on what happens in China when they lift their restrictions. Children of key workers and vulnerable children will still…
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University staff now working from home #COVID2019
Ben is working from home starting today. After the Christchurch earthquakes, he was unable to access his office at the university for several months. This time he has had advanced warning and so yesterday he didn’t leave the office until after midnight because he was packing everything he needs to work from home. The earthquakes…
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More restrictions for the UK #COVID2019
Yesterday more restrictions came into effect for people in the UK. We are now being told to self-isolate for 14 days if anyone in our household is showing symptoms. This means if one of us gets sick we all have to stay home. That seems reasonable to me. The government also advised people not to…
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Panic buying and the UK response to coronavirus
I don’t understand the panic buying. Do people not realise you can order groceries online and have them delivered? Anyone facing quarantine can still order groceries and have them delivered to their home. There’s no need to buy stuff to last the duration of the quarantine. Also, you can’t buy several weeks’ worth of fresh…
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There is nothing to fear but fear itself
We’ve noticed several similarities between our experience of the Christchurch earthquakes and the Covid-19 pandemic. After the big earthquake schools and universities were closed, hospitals and emergency services were overwhelmed, businesses went bankrupt, people lost jobs, shops were closed, supplies ran low including toilet paper, and people died. At that time, Ben remembers having to…
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How to work from home
I’ve been working successfully from home for six years and I thought I’d share some tips since more and more people are having to isolate themselves during this pandemic. I love working from home because it gives me complete control of my environment. I can set the temperature, lighting, and background noise to my preferences.…
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Coronavirus: let’s look at the positives
With panic engulfing the globe I thought it would be good to focus on some of the positives of this new pandemic. One is that the Chinese wet markets have been banned. Although this is only temporary for now their very existence has come into focus and discussion. Wild animal markets like this force animals…
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Let the battle begin
We had a nice afternoon at the allotment today planting some tatties and spreading lovely soil from the compost heap over the garden beds. There’s something very satisfying about getting your hands stuck into a heap of compost and spreading it around. The kids were initially very bored and complaining until Ben suggested they plant…
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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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