CHRSITMAS ROUND-UP 2025

John's mother, Margaret, visited Glasgow for Christmas.  Here she is with Ellie on her right, me, Harriet and Ishbel.  We had been treated to lunch by John out at Mugdock Park.

* * * * * * * * * * The Turkey * * * * * * * * * * 

A real turkey from a real butcher (yes, we still have one)!

Sage and onion stuffing which I make using my mother's method. Happiness for me is having cold turkey and stuffing sandwiches afterwards!

The turkey with some bay leaves from the garden plus Jamie Oliver's 'take' on dinner rolls at Christmastime. (Rosemary twigs placed in the Christmas tree shape dough.)

Young Alastair carving the turkey.

CHRISTMAS MUZAK

We are now running up to Christmas and theend of the year.  I have been out and about a lot as the weather continues to be more like a wet spring than winter.  Here is Tannoch Loch this week.

But I think my age is showing...all this Christmas carry-on is getting to me....

I went to one of my favourite community halls down on the Clyde last week to attend a wee concert by a fellow playing the guitar.

It was hellish!  It was so loud with his amped up guitar that I lasted 15 minutes and fled.  And that was in one the best halls in the West of Scotland for good acoustics.  It has what is called 'a coffin ceiling' as it is the shape of the upper half of a coffin, ie. bevelled edges on all sides.  I have seen that sort of ceiling in boardrooms in the old buildings in Glasgow e.g. Clyde Port Authority offices in the city centre.

And things really were not great when I went to a church based concert singing Christmas carols.  It really dragged!  Poor "Hark the Herald Angels' was a dirge!  Oh dear... do I blame the organist or the conductor of the choir?!

Never mind... time to dig out Ragna's lovely Norwegian Christmas stocking which hangs on the hall stairs.

And time to get on with the Christmas dinner preparations...

I have ordered a turkey from our local butcher (yes... we still have a proper 'butcher' in the village).  It costs a great deal of money and, if last year is anything to go by, it is just wonderful.  I believe it comes from the other side of Scotland.

I am very partial to sage and onion stuffing. The sage is from the garden.  There are still other herbs growing. Oh! The joy of greenery at this time of year.

Speaking of 'stuffing'.... I have one particular memory of baby-sitting on New Year's Eve for Don and Yvonne Ross.  It was 1958. They had something really new and special... a black and white TV! I remember that throughout the late evening I made myself cold turkey and stuffing sandwiches on white sliced bread with lashings of Miracle Whip salad dressing (BTW never in the shops in the UK).    

At least I have that to look forward to: a great big turkey sandwich stacked full of sage stuffing (and the next best thing to Miracle Whip would be) Helman's Mayonnaise.

MUSIC PLAYED BY HUMAN BEINGS IN REAL TIME

Milngavie Music International Concert Series has now held their first four concerts of the season. That leaves five left to go (one a month from January 2026 until April 2026). Where do the years go? I have been producing these concert posters for about 9 years!

The musicians or their agents send me or tell me where to go on the internet to find images and then I take it from there. Over the years the technology has improved a lot.  Most musicians are able to provide professional images (very impressive!) but some still send me something taken on their iPhone when they have 'artfuly' arranged themselves by, say, a rusty railway line or somewhere in a concerte underpass.

Here are the first four:

It's quite fun to do and I always have a bit of a laugh when they eventually turn up in person and I can see that their hair is now salt and peppery and their faces are a bit more 'characterful'!

A RESCUE CHRISTMAS TREE

It is the last day of November and it is Sunday.  It has been bitterly cold this week but I am staying warm inside the house. It is called 'hibernating'.

But today is the day to get out the lights and Advent candles and put them in the windows.  It gets dark earlier and earlier now. I am in the habit of turning them on both evening and early morning... along with most of the neighbours whose windows are now showing both white and coloured lights.

The Wonky Christmas Tree

I have decided to start a new trend; it is called 'resuce Christmas trees'.  If there are 'rescue dogs and donkeys' why not trees? 

 It was a reject from a community tree planting exercise back in May this year (Balloch Country Park).  I brought it home and put it in a pot.  It has been sitting outside the kitchen window facing south and has done... not a lot.  

It is a Western Red Cedar. Time to put it to use...

The bit with the S bend is the tree. I stuck some fir tree branches cut from my friend, Willie's 'plantation' (while he is up north on his boat)... into the pot.  Viola! One Christmas tree...needing some lights.... they will come next.

xxxx tree with lights goes here xxxxx still holding......

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I also hauled wood today.  The sun at noon was shining throwing its long shadows on the grass behind the woodshed in the adjacent park. 

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The Eskimo stone sculpture along with the stone seals are struggling in the iced over birth bath.

And so are the local birds...