insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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Leaking gas – are we all going to die?
On Sunday our boiler started leaking gas. We could smell it and so we called the emergency number and an engineer came out within the hour. He confirmed there was a leak and isolated the unit and made it safe. He didn’t fix the leak; he only turned off the boiler which is why we’ve…
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Castle playgrounds and central heating
Yesterday I booked a car and took the kids for lunch and a play at Drum Castle. Drum Castle is displaying some of the art from Aberdeen Art Gallery while renovations are underway at the gallery and so the castle is now open all through the winter. It’s so nice to be able to go to a castle for lunch…
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School playgrounds
I’ve got myself involved with a group of mums from school to revamp the school playground. It’s currently an asphalt desert with a dearth of nature and things to play on and probably looks much the same as it did in Victorian times when the school was built. I’ve even seen prisons with better playgrounds…
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Apps for kids
Every now and again I’ll let the kids get a paid app each for the iPad. That day is today and it hasn’t turned out so well. Elizabeth ended up in tears because the game she wants does not exist. She wants a Sim city type game where you have to solve maths problems before you…
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More snow
One day the novelty will wear off but for the moment I’m still just as excited as ever by the sight of snow. It snowed today despite being a positively balmy 4°C. We had snow last week too which was beautiful. Busby is still at the bike shop so the kids have had to walk…
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John Oliver destroys Donald Trump
Donald Trump (aka Drumpf) is particularly unlikable and so it was very satisfying to watch John Oliver pull him to pieces. I’ve seen and read about his behaviour here in Scotland when he was building his golf course and it was shocking. It’s hard to believe he could potentially become president of the United States. #MakeDonaldDrumpfAgain
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Bikes for the bathroom
Busby has gone to hospital. There’s a problem with his brakes. It’s as though they’re permanently on and I have to pedal hard even when going downhill. Unfortunately it’ll be at least a week before he gets fixed because the bike shop is fully booked. Elizabeth had to go to a party today and so she…
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Praise for the NHS
We’re all very healthy and haven’t had much need for the NHS since we moved here but the school asked us at the end of last year to organise an appointment for Daniel to discuss his autism and Tourette’s syndrome. It was something I’d been thinking about doing at some point but hadn’t got around to…
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Being an atheist doesn’t necessarily mean you’re rational
I watched this terrific Potholer54 YouTube video last night before bed and it was very funny in the typical Potholer style and quite scathing and derogatory. Potholer54 is the YouTube handle for a British science journalist who produces a series of videos debunking nonsense on the internet. I think it was he who used the…
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Dressed for the destination, not the journey
This YouTube video comparing cycling in Holland with cycling in Britain is truly wonderful and well worth watching. What is particularly interesting is that it wasn’t always this way in Holland. They used to have the same problems we have with traffic and air pollution but a spate of child deaths sparked protests and so began the start of policy which…
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I’m getting a new bike!
I am so close to ordering a new bike. I have been lusting after a new bike for ages and ages now and finally I’ve decided what I want and we’re about to place an order. The delay is because Ben is being very annoying and wants to make sure the bike will fit through…
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The helmet brigade
Once when I was cycling home from school an overweight woman yelled out to me, “Where’s your helmet, Mum?”. I might have been wearing the Hövding at the time, I can’t remember, but that’s beside the point. I could have replied with, “Why aren’t you exercising, fatty?”, but I didn’t because that would have been rude…
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Bicycle rush hour in Copenhagen
I saw this great YouTube footage of bicycle rush hour in Copenhagen on the Copenhagenize site. As you watch it, imagine how different it would look if each of those cyclists or even the majority of them, were in private motor vehicles instead. Also notice how hardly any of the cyclists are wearing helmets or hi-viz clothing…
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A rant … feeling better already
I have just read the most extraordinary articles and need to have another rant to calm myself down. A friend of mine in Christchurch hinted that there had been some objections to building bicycle paths in the city and so I searched to find out more. Big mistake that was! I should not have read…
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Cross-country skiing in Scotland
It’s school holidays this week and so I took the day off work to take the kids on a family learn-to-cross-country-ski day at the Nordic Ski Centre in Huntly. I have been skiing a few times but never cross-country skiing and the children have never been on skis at all. Cross-country skiing appealed to me because it’s…
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Another earthquake for Christchurch
Christchurch had another earthquake yesterday; the biggest in quite a while and just another in the earthquake sequence which began on the 4th September 2010. I remember that first one well. It’s the reason we now live in Scotland. It was the middle of the night and we were all asleep. The sound is more terrifying…
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More snow in Aberdeen
Most of the snow melted yesterday but then it snowed again overnight so there are beautiful scenes outside again today. I wish we had more days like this each winter but I guess Aberdeen is too close to the sea and the mercury mostly hovers above 0°C over the winter. Still, I really love the…
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Snow in Aberdeen!
Last night I decided we were going to book a car today and drive in search of some snow. But when I woke up and looked out our bedroom window this is what I saw: Finally the snow has come to Aberdeen. Yay! The summer house in our backyard: I think the gnome in our…
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Vegan Cheese
Elizabeth has been begging to go to Newton Dee for the past few days. She even drew this picture of it this morning. Can you see Busby? We go about once per month, maybe more, and I guess she enjoys the ride there in Busby and also the promise of vegan chocolate or some other yummy treat. I…
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Petri dish meat balls
Food technology company Memphis Meats has produced a meat ball with lab-grown meat rather than farm-raised animals. I don’t eat meat but I am cautiously optimistic of this development because there are so many negatives associated with raising animals for slaughter for human consumption – climate change, health, and ethics. Two of these problems can potentially be addressed through lab-grown…
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