Online schooling

The kids have been attending a 100% online school now for about 18 months and overall it has been great. They go to My Online Schooling which is based in Edinburgh and teaches the English school curriculum. I feel they've had a more consistent education than many other pupils in the UK who've had a… Continue reading Online schooling

Engine idling and nobody in London needs an SUV

As regular readers of my blog will know, one of my pet peeves is when people sit in their cars with the engine running. This happens a lot outside primary school gates where children gather and inhale the fumes. Pollution from motor vehicles is especially harmful to children because they are smaller and absorb more… Continue reading Engine idling and nobody in London needs an SUV

What the kids have done in their first week of quarantine

Day 4 of quarantine and Elizabeth said to me today, "Quarantine is going pretty well". She may feel differently after several months of this. For me, it has been rather nice not having the school drop-offs and pickups along with Highland Dance and everything else. I feel like I've adopted a slower pace and am… Continue reading What the kids have done in their first week of quarantine

We have a teenager in the house

Daniel turned 13 this week. They say it gets hard again when kids become teenagers. We've been enjoying the golden years with both kids between the ages of 6 and 13. They're reasonably independent in this age bracket and all the sleepless nights and nappy changing is behind you. You're also still a big influence… Continue reading We have a teenager in the house

I despair when I see these people cheer

Last week the West London Borough of Chelsea and Kensington, one of the wealthiest in the country, voted against a Transport for London proposal for segregated cycling infrastructure. Although I don't live there and it doesn't affect me directly, I felt despair when I saw the applause after the council announced the decision. https://twitter.com/HillgateRes/status/1139267359817031682 These… Continue reading I despair when I see these people cheer

Police Scotland say roads unsuitable for slow-moving individuals

Tomorrow Aberdeen will be having a mass bike ride in protest of the lack of cycling infrastructure in the city. This is part of a nation-wide group of protests under the umbrella of Pedal on Parliament 2019. Several weeks ago I notified the police of the event, out of courtesy. In the past they've usually… Continue reading Police Scotland say roads unsuitable for slow-moving individuals

My kids are amazing and I was on TV!

It was parent-teacher interviews at school last night and I'm so proud of the kids. They're just amazing in every way. Elizabeth, according to her teacher, finishes her maths work in class then goes around from table to table helping other pupils with theirs. Her writing is also exemplary and she is spelling to the… Continue reading My kids are amazing and I was on TV!

A conversation overheard

Ben overheard this conversation between Daniel and Elizabeth. They were playing some game together on their devices which involved Elizabeth making a BBQ and inviting Daniel's character. Daniel: What will you cook?  Chicken? Pork? Elizabeth: No. Daniel: Beef: Elizabeth: No. Daniel: Mutton? Elizabeth: No, none of those things. Daniel (in a despairing tone): If it's… Continue reading A conversation overheard

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… Continue reading Making friends at school and cycling in the rain

Remote work and children

Working from home means sometimes I'm working when the kids are around. This is the case after school on weekdays, on the weekend, and on school holidays. Mostly it's not a problem at all. However I frequently have video conference calls and sometimes my kids will interrupt or there'll be loud kid sounds in the background coming… Continue reading Remote work and children