insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
-
Dinner tonight
Mum made tabbouleh several times when she was visiting and it was a huge hit with everyone, especially the kids. So I decided I’d start making it regularly too. Dinner tonight was tabbouleh with roast vegetables and peas. I love roasted vegetables and they go well with tabbouleh. There are 13 different species of plants…
-
A new hamster, highland exam results, and graffiti
We adopted another hamster. I wasn’t planning to get another but I saw a plea on Monday on the hamster rescue Scotland network Facebook page about an ad on Gumtree. Someone in Aberdeen was giving away their hamster and the creature was currently in a totally unsuitable cage. I don’t want to be judgemental because…
-
Another day in St Andrews, the Caird Hall Gathering in Dundee and memories of Christchurch
They say you can’t visit St Andrews without running into someone you know and thus far this has proved true for us. Last weekend we ran into someone from Daniel’s school also attending the offer holder day. Yesterday Daniel and I were there again and the strangest of coincidences happened. I didn’t technically know the…
-
The local vixen marking her territory
I have a water bowl in the backyard for wildlife and a camera pointed at it so I can see who visits. A local vixen has decided the bowl is her territory and has started leaving her scent. I thought this was just something male dogs did. Here she is caught on camera last weekend…
-
Photos from Aberdeen University
Last Friday Mum, Daniel and I went to the University of Aberdeen again as I wanted her to see King’s College Chapel which is only open on weekdays. We got all these nice photos. This next photo is of the Evolutionary Loop 517 sculpture which was created by London artist Nasser Azam who was inspired…
-
Newburgh seal colony
We took mum to see the seals yesterday as she’d never seen them before and it’s quite a fun outing. There are hundreds of them lounging on the sand at the mouth of the Ythan Estuary in Newburgh which is about 16 miles north along the coast from Aberdeen or a 20 minute car drive.…
-
St Andrews offer holder day and McIntosh Halls
We spent yesterday in St Andrews for the University offer holder day. This is a day for students who have received offers from St Andrews and who are either trying to decide which offer to accept or who have already decided and want to learn more about the course and accommodation. Daniel has accepted his…
-
Highland cows at Crathes Castle
I got some nice photos of the highland cows at Crathes Castle today. It’s always a good day for a walk at Crathes. Crathes Castle was built by the Burnetts of Ley family in the 16th century on land that was gifted to the family in 1323 by Robert the Bruce. The family lived in…
-
Critters and a cathedral
We’re back in Aberdeen after a lovely 5-day break in Aviemore. Victoria came with us as always and although she meows the entire way in the car, once we’re there she seems to quite enjoy exploring a new place. Lucille the hamster went to Mrs Murray’s Cat and Dog home for boarding. We take her…
-
The funicular railway at Cairngorm Mountain and Loch an Eilein
We went up the Cairngorm funicular railway today to the UK’s highest restaurant and bar – Ptarmigan – which is at just over 1,000m. It was our first ride on the funicular which opened in February this year after being closed in August 2023 for safety reasons. The work required to get it back in…
-
Freezing dip in the Green Loch
The Green Loch or An Lochan Uaine is probably my favourite loch in Scotland. When the sun is shining it’s a luminous green colour and very enticing. It’s also reached by a very pleasant forest walk that’s relatively flat and very pretty. We visited today and went for a brief dip. In my case at…
-
Banchory Lodge Hotel and garden wildlife
Mum and I had lunch with some friends at Banchory Lodge Hotel last week to celebrate my friend’s birthday. It was lovely. We had a table right beside the river with captivating views as you can see in the photo. There’s nothing vegan on the menu but if you let the waiter know the chef…
-
Daniel is going to St Andrews
Daniel got some exciting news last week: he received an offer to study computer science at the University of St Andrews. This was his top choice so he’s planning to accept it and will commence university in September this year. I never imagined I’d one day have a child at St Andrews University. It must…
-
My first highland dance exam
I did my first highland dance exam today. Watching Elizabeth dance has inspired me and I’ve been having lessons in an adult beginner/intermediate class with Pam Dignan who gave us the opportunity to do an exam if we wanted. So I did and I danced a 3-step fling and 3-step sword. It is the very…
-
Is Trump a Russian asset?
I asked Grok, Elon Musk’s AI tool, whether Trump is a compromised Russian asset. It said yes, with a likelihood of 75 – 85%. It may seem a like joke but as this Senator says in the video below, if he was a Russian asset he would be doing exactly what he’s doing now. It’s…
-
“Give us your weapons, we’ll look after you”
On the 5th December 1994, the UK, US and Russia signed a security assurance with Ukraine in exchange for Ukraine relinquishing its nuclear weapons. At the time, Ukraine had the 3rd largest nuclear arsenal in the world; weapons left over from the former Soviet Union. The agreement was signed in Budapest, Hungary and as a…
-
The new appeaser of 2025
On the 30th September 1938, Neville Chamberlain arrived at Heston Aerodrome near London with an agreement he’d just signed with a Mr A. Hilter in Munich, Germany. He waved the paper to a jubilant crowd saying, “it is peace for our time.” Great Britain had agreed alongside France, Italy and Germany to annexe part of…
-
A trophy for Elizabeth
Elizabeth came 1st in her dance competition on Sunday in the intermediate 14 years and over category. This is the second intermediate competition she’s won and also the second competition she’s ever won. She never won any when she was in beginners and only ever managed one 2nd overall in novice. It’s a reflection of…
-
Soup, hamster, lights
Dinner tonight was soup with homemade sourdough. I made the soup using Hodmedod’s mix of British grown peas. You can buy it in 5kg bags to save money. The pea mix alone consists of 5 different varieties: red fox carlin peas, black badger carlin peas, marrowfat peas, blue peas, and yellow peas – all grown…
-
“No murders at all” in Lucy Letby case
It has been a while since I’ve written about Lucy Letby and the terrible miscarriage of justice she has endured but I think about the case often. In my last post about it in July 2024 I likened it to the imprisonment, torture and execution of an innocent Scottish woman called Agnes Sampson in 1591…
rachel.blog 