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......

* * * * * * * * * 

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. 

* * * * * * * * *

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

And so are the local birds...

EDINBURGH - NOT THE HIGH STREET

AUTUMN SOCIAL LIFE WITH SHADOWS

Milngavie Music Club's 2025-2026 season has started.  Our first concert was 2 weeks ago with Roderick Williams being the guest artiste along with the Carducci String Quartet.

TIME TO RE-GROUP - ALASTAIR'S OFF TO UNI; ISHBEL GETS HER KEYS

It is now young Alastair's turn to leave home. He's 17 years old.  (They start school in Scotland at 5 years old.)  He has been accepted to study medicine at St Andrew's University which is in the north-east of Scotland.  

This is a country with many institutions for tertiary education: universities, colleges, The Conservatoire (music and drama in Glasgow), technical institutions, agricultural colleges etc etc.  I know he'll find St Andrew's a good fit; it's a university town with bookshops and an interesting history. It's one of the earliest universities established in the UK.  Alastair is interested in history and is a great reader.)

Time of head off!  As Iain used to say, "The best view is looking back!"

 Outside his dormitory door with young Ellie (10.5 in her last year of Primary School)

And things just keep getting better...Ishbel (18 3/4 yrs) now has her own flat.  She is going into her second year at Stirling University to be a Paramedic.  Here she is with her keys outside her new abode which is located in 'downtown' Stirling.

Harriet(12)  in June with her tea-bag hat.  She started her first year of high school last week.

* * * * * * * * * 

It is so good to follow their movements as they head off into their new lives. It certainly reminds me of heading off at roughly that age.  Yes, there were a few differences: I had a car; I had only one university to go to and it was a day's drive away in the big city of Vancouver.  I lived in dorms for the first year which I greatly loved and remember the joy of making new friends many of which I kept all my life.

However, sadly, some of these people are no longer with us.  Indeed, this is now a fact of life at my great age of 81 years. Folk are suffering from dementia (or their spouses are), some are undergoing cancer treatment; some, sadly, have died.  

Keeping up on the lives of the grandchildren certainly helps offset these sadnesses around me at the moment (like buses, everything seems to come along at the same time).  Luckily I inherited my mother's method of offsetting such times by keeping busy. She was a great one for 'kitchen therapy' i.e pull out the baking tins.

To that end here is something from my 'test kitchen'...Hobnob biscuits from the Great British Bake Off episode this week. The recipe is under the photo.

Pru Leith's Recipe for Hob Nobs

ROBERT'S BOOK aka ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER

I came across the term "Roberts Book of Rules” (can’t remember where) and I said to myself “Hold on… I know that term!” but couldn’t bring it to mind.  I looked it up, as one does these days on Google, and, indeed, it is something I learned at school namely, it is the book of rules for parliamentary procedure.

"Robert's Rules of Order" is the name of the standard manual for parliamentary procedure, ensuring meetings are conducted smoothly, fairly, and efficiently. Originally written by General Henry M. Robert in 1876, the book provides a guide to conducting meetings, the duties of officers, and the proper way to handle motions and debate.” [|Widipedia]

"The book is about procedures for meetings and not about what is "legal" (i.e. it is not a law book)."  

Now I drink coffee regularly with Iain’s classmates from school (Lenzie Academy).  They are all professional people.  They had never heard of this; they had certainly never learned anything like this at school.  My recollection is that we spent quite a bit of time on this topic at school.  And I also recall that if there ever was a problem in a meeting one could interrupt proceedings stating  “Get the Roberts Book so we can sort this out!”

Somehow I assumed it was British.  I suppose I thought of the UK parliament and that there must be a manual on how to conduct a meeting.  Well it is American.  A military man Henry Roberts put it together in 1876 after attending meetings which were disorderly.  In the UK the House of Parliament meetings are still disorderly, well... at least... noisy in the chamber!  I think it's fair to conclude they have never heard of the 'Robert's Book'!   

It is still on the go; now in its 12th edition (2020).

 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

August 14th, last week, was the first day of school for Harriet (12) and Ellie (10.5).  Harriet started secondary school at Bearsden Academy and Ellie goes into her last year of Primary School at Mosshead Adademy in Bearsden.

Mairi took this photo outside the back door just before they headed off.  Note the 'L' plate on Mairi's car. Ishbel is going to sit her driving test in October so she is out practicing now.

A missed opportunity this morning.... sitting at my computer I enjoy seeing the youngsters (and possibly their mums/dads) walk to school past my house.  Craighton Primary School is where they are headed.  With their white blouses and blue uniforms the march by either in groups or maybe on their own.

But...my eye caught a red shape moving along the pavement [or sidewalk if USA or Canada]. I stood up and there was a juvenile fox trotting along behind a dad and little boy quite unaware of him as they walked on towards the school.  And there was I...with no camera!

My attempt to generate an AI image using Chatgpt.... time take = 15 minutes!

B C FERRY COLLISION IN ACTIVE PASS AUGUST 2, 1970 - MY MEMORY

This week I came across a video I had never seen before which was on YouTube.  It was an event that happened 55 years ago.  I remember it because I was in the area at the time.

The event was the collision on August 2, 1970, of the BC ferry 'Queen of Victoria' with a Soviet freighter 'Sergey Yesenin' in Active Pass, the narrow straight with a bend in it. This pass is about the halfway position in the ferry's route between  Vancouver on the mainland the south end of Vancouver Island. There were 3 fatalities.

Ferry collision August 2, 1970   

The video was taken by a lad on a fishing boat who captured the moment.

Only now, all these years later have I ever thought about it (!).  It seems the pilot on the Soviet vessel radioed ahead to check for vessels that might be on his course but due to a mismatch of radio frequencies, he did not receive an answer (so did not alter course.)

Where was I in all of this?  It was a Sunday. I had driven to Victoria to visit my grandmother for the weekend and was on my way back to Vancouver.  I headed to the Swartz Bay (south end of Vancouver Island) ferry terminus to catch the ferry to the Tsawwassen ferry terminus on the mainland. 

I assume it was mid-afternoon.  All was well and fairly uneventful until we approached Active Pass.  I gradually became aware that everything went quiet in the passenger lounge area and people were slowly moving to the windows looking out.  "What's going on?"  "Did you not know? There was a terrible accident with the earlier ferry!"

I recall arriving in Tsawwassen terminus and seeing the ship (which had been heading to Victoria and had been towed back to Tsawwassen). She was tied up with her port side open showing mangled steel, and looking like a big giant had put an axe into her side.

Apparently this accident lead to (a) passengers not being allowed to remain in their cars below decks and (b) safety drills prior to sailing.

JULY ROUND-UP

John and Debbie visited us in May.  Here is John's photo of us in the garden. (Mairi, Ellie aged 10, Alastair 17, Harriet 12, and me.  Below that is John's selfie taken on Costa Clyde which includes Ishbel 18, in the photo.  

* * * * * * Garden and Yard Work * * * * * 

The garden is flourishing mainly due to the very hot weather we have been having. 

Ishbel gave me a morning's labour where we glued linoleum to the garage floor.  lI am quite pleased with our efforts.  It was definitely one of those jobs where you need another person.

XXXX

JUNE SUMMARY: SCOTTISH DICTIONARIES NOW CATALOGUED

It's the last day of June.  When the weather is fine I am outside...see photos in second half below.  When it is wet I catalogue books.

[1] Iseabail's Books from her library.  I have now catalogued them all.  They are dictionaries: mainly related to the Scots language.  They are big, they are heavy and are sitting in my living room while we find a home for them. (I have the list available as a pdf file but I don't know how to put it here!)

[2] A thing of beauty is a new handle on a garden fork.  Mr Fraser Robb, Drymen, who sells agriculatural products did a magnificent job keeping my Clyde-built handle and giving it is new wooden handle one metre long.  

It's a 'ladies fork' and is irreplaceable.  (Thank you, but 'No' I do not want to buy an new one even if it is cheaper.)

[3] I have now grouted the front steps of the house.  It has taken me 2 years and 2 hours (after going on UTube) to do the job. The reason I was spurred into action was that a knight in shining armour called Iain Stewart and his mate arrived to clean the sides of the house and, while they were at it, they cleaned the front horizontal 'porch' plus the steps. Two fellows with the right kit (chemicals plus hot water and detergent) did a magnificant job. So I have decided: no more scrubbing with the deck brush!  (I got his name from Mairi and wish I had got moving on this sooner!)

[4] Happiness is a neatly stacked woodpile.  Job done.  Lomond Logs, Croftamie, delivered a 'bulk bag' (one metre cubed) of birch. Birch!...you never see it in this part of the world.  And it is all kiln dried.  

Two neighbourhold lads with a Can-Do attitude carried the split logs from the front driveway up to the back of the garage and I stacked it.  Done and dusted in less than an hour...and all ready for winter.  (What am I saying?!  I can just as often light a fire in July as January!)

 

EXISTENTIAL ANGST

The Peace Arch at Blaine Washington, i.e. the border between British Columbia and Washington state.

As a student of Canadian history I am watching the news every day as events unfold in USA.  Each day brings a new bizarre turn of events whether it be related to global trade, the money market or how people are feeling about movement in and out of the country.

As someone who lives in Europe I watch how people who either themselves as children or their parents moved, or were barred from moving, out of countries that were curtailing their life in one form or another.  If history does not repeat itself it certainly resonates in this part of the world!

What comes to mind is summed up in a poem from another age. It is by the German pastor Martin Niemoeller's famous mea culpa statement (in various forms over a period 1940-1970s) expressing the fact that he, as member of the human race, did not stand up and show solidarity sooner, when it might have made a difference.

The historical context happens to be European mid-20th century but it is about when good people do nothing:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

However I reckon it could be any period; just fill in the blanks:

First they came for the xxxxxx
And I did not speak out
.....
Then they came for the immigrants...universities... scientists... lawyers...press

And I did not speak out.

 * * * * * * 

How to make sense of what we are watching day by day?

Alastair put me on to Heather Cox-Richardson who is an American academic. She talks about the situation in her country on various platforms on the internet.  She is a historian and sets events in historical context and is very good at looking at the bigger cultural picture e.g. factors driving events.

So what are some of my cultural observations from this side of the pond?

Consequences?  The damage has been done. You throw a rock in a pool and watch to see where the ripples go. It's very unsettling at all levels: individually, locally, nationally and internationally.  

    M-m-m-m .... maybe throw a lifebuoy?!

BIRTHDAY TIME AGAIN

Another year .... another birthday.... 81 years old and still firing on all cylinders!

Here are some photos taken on Sunday at our birthday tea in the garden.  The Spiderman cake is mine which is a nod to years' past.  (I use a cake mix - M&S or Waitrose or Cadburys's) and go heavy on the chocolate 'ganache' frosting.  (It 's basically melted bars of good chocolate and cream in equal parts. Absolutely guaranteed to be delicious!)