insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Glencoe and Hagrid’s hut
We’ve had a lovely couple of days in Glencoe, Scotland. What a beautiful place! Part of the reason we came here is because we recently read all the Harry Potter books to the kids at bedtime. This is the second time I’ve read them aloud because I did it for Daniel some years ago and…
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LGBT lessons and protesting parents
Parents in Manchester have been protesting outside schools about the No Outsiders programme which teaches kids that it’s ok to be gay. When I first saw the protestors I thought schools must have been showing kids x-rated pornography, but it turns out all they are doing is explaining that some kids have two mummies and…
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Fudgy no-bake brownies
Elizabeth made the fudgy no-bake brownies from Dr Gregor’s How Not to Die cookbook yesterday. They’re so easy to make even a kid can do it. I just helped her a bit with the food processor. They’re delicious and healthy. There’s no sugar in the recipe and they’re gluten-free and vegan. Ingredients 1 cup walnuts…
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Aurora hunting, vegan treats, and made in Scotland
We went aurora hunting last night because every newspaper said we’d see a magnificent light show when a solar storm arrived, supposedly sometime between 6pm and 9pm. But it turned out to be a non-event because there was no aurora. We drove to Dunnottar Castle thinking it would be a good spot because it’s away…
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Inside Hoss and guns
Elizabeth and I had an appointment this morning which I cycled to on Hoss. We were a little early and it was cold so I hopped inside Hoss with Elizabeth because it’s cosy and warm in there. We took some photos. An adult can fit comfortably inside. My head did touch the roof but because…
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Aberdeen’s beach and veganism is mainstream
Daniel was invited to a birthday party today and much to my disappointment it was at a trampoline place by the beach. I dislike going to the beach in Aberdeen for two reason – 1) It’s a bugger to get to by bike. There’s no good route and I’m always stressed and worried about large…
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King Street Design Competition
We announced the winners of the King Street Design Competition today. It took a bit longer than expected because we extended the competition by one week and then the judging took just over two weeks. However the whole thing was a great success. I’m so impressed with all the designs we received and it was…
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TradeMe must stop selling guns
The news out of my old home town of Christchurch today is very sad. Kia Kaha, Christchurch. I feel like I say that a lot. Christchurch has had a really rough decade. When will it end? I wish the media would not report the names of terrorists. It encourages idolatry and copy cats. They should…
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A doggy to cuddle and I made sauerkraut
Today I’ve had Millie for company. She’s an adorable 1-year-old cockapoo. As you can see she’s made herself at home 🙂 Millie is our first dog from Borrow My Doggy. Her owner works all day and wanted her to have some company while he’s at work. I’m at home working all day and also wanted…
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Scottish poetry and highland dancing
I managed to clock up over 12,000 steps on my Fitbit yesterday while sitting on my butt. It’s not like the last time I boasted about doing exercise without doing any exercise – last time I really did exercise, thanks to active travel. However yesterday we used the car-club car to get around and so I…
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Highland dance and TV rants
It has been a crazy busy week and the craziness is still going. Elizabeth has been performing in her Highland Dance show and we’ve had rehearsals and performances all week with the finale tonight. I helped backstage on two nights and it was really well organised. I’m so impressed with the dance school. The students…
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A clothing library
I got some great stuff at the charity shop on the weekend. One treasure is this turtleneck top made by Geiger of Austria which I bought for £7. I’ve not heard of this brand before, probably because it’s out of my price range, but I love wearing turtlenecks in winter and this one is very thick…
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It was summer here in February
It has felt like summer here for the past week or so and lots of temperature records have broken. A 120-year winter temperature record for Scotland was broken on February 21 when Aboyne reached 18.3C. This is unprecedented for this region in winter. 18.3C is a summer temperature for us. On the 25th February the…
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Where underpants come from
I’ve successfully completed one week out of 52 in my quest to avoid made in China. You might be wondering why I’m doing this. I have several reasons. China is producing many of the world’s goods and doing so with a poor track record on the environment and workers’ rights. Chinese-made products are often poor…
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Comfy socks on a deserted island
I’ve gone sock crazy! I’ve just finished making a pair of socks (these are definitely not made in China!) and they’re so luxurious I had problems finding something to wear with them. Last weekend I discovered the magnificent yarn of J.C Rennie, one of Scotland’s last woollen mills. There’s something about a beautiful yarn that…
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Mishmash of crochet, forceful vegans, ISIS brides, and made in China
I’ve been a little quiet recently which does not mean I haven’t had a lot to say. I’ve just been busy. All my spare time lately has been spent crocheting. I’ve become obsessed with socks and have made so many now and even designed my own pattern for crochet socks which I’ve put up for…
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Tinder for dogs
We’ve been doggy-sitting a friend’s pooch today. Meet Bramble: Our dogs died several years ago and with the harrowing pain that came with their death and our move to another country we haven’t felt we could take on another dog. However I miss having a four-legged friend sniffing about the house and so we decided…
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Back home through Ballater
We are back in Aberdeen after a lovely few days staying in Braemar, my favourite village in Aberdeenshire. We stayed in self-catering accommodation in the centre of the village – Tigh Na Tri Cottage. I definitely recommend it. We had everything we needed and cooked most of our meals at home. There were also toys…
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Creag Choinnich
We walked up to the top of Creag Choinnich today and it was marvelous. It’s probably one of the loveliest hill walks I’ve done in Aberdeenshire. The views from the top are even nicer than those at Bennachie. I love hill-walking. The effort required to get to the top is always rewarded with magnificent views…
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A lost kayak and the Queen’s Drive circuit
Some kayakers lost a kayak in the River Clunie today and we watched the rescue operation. I’m amazed anyone kayaks on this part of the river because it looks way too treacherous to me. The kayak was bobbing up and down for a long time – at least half an hour. It was caught in…
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