insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Homemade hot cross buns
Every year on Good Friday, for as long as I’ve known him, Ben makes hot cross buns. Having stuffed myself silly with about half-a-dozen of them now I can say with honesty that this year’s batch was particularly good, maybe even the best yet. They are vegan, without peel, and preservative-free. Perfect! Ben says he used…
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Doors that don’t open and preservatives in food
At my work meetup in Madrid this past week I embarrassed myself one night just before dinner. There were eleven of us and we arrived at the restaurant at 8:29pm. The restaurant opened at 8:30pm and when I tried to open the door it was locked. We figured they would open it at any moment and waited…
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Climate change and the elephant in the room
Livestock farming produces more greenhouse gas emissions than the entire transport sector. That’s all the planes, trains, trucks, buses, cars, and boats on the planet. Exactly how much the livestock farming sector produces varies depending on which study you look at. The most conservative estimate is from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United…
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Diversity at Heathrow airport and living in the UK
I’m back in the UK and waiting at Heathrow airport where I’ve just stuffed myself full of food and am thinking of going back for more. I threw myself at Pret a Manger like a ravenous lion who hasn’t eaten properly for months. I love Pret. It’s one of my favourite eateries. Here’s what I got…
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A plate of artichokes
The food situation over the past few days has been diabolical. On Sunday the choice was omelette or meat balls, on Monday night it was steak or fish, and lunch today was steak or pork loin. They look at me with horror when I say I would like something without meat. It seems to take…
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A conversation overheard
Ben overheard this conversation between Daniel and Elizabeth. They were playing some game together on their devices which involved Elizabeth making a BBQ and inviting Daniel’s character. Daniel: What will you cook? Chicken? Pork? Elizabeth: No. Daniel: Beef: Elizabeth: No. Daniel: Mutton? Elizabeth: No, none of those things. Daniel (in a despairing tone): If it’s…
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Photos from Madrid
We wandered around El Retiro Park in Madrid yesterday. I took some photos on our walk there and in the park. I have been to Madrid before, some 12 or so years ago now, and I remember this park and the glasshouse. The glasshouse is beautiful but completely empty. I suspect if they put plants in there…
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Temple of Debod
The Temple of Debod is an ancient Egyptian temple in one of the parks in Madrid. It was moved from Egypt to Madrid in 1968 to save it from the threat of construction of a dam. It was built in 200 BC. We went and took some photos there at sunset last night. It doesn’t…
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Madrid bike tour
We went on a fantastic bike tour today of Casa de Campo Park which is the largest park in Madrid and absolutely enormous. We barely touched the surface of it. Bravo Bikes provided bikes and a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. I can’t fault them at all and it’s one of the best meetup activities I’ve…
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Camel toe knickers
I was sitting at Heathrow airport today watching people go by when I saw the most pronounced case of camel toe I have ever seen. I happened to be texting my sister at the time and I mentioned it to her and she told me that this is a new fashion. Apparently you can buy camel…
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The cane chair bike
I saw this bike at Newton Dee yesterday. There are no pedals but it has an electric motor. I think it needs a couple of cushions on the seat but otherwise looks fun.
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Making friends at school and cycling in the rain
It’s tough when your kids don’t have any friends at school. That has been the case for Daniel until this year. He was put into the wrong year when we first arrived and was the youngest in his class both in age and maturity. The children were all nice to him but they didn’t view him…
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Population crisis and hairy legs
I’ve got a population crisis in my stick insect habitat. It’s swarming with them now and there’s a range of sizes so this is more than just one lot of offspring. They’re breeding like rabbits and I’m not sure what to do with them all. There are so many that I can’t take the dead…
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Carnage: a mockumentary
I just watched Carnage, a comedic documentary set in the year 2067 when the whole world is vegan and reflecting back on their horrific, meat-eating past. There’s something in this for all diets because I really enjoyed it as did my meat-eating family. I didn’t specifically intend for the kids to watch it but Daniel was very…
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Inside my greenhouse
I’m so excited by all the things growing in my greenhouse. I’ve never had a greenhouse before but I can see what useful things they are. It’s much easier to grow from seed because the greenhouse offers some protection from birds and pests. You can also control the amount of water they get. I planted…
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Haddo House and Country Park
Things didn’t go quite according to plan today. We booked the nearest car-club car this morning but it had a flat battery. We’ve been members of the car club for two years now and this is only the second time this has happened. Fortunately there was another car-club car nearby and so they switched our booking…
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When painkillers cause pain
I’ve had this awful headache since last Thursday. It’s not uncommon for me to get a headache which lasts several days but this one has gone on for longer than usual and I’ve just felt rotten. When I woke up at 5am this morning with a thumping head I suddenly figured it out. Last Wednesday…
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How to argue with a vegan
I thought I’d do a part two of my “making fun of vegans” post from the other week. I like having my views challenged and engaging in difficult discussions about ethical issues. What I don’t like are the inane and often offensive statements people make. I’m referring to people who lick their lips and claim to…
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I don’t like what you wear but I defend your right to wear it.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled this week that private companies can legally ban employees from wearing religious, political, or philosophical signs. I feel a bit uncomfortable about this ruling and here’s why. But first, let me say that I am atheist. I can’t think of anything I could wear that would fall…
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Not a true Australian
Recently one of the dads at school was telling me how he’d played professional rugby as a teenager. He said he got to play against some really great players and then listed off a few names. I could tell by his tone that I was supposed to be impressed by this and that these were people I…
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