Tag: Aberdeen
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Cycling to Aberdeen beach … with children
A friend of mine started cycling around Aberdeen with her young children during lockdown when the roads were quiet and they’ve continued even now the roads are busy again. She inspired me to try the same with Daniel and Elizabeth because although I have cycled with them many times around Aberdeen, they always sit in […]
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In the paper, cat news, a kilt in a cargo bike, Foodstory, and zombies
I’m in The Scottish Daily Record today in an article about the state of cycling in Scotland. This is in response to the tragic death of a young woman in Edinburgh this week. It’s a good article that got a full double page spread and my photo spans from top to bottom of the paper! […]
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I can’t even begin to desribe my frustration and disappointment with Aberdeen city council … again
Last month for the first time ever I was impressed with the Aberdeen city council for installing European-style bike lanes at the beach. This was a first for Aberdeen which is an oil city with a transport strategy straight out of the 1970s. The bike lanes were built with funding from the Sustrans Spaces for […]
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I broke my phone and photos of the autumn colours
My last blog post I wrote and published from my new phone when I was out and about in town. As I walked back home, tragedy struck when I dropped my phone, smashing the screen. I had bought a spigen phone case for it because these had always protected my iPhone very well but they […]
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Storm Alex, cycling, and cat-shaming
This weekend we’re getting the tail end of storm Alex which has brought a deluge to France and Italy and caused severe flooding. Yesterday we had heavy rain non-stop all day here. Elizabeth had highland dance in the afternoon and so I cycled her there in my cargo bike, Hoss. One of the nice things […]
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Half my life
I’m 45 today. If I’m lucky enough to live to 90 then I have lived half my life. I hope I’m still riding my bike at 90. You’re only as old as you feel or, as Groucho Marx once said, “You’re only as old as the woman you feel”. I heard another quote recently that […]
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Spuds
I’ve never been a huge fan of potatoes but it’s funny how when you start growing something yourself it takes on a new value. Potatoes are so easy to grow, they’re not affected by slugs, or pigeons, and they don’t need any special netting. All you do is bung them in the ground in spring […]
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Swimming in the Dee
I’ve been a bit grumpy this past week because sometimes it feels like the world is conspiring against me. Earlier in the year I planted lots of sweet pea seeds. Only one of them germinated and when it had grown to about 10cm tall I planted it at the base of the tree on the […]
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Privacy versus lockdown
There is a new outbreak at a chicken processing plant in Perthshire. It’s disappointing that we use the euphamism “chicken processing plant” rather than slaughterhouse which is what it is. Outbreaks in slaughterhouses have been quite common and it’s not yet clear why. It could be the cold temperatures or the conditions people have to […]
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Test and trace needs to be better
Aberdeen is going into its third week of lockdown now. Nicola Sturgeon announced today that although cases have fallen here there are still too many to lift the restrictions. According to local papers the city council does not support the continued lockdown. I feel some sympathy for the city council and my view is the […]
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Lake Polmuir
There’s lots of news today. We got woken by a massive thunderstorm this morning with torrential rain. The rain was so heavy that many streets in Aberdeen and Stonehaven flooded. This is Polmuir Road in Aberdeen at around 8:30am this morning. The water has subsided now. A train derailed in Aberdeenshire this morning killing three […]
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Aberdeen back in lockdown
Another lockdown has been imposed on Aberdeen today after a local outbreak starting at The Hawthorn Bar on Holburn Street. This is actually very close to us but none of us have been there or indeed gone to any pubs for quite some time. There’s a rumour circulating, and I’m unsure of the veracity of […]
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Running club, trees on Union Street, a royal vintage wedding dress
Someone at work started a running club challenge last week and since I’ve been running every day anyway I decided to sign up. I’m chuffed to say I’ve been at the top of the work leaderboard both weeks so far without doing anything different. I started running during lockdown and have just continued doing it. […]
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Union Street, face masks, and cat litter boxes
There are more changes happening in Aberdeen. Yesterday on my usual bike ride into the city centre I discovered the top of Bon Accord Street has been taken over with picnic tables for Soul Restaurant which is the church in this next photo. Many churches in Aberdeen have been converted into pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, and […]
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Strawberries galore, in the paper, and changes afoot
It’s Friday already. I don’t know where the week has gone. We’re getting so many strawberries just from our backyard right now. They almost spread like weeds here. This is what I picked when I went out this morning. Aberdeen is going through some very exciting changes. On an almost weekly basis now the council […]
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Aberdeen beach
I cycled to the beach today and It was nice to see vast empty scenes along the waterfront after the crowded images that emerged from Bournemouth last week. I would like to say it’s because Aberdonians are very sensible people and that is certainly true but I think the difference is really more to do […]
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Union Street is closed to cars | Pics by the River Dee
The Aberdeen City Council was awarded a £1.76million grant to widen pavements, install temporary bike lanes, and build one-way walking systems – all to create space for social distancing during the pandemic. I cycled into the city centre this morning and they’ve already closed part of Union Street to cars and buses (the part between […]
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Haircuts, avocados, allotments, scones, and buying undies
I gave Daniel a haircut today. His hair was annoying him and he’s been asking for a haircut for several weeks. I don’t think he’s going to be a grungy musician when he grows up. Here’s the before and after photo. Many months ago I ate an avocado and decided to grow a plant from […]
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A walk around Aberdeen harbour to Torry battery
We dragged the children out of the house against their will and walked to Torry Battery today, an artillery battery that was used as a defensible barracks for Aberdeen from 1860. It is now a ruin but a nice place to spot birds and dolphins in Aberdeen harbour. I think the kids are enjoying quarantine […]
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City mobility index and the adaptability of kids
Citymapper has a mobility index which gives a graphical illustration of how locked down cities are over time. The data comes from public transport trips planned in the Citymapper app. According to this index, the two cities moving more than any other are Seoul and Hong Kong but both are still way down than is […]
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