insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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You don’t need to eat fish to get DHA omega-3s
Tell someone you’re vegan and suddenly they become an expert dietitian and will start listing nutrients they think you’re deficient in. Often the suggestions are silly, like protein, but someone who has done their homework will list something valid like B12. Vegans do need to take regular supplements of B12 or eat fortified foods. So…
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What to do with a glut of courgettes?
It has been a day of cooking. It’s that time of year when my allotment is producing way more courgettes (zucchinis) than we can eat so I had to take desperate measures. I took the advice of an old friend from Christchurch and made chutney. This is my first attempt and I didn’t make a…
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Watership Down
I just finished reading Watership Down to the kids. It was wonderful. I’d never read it before and I now find myself talking about elil, frith, and hrududus. The author, Richard Adams, invented a whole language for rabbits called Lapine. Hrududus are motorised vehicles. Ever since Daniel was a tiny baby we have always read…
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Global Climate Strike
Global climate strikes are planned for September 20 – 27th and I’ll be attending the Aberdeen strike on September 20th from 11am – 2pm. There’s a map at https://globalclimatestrike.net where you can find your local event. I urge everyone to attend for the sake of your children and grandchildren or, if you’re young, then for…
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If I ruled the world …
If I ruled the world … everyone would become vegan. Let me explain why. The fires in the Amazon rainforest are tragic but this is the cost of livestock farming. The fires were deliberately lit to clear the land for crops and cattle grazing. Most of the crops grown on the planet are used to…
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Wallpaper on every wall in an attic bedroom
Elizabeth’s bedroom has had a makeover. A couple of months ago we decided she needed a desk but it wasn’t as simple as just buying it. The only spot in her room for the desk was taken up with a built-in bookcase and when I pulled out the bookcase I discovered some hidden pipes. This…
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Lola
This is Lola, a Goldendoodle (Golden Retriever crossed with a Poodle). She’s a BorrowMyDoggy dog and her owner works every day so we give her exercise and company three days per week. We love having her. She’s such a delightful dog; so clever and so calm and gentle. I’d trust her with a newborn. The…
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A walk up Scolty Hill
We went for a walk up Scolty Hill today which is a small hill just south of Banchory. It’s about a 40 minute drive south west of Aberdeen to get to Banchory. The last time we walked up Scolty Hill it was snowing so it was quite different today. Everything was very lush and green…
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Budding film stars
The kids have spent the past couple of days making a movie with some friends. The four of them made a trailer and a movie called Jungle Adventure. It’s brilliant! It’s quite funny although technically speaking it’s supposed to be a fantasy/action flick. They did everything themselves – the script, the camera work, choosing the…
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A cold, rainy picnic on the beach with seals
It was a cold, rainy, windy day today and we decided it was perfect for a picnic on the beach at Newburgh. Only in Scotland would you find people crazy enough to picnic in weather like we had today and we were not the only crazy ones there. It’s the first time I’ve felt the…
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Pitmedden Gardens
Last Monday was a bank holiday here and we took the opportunity to visit Pitmedden Gardens. Despite being only 14 miles north of Aberdeen, we’ve never seen them before. We visited the café once on a trip to Tolquhon Castle but have never stopped to look at the gardens. Pitmedden Gardens is a recreation of…
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New vegetarian restaurant in Aberdeen
Inn at the Park hotel near Duthie Park now has a vegetarian restaurant. It’s a hotel/pub/restaurant all in one and the restaurant part of it has gone all vegetarian as of 1st August 2019. I don’t know the particulars of the change – it never used to be veggie – but I suspect it’s just…
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More plotting at the allotments
I had a back-breaking morning at the allotment today. The mustard yellow shed has inspired me to get some other jobs done that I’ve been wanting to do for ages, one of which was to remove all the stones and weed matting. Never, ever put weed matting and stones down. Weed matting is just awful…
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The best shed
When we took possession of our allotment in September 2017, the shed was in a terrible state. The roof had caved in and there was about 5cm of water in the bottom. Fortunately, my father was visiting at the time and we put him to work replacing the roof for us. This photo was taken…
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An easy vegan meal, shed painting, and slim pickings
I’ve been making a lot of pasta with pesto lately. The kids love it and on Tuesday and Thursday evenings I have less than an hour between when my workday ends and my General Assembly course begins so I want something that’s quick and easy to cook. I buy the pesto sauce which is vegan,…
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Hot weather and visits from family and friends
Yesterday was hot. BBC weather says it was 24C here which felt pretty awful. How did I ever survive living in Brisbane? At least here the temperature typically falls overnight and one can get a good night’s sleep. We’re also cooler than many other parts of Europe which are experiencing heat waves right now. I…
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One week left to respond to the city council SUMP consultation
The Aberdeen City Council currently has its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) out for consultation and it’s closing next week on July 26th. This is a plea for anyone living in the area to respond to the consultation before it closes. It’s important for as many people to have their say as possible because politicians…
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A Scottish ceilidh
On Saturday night after the Braemar junior games, there was a family ceilidh in the village hall. A ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee), is a traditional Scottish event with dancing and fiddle music. Other countries have something similar called a “barn dance”. We’ve been to a couple of ceilidhs here and they’re wonderful fun. Someone, a caller,…
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Caber-tossing for kids
We went to the Braemar Junior Highland Games today. We’ve been to the hugely popular “celebrity” event in September a couple of times but this is the first time we’ve been to the kids’ version and in many ways this version is better. It’s far less busy and children can participate in everything. It’s very…
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Moroccan lentil soup with stinging nettles
Nothing beats a good soup. They’re a great way to use up vegetables and to warm the body on a cold day. They’re also an effective method for getting vegetables into children. They’re cheap to make and can be beefed up by adding in some legumes like lentils or chick peas (not beef). On Saturday…
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