It's a winter wonderland in Aberdeen today. School was cancelled so the kids made excellent use of their free time and created a snowman.
Tag: Aberdeen
Spectra 2023
We tried to go to Spectra last night, a light festival in central Aberdeen, but the queue was so long we had to console ourselves with a view from Union Terrace only. It looked fantastic. This is our first year ever going to Spectra and it's also the first year they've been held in the… Continue reading Spectra 2023
Fleeing the Terminator
Jon and I both made the press today following our deputations on Wednesday to Aberdeen City Council. Jon is from Grampian Cycle Partnership and I was speaking on behalf of Aberdeen Cycle Forum. The Evening Express ran it as the main story on their front page. It's terrific! Here's a photo: The Terminator 2 reference… Continue reading Fleeing the Terminator
Duthie Park in the snow
Snow and council deputation
The first snow of the winter fell last week and there was quite a lot of it. I've been keeping the bird feeders topped up as the birds are very hungry right now. All the snow has melted now as it rained this weekend but there's more forecast for next week and not far inland… Continue reading Snow and council deputation
Aberdeen’s critical mass
Last night I participated in Aberdeen's second ever critical mass bike ride. Technically I believe it's not quite accurate to say it was the second as I've heard from members of the cycling community that it was previously done in the late 1990s. This was therefore the second in a recent resurrection after more than… Continue reading Aberdeen’s critical mass
I am a British citizen
Today I took my affirmation of allegiance to King Charles III at Aberdeen's Marischal College and in return I received my certificate of British citizenship. They didn't reject me for my convict ancestry or my endless campaigning for cycle paths and so I'm very proud to say that I'm now a fully fledged British citizen.… Continue reading I am a British citizen
The book of Deer at Aberdeen Art Gallery
We went to Aberdeen Art Gallery today to see the Book of Deer which is a 10th century manuscript thought to be of Scottish origin and which references the monastery of Deer in Aberdeenshire. It's currently on loan from the University of Cambridge where it has lived since 1715. The book is written in Latin… Continue reading The book of Deer at Aberdeen Art Gallery
Henry, Humphrey and Hubert
We released three more hedgehogs into our backyard yesterday. We had four homes, all vacant, and Horace and Hortensia have integrated into the wider neighbourhood so we adopted Henry, Humphrey, and Hubert. These boys are a bit smaller and younger so they didn't roam as much and hung round our backyard more than the original… Continue reading Henry, Humphrey and Hubert
The Umbrella Project
Elizabeth got to dance in town today and yesterday for the launch of the Umbrella Project in Aberdeen which is a nationwide campaign to celebrate neurodiversity or different ways of thinking. One in five of us have a condition like ADHD, Autism, Tourette's Syndrome, Dyspraxia, and Dyscalculia and the umbrella project seeks to raise awareness… Continue reading The Umbrella Project
Fantastic Mr Fox
We were all very excited to see a fox in our backyard today. We sometimes see foxes in the neighbourhood but this is the first time we've seen one in our yard. He was eating the peanuts from a bird feeder that had fallen to the ground. At first I thought it was a dog… Continue reading Fantastic Mr Fox
Aberdeen to Glasgow in an electric Renault Zoe
On Wednesday I had to go to Glasgow for an appointment. Usually I would take the train but this time I decided to try taking the electric car mostly because it was miles cheaper. It shouldn't be cheaper to drive but it is. The train was going to cost over £140 return for two of… Continue reading Aberdeen to Glasgow in an electric Renault Zoe
Bunny roundabout
There's a roundabout in Garthdee in Aberdeen that's home to a colony of rabbits. It's a very busy junction in a fairly industrial area with large shopping centres and building supply stores. Someone feeds the rabbits. There's always a selection of carrots and green leaves and bunnies can usually be seen munching away when you… Continue reading Bunny roundabout
More dramas in the night
We had another eventful night last night but nothing life-threatening this time. First I was woken at around 1am by the sound of Elizabeth's bedroom door. I went in to find her getting dressed. I told her it's 1am and she laughed and went back to bed. This morning she told me she thought she… Continue reading More dramas in the night
New Year’s Day 2022
We all got wet suits for Christmas so we decided to christen them at the beach in Aberdeen today. That's Daniel and Elizabeth in the centre of this next photo venturing in together. I've never swum in a wet suit before but I have done some winter swimming and I can tell you the wet… Continue reading New Year’s Day 2022
Provost Skene’s House and the Christmas markets
We walked into town to check out the Christmas markets today. It's nice to see them up and running again after the very quiet Christmas we had last year. Marischal College (the building in this next photo) was as stunning as always in the afternoon sun. The ice-skating rink is there again but we didn't… Continue reading Provost Skene’s House and the Christmas markets
Snow and storm Arwen
The first snow of the season arrived last Friday. We didn't get a huge amount in Aberdeen but enough for me to get excited and for it to look Christmassy. I went for a bike ride on Sunday and this was the scene. On Friday night we got hit by Storm Arwen which was fierce… Continue reading Snow and storm Arwen
COP 26 climate rally Aberdeen 2021
We went to a COP 26 climate rally outside Marischal College today as part of the Aberdeen Cycle Forum contingent. Gavin Clark who is chair of the forum gave a very good talk about the importance of active travel in solving the crises and the depressing lack of infrastructure in Aberdeen. Will politicians act or… Continue reading COP 26 climate rally Aberdeen 2021
Banned from the photo for my views on helmets
Yesterday we were invited to Duthie Park for a COP26 photoshoot. My contact with Aberdeen Climate Action invited me along as a representative of Aberdeen Cycle Forum so I took my cargo bike because it always looks good in photos. When we got there the photographer took exception to the fact that I wasn't wearing… Continue reading Banned from the photo for my views on helmets
Starstruck
We did something a little bit different today. We went to the ballet. The Scottish Ballet is performing Starstruck and they're visiting Aberdeen this weekend. It's the first time we've been to the theatre since the pandemic began and it was so nice to go out again. It's also nice to support the arts which… Continue reading Starstruck