insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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A tartan skirt on a bakfiets
I had a request for a photo of myself cycling in my tartan skirt. Ben took this pic today. I love my skirt so much. It’s like wearing a woollen blanket.
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You’ve Been Trumped Too
Here’s the trailer for the You’ve Been Trumped Too documentary about Donald Trump. The full documentary was screened on Facebook on Thursday night after a crowd-sourced funding campaign. I didn’t see it because it was at a time suited for Americans which makes sense since they’re about to decide whether to make this man president…
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Government loses fight to poison the people
I’ll acknowledge there’s a bit of click bait with my title but it’s not so far from the truth. Yesterday the high court ruled that the British government’s plans for tackling air pollution are so feeble they’re illegal. Air pollution from motor vehicles kills 50,000 people every year and the government is required under EU law to keep pollution within…
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The Haemorrhoid bike seat
First there was the condom poncho. Now I bring you the Haemorrhoid bike seat. I just got this new seat for my bike. The fantastic bike shop let me try three different seats for comfort. This one was the best. I haven’t ridden any great distance on it yet so I can’t give a full review but…
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A witch at Castle Fraser!
I think I make a pretty good witch; the Wicked Witch of the West maybe? It was Halloween at Castle Fraser today so we went along to check it out. There was a bit of whingeing about hunger, boredom, and too many people but not from the children; they were very well behaved. As soon…
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The DanTDM Show!
At the DanTDM show on Tuesday Dan Middleton asked us all to keep details of his show secret. This is why I haven’t blogged about it. But I can share a few photos and details without giving anything away like the enormous queue outside Town Hall just before it started. I love living in Britain. The British have…
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Harald in lights
I got some fairy lights for Harald. What do you think? I think he needs more.
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The Herb Garden, Newcastle
We’re in Newcastle! We’ve come down for the DanTDM concert as a treat for the kids. I tried to get tickets to the show in Edinburgh but they sold out in less than one hour. DanTDM is a 20-something British fellow with a YouTube channel about Minecraft which is supremely popular wth 6-13 year-olds. Daniel…
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The condom poncho
I got myself a poncho for cycling in the rain to keep my knees dry. Otto London make some really nice ones and I got the clear Festival Poncho which is only £24. I was thinking I looked pretty cool until Ben asked me why I was wearing a condom. I gave my iPhone to the…
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Duthie Park in October
This afternoon I told the kids we were going to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner and there was an explosion of complaint. I thought I might have accidentally pulled off their finger nails one-by-one given the level of protest. But I checked their fingernails and they’re all still intact. So then I offered an alternative: vegetarian restaurant…
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How can I be an effective activist?
I’m so frustrated with the city council and their lack of action in building cycling infrastructure. We know that cycling infrastructure encourages people to ride their bikes and we know that when people ride their bikes there’s less pollution, less traffic congestion, and less of a strain on the NHS because those people are engaging in physical…
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Harald’s got balls
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Theresa Mayhem
It may not be mayhem in the UK, not yet anyway, but I’m becoming increasingly alarmed by Theresa May. She started off with grand statements about equality and working for everyone but I’ve seen nothing encouraging since then and more cause for concern than anything else. One example was Amanda Rudd’s recent statement about having British firms declare…
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Cargo bikes are the future
This trailer for a documentary about the cargo bike movement makes my eyes all watery but in a happy and hopeful way. I relate so much to what the narrator says – the thought of spending my life taxiing children around in a polluting motor vehicle and living in the suburbs makes my heart sink. I…
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A rainy autumn day on the bike path
We ran out of biscuits today which was potentially disastrous. My choice was either to bake some biscuits or cycle to Newton Dee to buy some more. Of course the virtuous thing to do would have been to cycle to Newton Dee to buy the *ingredients* and then return home to cook them but I’m not that virtuous. And so…
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It’s outrageous!
I’ve discovered a character flaw in myself. I’m not perfect after all. Surprising, I know. What is this flaw, you ask? I don’t like it when I don’t get my own way. How can I deal with this? I see three options. Option 1 Always make sure I get my own way. Sadly, I’m not…
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Moan, moan, moan – that’s all I seem to do
I feel like I’m always complaining to the Aberdeen City Council. It’s just that they keep making silly decisions and not doing what I suggest. This week they announced their plans for pedestrianisation of an historic street in the city centre only their idea of pedestrianisation is to make it a thoroughfare for buses. Don’t…
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On being a leader and Doctor Who
Several months ago I became a team lead at work and I’m now leading a team of five Happiness Engineers. Last week I started a pilot coaching program to become a more effective leader. It’s like having my own personal coach. In fact that’s exactly what it is. The whole program is giving me warm fuzzies.…
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Exclusively Highlands Craft Fair at Drum Castle
We’ve been to Drum Castle more than any other castle now, mostly because it’s so close, but it’s terrific and one of the best in Aberdeenshire. It’s also open all year round although only on weekends over the winter. Most other castles close for the winter. Every weekend I check for events at Drum and other nearby…
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