Tag: Aberdeen
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Bonobo Café
A couple of weeks ago Aberdeen welcomed its very first vegan café, Bonobo, and today I got to check it out. It’s the result of a kick-starter campaign which I, along with hundreds of others, donated to. All our names are on the wall inside. The food was delicious and the service, perfect. They have done…
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My kids addressed the city council petitions committee
It has been an eventful day. Sometimes I wish my life was dull and uneventful because right now I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. Today, Daniel, Elizabeth, and I presented a petition to the petitions committee at the city council. The petition is asking for cycle paths that children can use to cycle to and from…
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The Handmade Burger Company
We went for dinner to The Handmade Burger Company this week. It’s a chain store which sells – no prizes for guessing what – burgers! I nearly fell off my chair and had a heart attack when I saw the menu because there were six vegetarian options and four of them vegan. Usually there’s just one thing for…
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The future of food
Aberdeen had its first ever vegan festival today and we went to check it out. Despite being vegan for more than a decade, this was the first vegan festival I’ve ever been to. I’ve never lived anywhere that had such a thing. It seems ironic that my first vegan festival should be in the home…
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Why does the Aberdeen city council think it’s acceptable for children to cycle in the bus lane?
This is the expectation on Union St because there is no cycle path. Children are wobbly on bicycles and do not always cycle in a straight line. Buses are huge compared to bicycles, especially children’s bicycles. Visibility is also poor for bus drivers. Children are slow cyclists and cannot keep up with traffic. Children on…
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Street art Aberdeen
Last night we went for a walk around Aberdeen to look at some street art. The Nuart Festival was on in Aberdeen over Easter and 11 international street artists added some colour to our city. That was very nice of them. Here are some pics.
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Pedal on Parliament 2017 Aberdeen
We gathered on the Beach Esplanade at 11am this morning for the Aberdeen Pedal on Parliament ride. This is the third year running for Aberdeen and the sixth year for Pedal on Parliament in Scotland. We were an energetic, cheerful, and brave crowd hoping to convince the Aberdeen City Council to give some road space…
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A rainbow in Duthie Park
I took this photo of a rainbow in Duthie Park last night at around 7pm.
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Making friends at school and cycling in the rain
It’s tough when your kids don’t have any friends at school. That has been the case for Daniel until this year. He was put into the wrong year when we first arrived and was the youngest in his class both in age and maturity. The children were all nice to him but they didn’t view him…
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The view from the cycle path today
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Happy Hogmanay!
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the year which is today and it also happens to be Elizabeth’s birthday. This year we went to the Pantomime. I’ve never been before but I’d heard good things about it. It was superb and exceeded all my expectations. We saw Dick McWhittington, the Scottish…
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It’s a Wonderful Life
There’s a terrific cinema in central Aberdeen called the Belmont Filmhouse. It was built in 1898 as a trades hall and is now home to three movie rooms (I think it’s three). They show a good mix of new release and classic films in cosy and comfortable rooms – not at all the soulless kind you find…
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Aberdeen Christmas Village
The Aberdeen Christmas Village is up and running again this year. We went first thing this morning to avoid the crowds and to be the first ones on the ice at the outdoor skating rink. It’s a slightly bigger rink than last year and we mostly had it to ourselves. Sunday morning at 10am is…
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Party preparations!
We’re having a party this evening and I ordered Marks and Spencer catering which I collected this morning. The lady in M&S asked me how far away my car was parked and I had to explain that I would be taking it all on my bike. I think she thought I was nuts. But it…
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The mighty bakfiets
I’ve started cycling Busby (bakfiets) again. I’ve had it with Harald (Butchers and Bicycles). We cycled to Newton Dee on Saturday and took both cargo bikes. The plan was the children could cycle themselves as far as possible and when they got tired we’d put their bikes in Busby and they could sit and ride in…
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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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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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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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Photos from Aberdeen
I only just discovered this lovely rooftop garden in central Aberdeen about a week ago. A friend tells me it’s fairly new – a year old? It’s just above the St Nicholas centre next to Marks & Spencer on Union St. There’s a children’s playground, seating areas, and a stage. They’ve done a wonderful job with…
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The beach in Aberdeen
We went to the beach today and I took some photos. Can you see all the ships on the horizon? The next photo is a building at Castlegate in Aberdeen. It’s quite striking and is, I think, what is called an example of Scottish baronial architecture. It looks very Aberdonian to me and contains nothing exciting at all…
