insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Never put cyclists between parked cars and traffic
I was nearly doored this morning by a motorist opening her car door on us as I cycled passed. Fortunately I always take a wide berth around parked cars – for this very reason – and as it was the door missed the three of us by mere centimetres. It was a mother dropping her children…
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What to tell the man at the post office when posting Mooncups?
Yesterday I posted a couple of Mooncups to a friend who wanted to try them. For those who have no idea what a Mooncup is it’s a reusable, silicon cup which women can use when they have their periods instead of having to purchase disposable pads and tampons every month. The man at the post…
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Goodbye, Derek Parfit
Imagine you’re in a car crash and the only part of you that survives is your brain. Suppose your brain is transplanted into the body of a brain-dead patient. Does the person become you? Are you still alive? What if instead your brain is cut in half and transplanted into the bodies of two people. Are…
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Appreciating weather
I took this photo on my ride to Newton Dee today. I go to Newton Dee at least once a week, sometimes twice, if I’m lucky. The view is never the same. Sometimes it’s rainy, sometimes sunny, sometimes dark and gloomy, sometimes sparkly white with snow, sometimes frosty, sometimes clear blue skies, sometimes a mix…
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Bobbin bikes
Elizabeth took her new wheels for a spin today. She let me have a turn. Her new bike is a Bobbin bike and is exactly how a bike should be with mud- and chain guards, a step-through frame, and a basket on the front for carrying things. Without the mud guards she would end up…
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Happy Hogmanay!
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year which is today and it also happens to be Elizabeth’s birthday. This year we went to the Pantomime. I’ve never been before but I’d heard good things about it. It was superb and exceeded all my expectations. We saw Dick McWhittington, the Scottish…
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The photographer’s muse
One of my Aussie friends is a photographer and many years ago I was a muse of sorts for his art. Last week he was sorting through some photos and found some of these old ones. Here they are, photos taken of me in my home about 15 years ago. Stewart is very talented and…
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Highland Safaris, Aberfeldy
We went on a Highland Safari today and it was the highlight of my week. It was sensational. The sun came out, there was snow on the ground, the views were superb, and I felt like I was on top of the world. We went up into the hills on a guided tour in two…
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Queen’s View and Pitlochry Fish Ladder
It snowed today! We went to Queen’s View which is apparently one of the most photographed views in Scotland. It was beautiful in the snow. Sister and family: Me and family: Sister and father: Ben got his obligatory “bored in the snow” photo. I got my usual “excited in the snow” photo. Afterwards we went…
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Happy Holidays!
Merry Christmas to everyone in the blogosphere! I had a great day yesterday – lots of food and friends and family and fun games. Here are some photos of our day. Four sisters (there are more; not everyone could make it): A morning walk: Christmas lunch: Handing out gifts: New outift: New toy: Festive glasses:…
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Red Deer Centre, Aberfeldy
Just outside Aberfeldy is a red deer centre where you can feed some deer and get up close to a barn owl. We took the children there this afternoon and it was wonderful. I’ve never seen deer up close let alone hand-fed one. It looks like Daniel is feeding his hand to the stag in this…
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Beatrix Potter Exhibition, Dunkeld
There’s a Beatrix Potter exhibition in the village of Dunkeld in Perthshire. Dunkeld is one of the oldest towns in Scotland and apparently Beatrix Potter’s family rented a house nearby and spent many holidays there. The local wildlife likely inspired some of the characters in her stories. Dunkeld is cute and the Beatrix Potter exhibition is…
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The Birks of Aberfeldy
The Scottish village of Aberfeldy is renowned for being the inspiration for Robert Burns’ poem, The Birks of Aberfeldy. A birk is the Scottish word for a beech tree and the Birks of Aberfeldy is a forested walk along Moness gorge. We did the walk this afternoon and met Robert Burns along the way. He’s…
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Perthshire for Christmas
We’ve taken off a bit early for the Christmas holidays; we’re spending it in the very lovely Perthshire. Here are a couple of pics from the drive today. We just managed to squish everything into the Co-Wheels car, including Creeper. There was a dusting of snow today which made the landscape look beautiful. Perthshire is…
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I’ve got rachel.blog!
Last year my company bought the .blog top level domain. As a perk we got first dibs in the new domains and I am now the very proud owner of rachel.blog. What an amazing Christmas present! Thank you, Automattic. If you would like to get a .blog then head over to get.blog to register a domain. It would make…
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“Gary” vegan cheese
Somehow I missed this very funny story from 2016. A few months ago a woman had a rant about Sainsbury’s new vegan cheese on Facebook. In it she suggests “Gary” as a possible name for vegan cheese. Here’s the full rant: Sainsbury’s responded with this: Someone at Sainsbury’s has a sense of humour. It has…
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My new obsession: blankets
Blankets: they need a higher profile. The world needs more blankets. Lately I have become a bit obsessed with blankets. I love my tartan skirt so much – and it’s basically a big woolly blanket – that I decided to get myself another. Here’s the new one: A close-up of the fabric since my photo isn’t very…
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Lady gardens (= pubic hair)
It must be time for another post about pubic hair. My last post about the topic was a few years ago now and pubic hair is currently in the news with some Bristol University students talking about it in this video. Why do women shave off all their pubic hair? A few of them admit they…
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It’s a Wonderful Life
There’s a terrific cinema in central Aberdeen called the Belmont Filmhouse. It was built in 1898 as a trades hall and is now home to three movie rooms (I think it’s three). They show a good mix of new release and classic films in cosy and comfortable rooms – not at all the soulless kind you find…
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Letters to Santa
It’s that time of year again. Here’s what the kids have put in their letters to Santa. Dear Santa, Can I please have Minecraft toys for Christmas and a Pikachu plushie please and the DanTDM 2017 diary and activity book please. Love, Daniel Dear Santa, Please can you give me anything that you think is…
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