Monday 31 December 2018

NEW YEAR'S EVE 2018

It's New Year's Eve and, after a busy day with Harriet and Alastair here at the house, it's time to down tools and look forward to bringing in the New Year.

First of all it is Ishie's birthday.  She is 12 years old.  She came into the world as we sat at our CVD neighbour's New Year's Eve dinner all those years ago. Through the whole meal everyone's thoughts were "Will the baby come before the bells or after?"

She arrived just before the bells and here she is today!


Harriet and I designed this card for her while she was out for a lunchtime pizza with  friends (and Mairi).  Harriet likes to use a new word in her vocabulary: the verb 'to Photoshop'!!!

Harriet (5) and Ellie (nearly 4)


 Alastair (10) and Iain in the Campsie Hills
 

 Family photo: Ellie, Ishbel, Mairi, Harriet, John and Alastair taken in the Younger Gardens, Isle of Bute


Alastair and I in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in March 2018


Indy is 7 years old and continues to grow and develop into a long, leggy lad.

Indy on the practice climbing wall 

And finally .... our sideboard this evening

 
Black bun (a Scottish New Year cake which is like dense Christmas cake with a pastry top and bottom; gingerbread loaf which was given to me by Louise when she and Andrew were here this week; some British Coloumbia Ice Wine in the square box (a gift from Glenna Urbshadt some years ago and out this holiday season to be shared); one of my 2 SMWS bottles of whisky - seriously strong, only to be taken in small doses; a nearly empty decanter of wine from Christmas and finally our Christmas card this year. 

The Nutcracker is a Christmas leftover and the Cinderella tree ornament hanging from the decanter is to remind me that Ishie and I have tickets for Scottish Ballet's Cinderella in 10 days' time.


Best wishes for a Happy New Year!





Monday 24 December 2018

CHRISTMAS IS FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE

Tis the night before Christmas ... the Little People are all excited ....

While Big Brother and Sister were away at the cinema Harriet (5) and Ellie (nearly 4) played 'hospital'.

The Accident and Emergency Department

"We're nearly out of Band-Aides"


And in the porch the Outpatient Ward was filling up...


Setting sun at 3"15 pm; clear and frosty - good for reindeer flight

Wednesday 19 December 2018

CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

I love Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet.  The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is done in a most intriguing way in this video entitled: The Dance of the Line Riders. It is animated line art ... so clever!

It is on YouTube... double click on this =>  here 

Our hall table now has a Marks and Spencer Nutcracker which Harriet and I enjoy.  He even has a proper opening mouth which is operated by a lever in the back.

The box of Christmas decorations, stockings, hats etc gives great pleasure (and keeps the children busy) at this time of year.
Ellie, Little Miss Personality Plus, is wearing a hat found in the box which, I think, came from a Pantomime visit last year.  The tree in the background is Norwegian spruce.  It's real; no plastic trees for me.


Alastair, not one to get involved with household activity, made a concerted effort to place the angel (25 years old from Balmore Coach House) on the top.
 
This hand knitted red stocking was given to Alastair in primary school by Tanya Fraser. a little girl in his class.  I often see her at the school gates these days when I wait with the other parents and grandparents for their little charges to come out at 3pm. 
The knitted stocking is from the Norwegian Ladies Craft Fair, the San Francisco tram is from Alastair when he was here about 10 years ago at Christmastime, land the felt Swedish figure is from IKEA.

Lastly, here is Harriet wrapping gifts ready for posting to Los Angeles.  

Sunday 9 December 2018

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

We have now received our first batch of the lovely overseas mail.



We are seeing a lot of Harriet (5 years) these days; sometimes before school and sometimes after. Here she is with Iain who is reading the Christmas mail from Deb and family.  Underneath the letter with its photos is the card from Kim with her up-to-date photos.

Iain is explaining to Harriet that the children in these photos are her 'second cousins'.  Iain is very 'Highland' in these matters.  By that I mean he loves nothing better than to sit around the fire in Gairloch or Achiltibuie (Wester Ross) and talk about who is related to whom and how they are all 'cousins' in that part of the world.  If you have ever read Alistair MacLeod's book "No Great Mischief" you will know how there is often one person several generations back in the family tree (in his novel it is Calum Ruadh or red-headed Calum) who is a pivotal character.  It gives folk a sort of fulcrum on who they pivot their relationships to each other.


Christmas trees are going up in the town squares and public buildings. These trees are in St Pauls Church, Milngavie where there is a 'Festival of Decorated Trees' by about 20 local clubs and organisations.  Very well done! For example  the local stamp collecting society used laminated postage stamps instead of the usual baubles for their tree decorations ... clever!

Here is Harriet, with Ellie in the shadows, in a video that John took of the he and the children putting up their tree.



Ish and Alastair were recently at a rugby games in Edinburgh. Ish will be 12 years old on New Year's Eve.  Alastair will be 11 years old 6 weeks later.


And then there is Ellie (3 and 3/4 years old)!

While Mairi was having her breakfast upstairs she heard something downstairs and went to investigate... guess who is on loo?!  She just has to keep this photo for Ellie's 18th birthday!

And later in the day ... where's Ellie?


In the laundry basket in the bedroom!  [John's photo] ... what a girl has to go through to get a bit of peace!!!