Monday 30 December 2013

NEW YEAR 2013 : TIME TO INVITE THE NEIGHBOURS IN

As the next front of stormy, wet weather moves across the country we have decided there is really only one antidote: drink....


It's New Year tomorrow and while it is Ishie's 7th birthday (we never forget her arrival into the world!) we have decided to share our delightful fire (which has been on every day since before Christmas with me firmly in front of it) with our equally delightful neighbours.

They are a mixed bunch but are indicative of the settled community, indeed, the settled society, namely post-war Britain, that we live in.  I am looking forward to hearing a bit more about them as they all have stories to tell; none more so than the couple of octe-geraniums that surround us.

Having people in is easy these days.  Since we down-sized the simple matter of hoovering and dusting has ... well not quite gone in a cloud ... but certainly requires much less time than past years!  Less square feet; less work.

Time to get out the good glasses, by that I mean tumblers for the whisky. If Dawn's parents were here we'd buy some whiskey just to even things up.  Our problem is that we are awash with the stuff!  Iain is given a bottle when (a) he plays the pipes (b) fixes the neighbour's greenhouse or erects a handrail (c) speaks at a dinner (d) doesn't speak at a dinner ... (only joking).

It wouldn't be a problem if he drank the stuff; he does not.  I'm the one who does ... so I tough it out.  No, I don't take a bucket but I do enjoy "one finger" [measurement of height in a glass by putting your finger sideways, parallel to the table surface, adjacent to the base of the glass] or, like Iain's father, calling for a second drink: "make it two fingers".  I recall him saying after a second dram,  "Now that is me back to par!"  I reckon I fall into that category: 2 drams are lovely; after that I fall asleep or can't think straight!

So ... if the rain stops lashing the window next to my computer, I will venture out for a few hours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR WHEN IT COMES!





Friday 27 December 2013

CHRISTMAS 2013



 Ishbel, 6 years old, with her 7th birthday coming up on New Year's Eve



Alastair, 5 years old and will be 6 in 5 weeks.



John holding Harriet who is 6 months old.



Guess who stole the show?!


Monday 23 December 2013

CHRISTMAS IS FOR KIDS 4: BAKING

I inadvertently made a hit with Ishbel when I baked a special festive creation by way of a dry run for Christmas dinner.

Every Christmas my mother made dinner rolls, actually I think they were bridge rolls, i.e. little rolls she made when ladies came for a bridge evening.  I recall Parkerhouse Rolls being the name for these but thought they were more butterfly half circle in shape.   (I have just looked up Parkerhouse Rolls and, indeed, it seems the name is used for both flattened half circle and ball shapes.)


Anyhow .... I thought I would make a wreath and use something in the middle for dipping or spreading on the bread.  Wouldn't you know it ... I walked into Marks and Spencer locally and found the very thing.  In fact I found 2 candidates and bought both.  I tried this one in the photo: Welsh Rarebit in a ceramic dish.  (The second which I will use on Christmas Day is French Brie cheese in a wooden box which is OK for the oven. It cooks at the same time as the rolls - buns if your American -  and ends up bubbly and gooey.)


I used a basic bread recipe and the whole thing gets baked together.  They are, of course, a yeast based dinner roll and I think they are supposed to be fairly rich, i.e. up the amount of fat and use milk in the liquid.


I am quite delighted with the result mainly because this is something the kids will eat along with everyone else before we head to the table for dinner.


I made the extra dough into three little balls per muffin tin section .... which is what I recall my mother doing as another variation in her bridge rolls. These rolls turn out like trefoils which are very easy to break open from its position on your side plate at the dinner table.




Sunday 22 December 2013

CHRISTMAS IS FOR KIDS 3: STOCKINGS

While Ishie was busy in the living room decorating our tree - a real tree, naturally - I managed to keep Alastair occupied for 20 whole minutes decorating our "other" tree.  This gem of a tree I purchased in IKEA last year.  It is exactly 2 metres in length, cut from a big bolt of cotton cloth,  with the picture of a fir tree, presumably Swedish, printed on it.

In our (only) spare room I have a pulley where Alastair and I pinned the fabric thus creating a wall hanging ... well, a pulley hanging, actually.

Digging around in our Christmas Decoration Box I found the stockings to be hung. Using safety pins, again, we ... that is ... he pinned each stocking on the tree. We later added Advent buckets and a Swedish felt angel at the very top.

The 6 red felt stockings with names go back to 1966 when I made the first one for Iain (and 3 of his mates who lived together in a house on West 13th Avenue in Vancouver).  I recall that I was supposed to be studying for exams which were being held the following morning and I just couldn't get the energy up for the work of it!  (That was probably the first time I did something I should have learned years earlier ... give it a rest; you are never going to learn anything the night before an exam!)

Anyhow, where was I?  The next red stockings were made over the years as the dramatis personae unfolded for subsequent family Christmases:  Mairi, Grandma, (Auntie) Iseabail and lastly Alastair.


These mukluks (Eskimo skin boots)  pinned to the bottom of the tree are a treasure of mine from the early 60s.  I think they were purchased in Calgary probably at the Hudson's Bay department store as there were no specialty shops and I wore them when I was in high-school ... not in the snow but more as jazzy slippers.  (Sheesh!  To think that I have had those in a cupboard all these years!)  I still love them!  Let's say they are for wee Ishie and wee Ali.


Lastly I purchased this lovely Christmas stocking at the Norwegian Ladies Craft Sale a couple of weeks ago.  It was knitted by Ragna and is an absolute joy to the eye!  Look at the colour, the detail and the intricate work of the pattern!  How about if we make that for John?!

Heavens!  I nearly forgot Baby Harriet's!

 
Her stocking hangs on her pram but is temporarily pinned on the top of the tree.


Here she is this afternoon ... full of the cold and full of blethers!







Saturday 14 December 2013

CHRISTMAS IS FOR KIDS 2: EATING OUT

There is a lot on at this time of year!  Several pantomines in city theatres, school concerts, and various choirs' concerts.  Then there are office parties, people meeting up for lunch, work deadlines to meet before things stop for the holidays (pretty well from Christmas to the Monday after New Year's Day in this part of the world.)


I took myself off to Aberdeen last week and joined friends for a birthday party.  Iain was away in the mountains at a Club Annual Dinner.  This photo is of Queen Street Station in Glasgow, the one in the city that serves the north and east of the country.  The Christmas tree was up and the trains were running to time despite storm damage the previous day.


The lunchtime party last Saturday was held in an Italian restaurant in Aberdeen.  Excellent food, and good company (20 of us).  After a few glasses of this lovely wine above I was fair enjoying myself ... except for one things: it got noiser and noiser with office Christmas parties filling up the other tables.  Oh dear ... shrill women's voices, raucous laughter combined with Christmas crackers popping really started to get to me! 

Mid-afternoon I headed off to the train back to Glasgow ... very busy but I had a good book to read thankfully.  Mind you, I spent more time just watching the gals boarding en route: Perth, Stirling and Dunblane.  They were dressed up for a night at the Glasgow disco clubs.  By that I mean short flimsy tops, leggings, loadsa jewellery and maybe a fake fur garment that passed for a jacket.  Several sat the whole journey with compact cases out adjusting their mascara etc.  Compacts!!! Sheesh ... I though that went out in the 1950s.

Anyhow... where was I?  I eventually arrived home using our suburban train and was quite glad to fall into my own bed.

The next day, Sunday, Mairi, had purchased tickets for the Pinocchio Pantomime at the Pavillion Theatre.  She was bringing 2 little friends for Ishie and Alastair.  John stayed at home with Baby Harriet. 

What I did not know was that, after collecting all the Little People, we were going to Macdonald's for a meal before the panto.

I was up for that. It's probably been 10 years since I was in a Macdonalds (and it was in Stockholm) but I was amazed when I walked in. (We were in the Maryhill Macdonalds - not the most salubrious of locations in the city.)  The place was bright and cheerful and spotlessly clean!  It was pleasantly quiet with folk dotted about the tables.


I ordered a Festive Beefburger and an Americano coffee. The burger was absolutely delicious and tasted of real beef (or 'hamburger' if you are North Amercian).  And the coffee tasted of plain ordinary, fully flavoured coffee beans. 

Hats Off for Macdonalds!







Thursday 12 December 2013

CHRISTMAS IS FOR KIDS 1: CARDS

Mairi and I had a wee smile this morning....  When I arrived to walk Ishbel and Alastair to school they were very engrossed in writing their Christmas cards.


Ishie is  very good and quite quick at printing ... though not the tidiest worker!


Alastair, on the floor, diligently prints out his cards.  He, too, makes sure each child in the class gets a card.


Alastair is clearly following the teacher's instruction when it comes to getting things correct ... quite right too!


Meanwhile in the background Mairi and I keep our heads down with the chores to be done!


Sunday 8 December 2013

TIME TO GET A LIFE

Posted in haste ... I'm out getting a life....


Monday 2 December 2013

LIFE MOVES ON

Today is Monday and life moves on. Mairi returns to work after her maternity leave so that means the routine will change a bit.  Harriet starts at Nursery today.  She is 6 months old and will go to the Nursery at Mairi's work.


Here is Iain with her last week. 


She's as bright as a button and keeps us all enchanted with her little ways. She's an easy baby and likes to be "in the body of the kirk" as they say here.



After Mairi went to work this morning I sat at the dining room table in their house while we waited for the appointed time to walk to school.  I bought the Glasgow Herald to read about the developments of the helicopter crash on Friday.  Here we are at the table this morning.  

I said to the kids "Gosh it's quiet without Harriet.  I miss her!"  Without looking up Alastair replied "I really miss her 'cause I love her so much!"  

While it was a bit spooky without the Wee Person about the place, I can tell you things have been even spookier ....


It transpires that Mairi was just along the street from where this helicopter (above - getting lifted out of the Clutha Vaults today) dropped from the sky killing 9 people.  See my previous blog 2 day's ago.  She had gone out of the event she was attending and was departing in her car only to find the first of the ambulances were arriving ... and only learning later what had happened.

Now that the helicopter has been lifted out there is hope that the missing people can be recovered ... and the business of funerals can begin.  In the meantime people are laying flowers at the site of the accident and, like us, getting on with the day to day business of life.





Sunday 1 December 2013

ST ANDREW'S DAY AND ST ANDREW'S BLUE COLOUR

Because of the Clutha Vaults incident yesterday (see post) I did not post my prepared material.  So here it is today.


I was greatly taken with Google's Doodle yesterday which celebrated Scotland's St Andrew's Day. I thought it was quite clever with the waving flags and pretty well got it right with all their little bits of artwork including the colour of blue, i.e. St Andrew's blue.

What colour is St Andrew's Blue anyhow.?  Fascinating subject!  Here is one discussion but ... like the energy crisis ... I will not get started on that particular debate!  Be that as it may here are 2 versions I got off the internet:
 
 This is Pantone 300
 This is Hex  #0072C6.



  St Andrew's blue is not the dark navy blue often seen in the flags people make.

Does the blue come the colour of the sky at this latitude?  I don't know ... but here are some examples below - take your pick!



Loch Earn in August 2013. This is in front of the Four Seasons Hotel where we had our family reunion for Indy's 2nd birthday this summer.



Crinan on the west end of Crinan Canal.  The weather vane on top of the house at the sea lock.



Cromarty lighthouse.  East coast of Scotland, facing the North Sea.



Robert Burns on top of pedestal in George Square, Glasgow city centre.



Seol na Mara on west coast of Scotland this summer. (Iain's photo)



 Wind turbine in forest in Caithness en route to Thurso this summer.


 Weather vane on top of office building in Glasgow city centre showing Victorian red sandstone architecture.


Edinburgh sky taken at Grey Friar's pub (and Bobby) looking north.