insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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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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The wrongness of killing and abortion
I cried when I watched this clip this morning. The baby’s mother has just died in a car accident and the infant is visibly distressed and mourning for her mother. Story in The Independent. We’re not the only animals to mourn the loss of loved ones. We’re not the only animals who love and care for…
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What is Twitter good for?
Lots of things! I found one particularly good use for it recently. Yesterday I published a fact sheet which I copied directly from George Monbiot’s blog about the harm traffic pollution does to children. I thought I’d better double-check with him that this would be ok and so I sent him a Tweet. He replied almost…
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Animals eat each other, so why shouldn’t we eat them?
People criticise and mock vegetarians quite a lot. I’m always happy to be laughed at and I’ve taught my kids that this is a good thing because it means you are making someone else happy and there’s nothing bad about that. However I get annoyed when people say silly things or incorrect things. Maybe I just like…
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What Traffic Fumes Do to Our Children
I copied the following factsheet from George Monbiot’s blog, Car Sick. He is encouraging people to share it: I've written a simple factsheet for schools and parents on what traffic pollution does to children. Please share: https://t.co/DFSDmUIQUX — George Monbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) March 6, 2017 I shared it with our local primary school on Twitter in the…
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When is a reasonable time to eat dinner?
I’ve got a work trip to Spain coming up and I’ve been looking for places to book for dinner since we’ll be a large group. However many of the restaurants don’t open until 9pm which is ridiculous. I’m usually in bed by that time. One place said they’d open early especially for us but even…
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Gardens and woodland walks at Crathes Castle
Most weekends I find myself craving for some fresh country air and a walk through the woods or up a hill. Today we satisfied my craving with a trip to Crathes Castle and a walk on one of the woodland trails there. I keep telling Ben we need a country house where we can spend…
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Music from Pride and Prejudice
I love Pride and Prejudice. It’s my favourite book. I’ve read it numerous times and I’ve seen the Greer Garson 1940s film as well as the Keira Knightly 2005 movie several times; Elizabeth is partly named after my grandmother Elizabeth and partly after Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I’ve also seen the BBC mini…
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The food revolution
America sometimes seems like a country of extremes but one thing they do very well is innovation and entrepreneurship. I don’t think any other country in the world does these two things as well as America. One industry I have been watching with great interest is the food technology industry and America is leading the way.…
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Keep calm and carry on or panic and freak out?
One of my coworkers told me recently how when we Happiness Engineers report bugs it’s not always clear how bad the bug is. We use the same tone, if there is a tone in text, for all bugs. So a minor user interface glitch will have the same tone as a major bug. There are ways…
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Turkey neck and gardening
I’m trying to reduce the amount of sugar I eat, partly for health reasons and partly for vanity. I’m starting to notice the wrinkles more and more and – dare I admit it, a turkey neck! – and sugar ages you. I’ll never be able to give up chocolate but sugar sneaks into things that don’t…
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A prickly thistle
Last August I planted an apple tree in the school garden. Since then I’ve watched with dismay as all the branches have slowly been ripped off. I don’t think the children are doing this to deliberately destroy the tree. It’s just that they’re playing there and it gets knocked about and they grab onto it as…
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Pumpkin and the Dog’s Bollocks
Suppose there’s a planet called Dog’s Bollocks and the aliens on Dog’s Bollocks have been using something called pumpkin for all their energy needs. But pumpkin has several problems. One: it’s running out. There’s a limited supply of it and eventually there’ll be none left. Two: it produces pollution which when inhaled can cause asthma in young aliens and reduces…
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