insignificant ramblings of a 50-something woman
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MikeM
Ben’s father died last night. He was only 72. I was very fond of him. I don’t think many can say they are as fond of their father-in-law as I was of mine. He always treated me well and was very supportive of me, so I’d like to write a post about him. He and…
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First bike ride in Auckland
I rode my bicycle today for the first time since arriving back in Auckland. Here is my Auckland bicycle: It was very strange riding a regular bicycle again. It’s not true what they say, that you never forget how to ride a bike, because I was very wobbly and unsure of myself. The handlebars are…
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I am a fraud!
This evening I officially became a New Zealand citizen. I know what you’re thinking: she hates the place, why would she apply for citizenship? Yes, it’s all true. I don’t want to live here and yet I applied and was granted New Zealand citizenship so this is why I am a fraud. But I have…
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Someone is mean on the internet
I have not felt like blogging lately. But today I am out of sorts and it is not because of The Franchise, it is because people are mean to each other on the internet. There are not many topics that generate as much vitriol and animosity as climate change does. Why is this the case?…
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Running
I am hobbling around like an 80-year-old today. The reason for this is that I’ve started running. I hate running but it’s exercise and I no longer have Busby for that. But because I am not used to running I have sore muscles. My calves are sore, my hamstrings are sore and my thighs are…
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The Franchise
The franchise lacks personality. It is just like all the others: a clone. They are all the same and so they are nothing; a vacuum. There is nothing unique about the franchise. It follows the recipe like all the others. There is no space for creativity or individuality. It is soulless. The franchise has elements…
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Melancholy
Droplets falling absent laughter absent joy emptiness, estrangement, loneliness, death A parasite has sapped my soul my stems wither from non-use fakery abounds in a sea of featureless suburbia intimacy downtrodden by concrete and metal on wheels the death of passion and so the droplets fall
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Musn’t grumble
We are back in Auckland and I am down and teary about that but I’m going to try hard not to complain so will leave it at this. Our last couple of days in Thailand were not without drama. We were taken to see some wild monkeys on Friday and fed them a bag filled…
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Thailand
I am in Khon Kaen in the North East of Thailand and it is hot and dusty here. This is the dry season in the North East and the countryside is looking very burnt and dead. It is not a pretty place and it is very poor and very crowded. It is geographically flat and…
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The Cairngorms
Today we left the city for the country and visited the majestic Cairngorms, the highest mountain range in Britain. It was spectacular and my wish for snow finally came true. The scenery was a mix of woodland, mountains, castles, villages, rivers and fields but I’ll let my photos tell the story. The rest of…
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The Silver City
We are in Aberdeen, a city known for its extensive use of granite as a building material and because of this it is also sometimes called the granite city or the silver city. On the train here from York, I tweeted that I was heading north in Scotland. Someone responded to my tweet with, “Ooh,…
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My Granny
I am in Scotland and so I was going to write about some of the things I have seen but I have just learnt that my grandmother died in the early hours of this morning Australian time, and so this post is for her. She had a beautiful name, my Granny, so beautiful, that I…
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100% pure?
There’s a documentary screening in New Zealand at the moment which is about New Zealand’s 100% pure image and how – with the rising pollution of rivers and swimming spots in New Zealand – this is increasingly at odds with reality (h/t to HotTopic for this). Episode 2 of the series is about climate change. Here’s…
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A beautiful frosty morning
I have been longing for some snow but there has been none. We haven’t even had a proper frost, that is, not until this morning and the first real frost did not disappoint me. I used to love frosty mornings when we lived in Christchurch with the sound and the sensation of crunchy grass beneath…
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A few things: York, the bicycle and the IPCC
I spent the morning wandering around central York today. I took my last walk down the Shambles, sat and enjoyed a pot of tea at one of the cafés there and generally felt a bit teary about saying goodbye to my fair city of York. Then I transported our living Christmas tree to a friend’s…
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We are running out of time…
A friend sent me a link to a good article this morning (thank you!) about climate change and how if we don’t address it soon, it may end up becoming impossible to address. It is based on a leaked IPCC report, working group III – policies to limit damage, which is due for release in…
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Barracking for the underdog
[Note: in Australian English, barracking means to shout support for] Everyone wants the underdog to win. At least I do but I think I take this further by also favouring the weak, helpless and those that cannot fight for themselves especially animals and children. They are at our mercy. We are the bullies. Climate change…
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Falling in love with inanimate objects
My last precious days in York are flying by. We have a crazy couple of weeks in store as we must now pack up six months of our lives and condense them into three suitcases. This is not going to be easy. On top of that, we have to empty our rental property. We could…
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An open letter to Gerry Brownlee
We will be leaving the UK at the end of this month and so I have started to think about what my life will be like back in Auckland. The biggest change will be the shift from a commuter-cycling lifestyle here over to a car-dependent one in Auckland. But does it have to be this…
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