31st December

I love my Christmas bird clock - it has a different bird whistle for each hour!

At the moment it is replacing Van Gogh's 'Starry Night', which hung on the wall just outside the kitchen.

I must admit it gave me a fright last night.
I was half way up to bed when out of the eerie silence an owl suddenly began to hoot!!

Most of the time though, I really enjoy listening to the birds whistling... just for that moment everything feels very calm - like you're outside in the middle of the countryside in a wide open space.

I might try for a wee video to let you all hear for yourselves - at some point.

Yesterday was Luca's birthday and I have a bumper crop of photos to show you all.

Carole put on a little birthday lunch - smorgesborde - help yourself to prawns, parma ham and cheese - it was lovely!

Luca enjoyed it too, although he did say, "Look Mummy, you shouldn't have gone to all this bother, a big bowl of prawns right in front of me would have done just fine!"

Dora the Explorer went down well, you'll be glad to know, Kelly and Craig!

In fact, as you can see, he has now started reading! :)



In the little swing park beside Carole and Gary's you will find a little tubby lady, made of pink granite, lying on the ground with her back against a rock, snoozing.

Luca was delighted to use her to demonstrate his ever increasing vocabulary when we went for a prelunch walk to improve our appetites!

"Eyes," he said as he poked her in the eye, "nose, hands, shoes..." he labelled everything he could find before finishing with, " Shhh... sleeping!"

Ian made it back from his work to join in the birthday celebration and your John Lewis box arrived while we were there, Lucy.



Did you enjoy your bit of birthday cake, Dad? That's you Gary.
Were there any smarties left on it by the time you got home? They were very popular with a certain little boy!

I took a video of the candles on the birthday cake being blown out but for some reason it won't upload. It is on my hard drive, Gary so you can have a look at it the next time you are through. I'll have another go at uploading it tomorrow.

Carole sat patiently after lunch and constructed the animals and farmyard in Luca's new farmyard lego using the pictures as a guide while Ian made a lovely job of creating a giraffe.

"Everybody knows you don't find giraffes in a farmyard!" exclaimed Carole!

Ian do it properly!!




The top Luca is wearing was a gift from Carole's friend! These photos are for Carole who loved it so much, she wanted it photographed. I'll send you copies, Carole.

Christmas Eve

I was in Summerfield this morning at eight thirty along with all the other early birds.
It cost me two pound coins not to get the Boy's Club to pack my bags!

Ian phoned while I was out to ask a favour of me and it seems he wouldn't believe I wasn't in!

"Somebody phoned this morning while you were out," Ross said to me when I got back. "The phone rang and rang and rang! "

"I decided not to answer it. It was cold outside the bed, so I persevered at ignoring it." he said.

Still it worked as a wake up call and he got up and went into Aberdeen to finish his shopping.

I'm just back from Johanne's. The favour Ian wanted was for me to drop Colin's beer off and their smoked salmon.

While I was there, Gillian phoned to let her mum know she had reached Kinross on her journey north so she's making good time.

Gillian's new husband, Des, should have been with her, but he has had to go straight home to Ireland as both his parents have pneumonia!

His mother was so ill, she was taken into hospital but the doctors have sent her home again because there has been an outbreak of the winter vomitting bug in the hospital!

Tuesday evening

I really don't know what I've been doing since Thursday!

Friday...let me think.
Oh yes, I did my first stint as a waitress at the Friday coffee morning.
It was quite enjoyable and my traybake went down well.

I got the recipe off the internet:
It is supposed to be carrot cake and it does have carrot in it but it seemed a bit too light to me - flavour not texture.

Anyway here's the recipe if you want to try it.

12 oz margarine/butter
12 oz soft brown sugar
6 eggs
12 oz SR flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons mixed spice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
12 oz grated carrot

Bake for 45 mins at 180 C in a tin 12 ins x 8ins x 2ins.

Friday night I went to Franco's with Ian and his holiday golfing buddies and their wives. The food was good but the group was too noisy for me - probably because there were so many in such a small place. I felt really embarrassed because there were others in the restaurant and I'm sure we ruined their night out.

Probably better to get a private room if there are a lot of folk together.

Anyway, Saturday was quiet - all I can remember doing is going to the butchers. The old man who works there confided in me that he had forgotten to shave that morning before he came out.
I think he was telling everyone to explain why he was all whiskery!

Sunday? Had my cheese scone and coffee at the Milton after mass.
Highlight of the day.
Well not quite as when I got back home, Gary and Luca were there with Isis!

Gary and I took Luca and Isis to the park.
Check out the photos...
Luca needed a little wipe before we left.

You know, Luca managed to walk all the way to and from the park although when we hit the wooded path in the park that goes uphill, he turned and raised his arms, "You can't be serious," he said, "I've walked these wee short legs for miles and now you want me to climb mountains!"


I discovered today, that Gary had told Carole that Isis had gone for a swim in the pond in the Burnett Park.
Those of us who know the pond know that swimming isn't possible.
It's meant to be used for curling when it freezes over so it isn't very deep.
Isis went for a paddle.
Check the photo.



How cute are these! They were taken on the way back from the park.


What do we think?
Luca without a fringe!

Monday, I cleaned the house and caught up on the laundry, then went to the hairdressers to get rid of my grey roots.

I bumped into Anne and her mum coming back from the village as I was heading in. That's Anne's mum up now till after Christmas.

Oh yes, we had smoked haddock, for tea last night, with clapshot. I am really into clapshot just now - maybe we could have it on Christmas Day... I could use brussell sprouts instead of cabbage!
The fish from the fish shop is very good too!

Today, I've wrapped my presents and spent time with Luca to let Carole organise the wee puppy!! She's beautiful!

You will probably be able to see photos by now on Gary and Carole's blog.

I wonder what Gary thought of his surprise Christmas present!

Bedtime on Thursday

The outing to Banchory Lodge on Wednesday evening was a gastronomical delight!

I had seared scallops to begin and then smoked haddock cooked in cream sitting on a bed of clapshot with a thick slice of ham on top - it was delicious.

The lounge was empty apart from us but it is such a cosy room when the fire is lit, you didn't need others there to create the atmosphere.

Today I was at the Cults Hotel for lunch with the retired teachers. I was driving so my turkey with all the trimmings was accompanied by a glass of ginger beer and lime!

Another lovely meal!

Guilia said she will drive next time and I can have the glass of wine!

We've arranged to meet again at the end of January by which time, I have discovered, Kay will be a grandmother for the first time!

I see Guilia regularly because she goes to St Columba's Church but it was so good to see Kay and Sheila again.

I thought I would take a photo of the restaurant because it's been all done up since I was last in it but you'd think, from my photo, we were eating in the dark - we weren't!

This is Kay!

Kay was my head teacher for years. She retired about three years.



Here's a photo of Guilia.
Guilia was my deputy head. She was the first to retire and she now works up at the Crathes Castle.

Guilia is Peterhead Italian first Generation Scot.

I have been full of admiration for Guilia ever since she told me that she had learned to drive in Rome of all places, while she was working over there! The Romans are lunatic drivers!

She told me that her driving instructor used to take her round the old city wall during her lessons - this seemingly was where the 'ladies of the night' congregated.

Anyway, while she would be focussing on her driving, he was hanging out of the open window, waving his arms about and shouting, "Go Home! Go back home to your husbands!"




Sheila, you know already. She is learning support and now works three days a week at Ashley Road. She left St Joseph's about the same time as Kay retired. She is due to retire in the summer.



Kay took this photo of Sheila, Guilia and I as we were leaving. We've arranged to meet up again at the end of January.

Teatime on Wednesday

Hello Cade!

Thank you for the lovely letter all about sunflowers. You used some wonderful words :)

I have a photograph somewhere of your mom standing in a field of sunflowers in France.

I will try and find it and if I do I will post in on my blog to let you see it.

I use sunflower oil when I am cooking and I have eaten sunflower seeds - they are very tasty!

Tell Mom that the postman delivered the Christmas box she sent, it arrived today!

We haven't opened it yet!

10 to 6

Hello everyone!
That's me home from Janice's.
I had a lovely afternoon.

Janice had a flood in her utility room while we were there. Alison had brought flowers and Janice put them in the utility room in the sink which she filled with water...

The tap hadn't been put off tightly enough and the sink overflowed but wasn't discovered till we were having dessert and Janice went to get the icecream!

All hands to the pump - actually to the towels would be more appropriate! :)

I've had champagne, red wine and a South African liqueur made from oranges and I keep missing the right key so I'm going to stop now.

Tuesday - late morning

Heading out in a few minutes to have Christmas lunch with the old sewing group. This was the group that Tina, Christina ( you will remember them, Lucy) and Agnes belonged to.

It's long since disbanded but Tina, Janice and Alison (also in the group but you didn't know them, Lucy) still keep in touch and it's these girls that I'm having lunch with.

It's going to be a foody week -

• lunch today
• dinner tomorrow evening with the Golden Girls (Maura, Myra, Johanne and Anne)
• lunch on Thursday with the St Joseph's retired teachers
• dinner on Friday evening with Ian's buddies - sportsmen

It'll be hard going but there you are - I'll just have to eat my way through it :)

Monday morning

It's already eleven oclock.

Not much done today yet, I'm afraid. Didn't waken till eight thirty...no pressure this morning as Ross is on holiday!

He's off for the next three weeks would you believe!

I have a load of different tasks to do today starting with a huge pile of ironing and I'm almost ready to start.

I've had my breakfast - porridge with Ross' raspberries from last night. He didn't eat them and since I've been thinking about porridge with raspberries ever since you mentioned starting to eat them for breakfast to increase the ruffage in your diet, Lucy, I decided to take the opportunity to try it out this morning!

I would recommend it to you all. It's lovely.

Breakfast was accompanied by two episodes of 'The X Files'. I fast forward at the adverts and the non speaking and action scenes so I can watch two episodes almost in the time it takes to transmit one.

I love being able to fast forward!

I know I've said it before but I'm really dreading the implimentation of whatever technology it is that's being devised to stop me skipping past the adverts!

The first episode I watched was about Moulder escaping from a stallag in which people were treated like guinea pigs, having 'black cancer' injected into them to see what happened. The 'black cancer' was actually an organism that had crash landed on earth like a meteorite.

Bit gruesome at the part where a guy had his arm cut off using a red hot machete. You see no arm - no injection into it possible!

I haven't fathomed out, yet, why those carrying out the experiments couldn't just have used the other arm!

The other was about an enzyme that got to earth in the same manner as the 'black cancer'. It increased the rate of growth of fungi.

The first victim had died of athletes foot!

Good visual effects. I particularly liked the image of the man, found in the outside toilet, dead of course but also covered in green fluffy and wispy white fungi with pulsating larvae crawling in and out of his eye sockets and gaping mouth.

I'd finished my porridge before I saw that image!!

Sunday night

It's almost nine oclock.

I've read all the blogs - well done Carole, enjoyed reading your entry! It's good to get another perspective. Is it really so long since Abbey passed away?

- and although there is still nothing new on Lucy's blog, she phoned today so we can all be reassured that she is fine.

Mark, Scott's cousin from Seattle, has been down staying with them for a short holiday so she's been a bit busy.

She's going to post a photo of her Christmas trees - she has two!! - on her blog.

Here is our completed tree. I decorated it this afternoon while listening to Nat King Cole singing Christmas Songs. Songs included, 'The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot'. What a tear jerker!


Between the tree and Lucy's phonecall, there was no time to make apple sponge for pudding!
"Never mind apple pudding, how was the lamb?" I hear you all asking...it was OK. I would happily eat it. Would I choose it from a menu if I was out for a meal?
It would depend what else was on the menu!

Ian was unusually entusiastic about his dinner tonight and complimented it twice...a hint, I think, to make it again sometime!

To change the subject, The Christmas Carol Concert in the Town Hall last evening was unexpectedly good! I would go again.

The choir sang a mixture of classical carols and more modern Christmas Songs...
They included one of my favourites...

Are we all ready to sing? ...

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

It doesn't show signs of stopping...

"OK enough!"

I think that was Ian!

When the concert finished, the chairs were quickly moved out of the way and the school kids came round with plates full of shortbread and Christmas pies and bottles of wine and plastic tumblers appeared on the tables at the back as the choir members appeared in the hall to join in the party.

All very jolly.

I had gone to the concert because Maura (my buddy) is in the choir. Sri was there too - her husband Pete is in the choir too - and so was Myra.

Mary is writing her Christmas cards tonight I think as I've just had a text asking if Gary and Carole still live in Rae Circle.

Mary is in a choir down in Paisley. Her Christmas Concert isn't till the 29th December.
She and Kathleen - her friend from primary school go together.

Kathleen is a nurse just like Mary was. I think she's still working. She works at the local hospice - has done for years.

Brian is doing fine after his gallbladder operation...he was at the pub on Friday night!! Obviously feeling better.

Saturday - just after lunch time

It's just before two and I should be heading for the supermarket but the weather is so driech outside just now, I really am struggling to move myself.

I will go, I will go...
I need to get vitamin C tablets for Ian and I've decided to get mint sauce to have with the lamb that I've bought for tomorrow's dinner. This will be the test of whether my tastebuds have changed enough to let me like lamb!

Ian looked at me last night while he was eating his second meal of Lamb Stew and said, "This is really very good! I think I can taste it tonight."

I'll post the recipe later in case anyone wants to try it...but if you do, other than the cook, no-one will know what they are eating.

The taste of the lamb will not be obliterated if all I do to it is put it under the grill, will it?
I'll let you know how I get on.

That's the cup of coffee finished, I should get going.

Ian took his first little walk outside this morning. He and I walked into the village in the rain to do a few chores.

The queue in the post office was so long, it was threaded through the aisles of the supermarket, past the drinking chocolate, the birthday cards and biscuits all the way down to the 'special offers' near the entrance.

Jan Seivewright (who used to live next door to us years ago...remember Ben?) is the postmistress now and she and the girl who gave me the advice on my passport were doing a stalwart job processing all their customers at full speed ahead. So it didn't take too long to get the stamps for our Christmas cards.

The last day for second class stamps is Thursday 18th December, so you have a few days left if you aren't ready to post your cards yet.

I bumped into Irene Page in the post office, she was further down the queue and I noticed her when I was leaving.

"Oh I much prefer this weather to the snow," she said, "all that slush on the roads and pavements!"
I reminded her of how beautiful everything had looked covered in it's fresh coat of snow but she only laughed. I should send her one of my photos to remind her.

Everything has a price. Are a few days of cold feet and wet socks inside your boots too big a price to pay for the joy the snow gave us?

You see how my tune has changed. Last year you would have heard a different story from me when I had to drive to Aberdeen through the snow to get to and from work!

Happy days!

Lunchtime on Friday

Ian and I have had some lentil soup and toast for lunch and I'm beginning to feel better now. What a morning!

Anne sent me a text first thing this morning to say that she was taking Kujo out for a little walk, did I want to go?

Well, having been indoors so much recently because of the weather, I said yes.

We left the house at ten and got back at twelve!

Not a little walk, I hear you say! Quite.

We had decided to extend our walk to encompass the path through the woods at the back of the Burnett Park - it comes out at Glen O Dee.

And it would have, had we taken the right route. We came to a junction on the path and I said to Anne that the path to the left looked familiar.

Yes, you guessed...it was the wrong path. An hour later we came out onto the Raemoir Road - way down at Brathens!

Kudjo was black with mud apart from his head which had unusual shades of green splodged on it! I think he had been rubbing himself on something dead!

What a treck home. It was miles! Anne and I were exhausted.

When I got in, I explained to Ian why I had been so long.

He said calmly, "Why did Anne listen to you? If you said go left, you should have gone right. You know you have an unerring ability to choose the wrong direction."

I just can't believe I always get it wrong.

Ian as you have realised is still at home. He's a bit better today than he was yesterday but he still isn't well.

This is Ian at Christmas 2004, I found it in my family album. Four years ago...seems like more...

He certainly doesn't look this healthy just now!

Thursday evening

We ate the lamb stew tonight

I was pleasantly surprised...it was edible!

However, Ian couldn't identify the meat. He reckoned his tastebuds weren't up to it because of his illness.

If I'm being honest, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what kind of meat it was either! I think the flavours I added overpowered the lamb.

I'll try again with a different recipe...one less highly spiced.

Ian is feeling a bit better today. He has managed to spend most of the day downstairs but he still can't concentrate for more than a couple of minutes.

He's making his way through a bottle of Ribena blackcurrant and a bottle of Ribena blueberry. The blueberry is very nice - if you haven't tried it yet, I'd recommend it!

This is Ian by the way, on what was obviously a happier day!

Today has been a stay at home day. The only time I was outside was to put the bin out for the binman. But I had a laugh reading about your visit to Plymouth, Kelly.

No kidding...the woman actually took her shoes off! What a hoot!

even later on Wednesday evening

On my way home from town yesterday, after leaving Gary and Luca, I stopped in at the garden centre and bought our Christmas tree.


It's standing against the wall at the front door wrapped tightly in it's cocoon of string.

What do you think of my new tree stand? I think the design is much improved on the usual tripod!


The man at the garden centre tried the tree in it and even without the screws in place to hold it, it sat upright and didn't sway or topple.

I'm off to make Ian another hot Ribena.

Wednesday evening

Ian has a fluey bug - might even be proper flu - time will tell. He is really bad just now.
"Just shoot me," the poor soul has just groaned.

I woke in the middle of the night last night because the bed was bouncing around the room! It was Ian shivering with cold!
He was freezing, he said.

It took two extra duvets, a fleesy blanket and a pair of woolly socks to stop the shakes.

His temperature has been going up and down ever since.
At the moment, he is too hot.

We'll see how he gets on tonight - I'm all ready - just in case we need the duvet mountain again.

Ross is away to bed early. He isn't sure, he said, but wonders if his sleepiness might be the onset of the bug in him.

I'm feeling fine - touch wood.

You know the timing of this bug invasion couldn't be worse.
On Monday I bought lamb to make into a stew.

I know, I don't like lamb but I'd had time to read Anne's current collection of food magazines when I was house-sitting on Monday for the Sky man and I came across this recipe - which used paprika, cumin, coriander and cinnamon spices, passata instead of stock and was finished off with sweet potatoes, dates and almonds.

I thought to myself, "This sounds really good, why not try it! Maybe you will like lamb now. Afterall our tastes do change over the years."

So I bought the lamb and got all the ingedients together, and as I got started cutting all the fat off the lamb. (I don't like fat)
I could hear Ian saying, "Lamb, you never buy lamb! You don't like it."
And I would say, " Och I just thought it was time I tried again."
And he would say, "Great, I really like lamb! What a nice surprise!"
It was a lovely warm, fluffy moment!

Well, the lamb is cooked but Ian's in no fit state to eat it, is he? It's in the fridge.

The more I think about that fat the less I feel like eating the lamb.

...I wonder if I should freeze it in case Ian is in no state to eat it for a while?

Bedtime

Hello Lucy - since we didn't scipe/skipe today, I thought I would upload the photos we took at the time - using the flash.





I managed to find some Dutch bacon in the fridge so we had Pasta Carbonara for tea - just made it in time to let Ross get downstairs to his raid - pasta in hand.

This is the first day of the new version of his game and he is very stressed. There's been a lot of work and study to do to get to this point.

When I went down to say goodnight, I was ejected (with a smile) because he was so busy!

Right, off to bed now. Pity about the tree, Gary, but I'm not too disappointed they were bound to go fast... alas 'he who hesitates is lost'!

Sunday teatime

Having noted the time of this entry, you will appreciate that it must be short.
I can't concentrate well when I feel hungry and I don't even know what we are going to have for tea tonight!

I've just written to tell you that I am exhausted having spent the afternoon cybershopping - - I heard the expression on the TV earlier today - but I have had some success!
I have placed my order for part of Ian's Christmas gift from 'Solutions' - useful gadgets that you never realised you needed - and I've bought a couple of pairs of jeans from Marks and Spencers.

Doesn't it make you feel special when they know who you are....
"Hello Josephine!" Marks and Spencers said when I got into their sight -
and when I wanted to pay they asked, "Would you like us to send this order to you or Carol?"
My goodness they remembered I got her birthday flowers from them!
Don't they just make it so easy to spend your money :)

You know I would be sorely tempted to get a take away for tea tonight if we hadn't had one last night.
Ross and I hit the chinese restaurant and ordered:

• half a Crispy Aromatic Duck
• two portions of Chef's Special Rice which had everything you could think of in it
• Volcano Chicken - really sweet and sticky with a little heat
• Barbecued Shrimp Peking Style - reminded me of lots of little individual shrimp omlettes in a tasty sauce,
• Pork in Sweet Chilli Sauce.

It was delicious!
We definitely made good choices.

Loved it but Ian's feeling a bit worried today - if it was Irish pork we could be in big trouble! On the news this morning we were informed that the Irish are recalling all pork products because routine tests have highlighted the presence of a toxic substance :(
They think it was in the piggy feed from a particular manufacturer.

Two messages:
Gary, did you go to B&Q?

While I'm thinking of Gary... the moon was visible in the sky yesterday during the day when I was at Gary and Carol's house, and clever little Luca looked up at it commenting that it was the moon then went to his brick bag and took out one of his semi circular bricks and brought it over to where Gary and I were sitting and holding it in front of us, said"Moon!" How intelligent is that?!

Lucy, have you got your house decorated this year for Christmas?

Here's your house last year...

Friday morning

Ross finally got to work at quarter to ten this morning!

Long story...

The folk in number one are having insulation work done on their house today and first thing this morning, there was a big van blocking the road.

Ross had noticed the van and decided to go out through the gate onto the Tor na Coille road but had misjudged the turn... and his front tyre clipped the wall.

He was on the Tor na Coille road when he realised he had a burst tyre.

His first thought was to change the tyre, but he had no spanner and mine was the wrong size so it was decided that I would take him to work but we'd need to move his car first because it was blocking the road. He managed to get it into the parking area but it finally got stuck right in the middle!

We struggled for ages trying to push it forward (it weighs a ton! two according to Ross)
but the tyres just kept spinning.

In the end, I got my shovel and chipped away at the ice till we managed to get enough grip to move forward.

What a carry on; my trousers are soaking up to the knees from spraying ice and water that hit me while I was trying to heave the car forward and both Ross and I have soaking wet feet.

At one point I felt like one of those big macho weight lifters... you know the ones that pull cars with their teeth? Only I was heaving the car forward with my shoulder and clenching my teeth for extra oomph!

We've had several heavy showers of rain already today but the ground is still covered in ice so the water isn't going anywhere. It's just sitting on top of the ice making the pavements lethal.

Happy days!

Thursday morning

Where's the snow that was forecast?

I was so disappointed when I got up and discovered that snow blizzards hadn't happened during the night and the snow we had is melting away!

Great wattery ridges of snow, created by Ross' car reversing down the drive this morning, stared forlornly up at me as I looked out of the bedroom window in anticipation. No snow!

The radio is telling us that the Southern Uplands, and the Border have been hit badly by the snow but everywhere else seems to be fine. Even the Cockbridge to Tomintoul road is still open!

Apparently, the radio is telling me, it's half a degree too warm for snow!

Well, Ian is still here and I haven't got a lunch to go to anymore and Sheila could have gone to her dinner in Ballater afterall ... :(

Something to note:
"It'll be just like the thing if they've got the forecast wrong," said Ian just before we went to bed last night.

Fourish

Just back in, in time to take a phonecall to say that tomorrow's lunch has been postponed because of the threat of snow tonight.

It was Sheila who phoned, a quick two minute call on her way to a meeting in the school. She was telling me that she and her husband, Martin, are meant to be going down to Ballater tonight to have dinner with friends but have decided to postpone just in case the snow forecast actually arrives.

I was out this morning just after nine to get the car scraped and warmed up before picking up Johanne and Anne. The street looked lovely!




We were going to a talk about dealing with depression at Crathes' tearoom. It came with coffee and scones and Christmas pies and afterwards you could browse the Castle's giftshop's Christmas decorations.

This photo was taken in the Crathes Castles' carpark on our way to the talk. Good photo of Johanne, I thought. Anne's kind of invisible.


The drive was fine apart from the occassional spinning wheels and the views at the castle were beautiful. My snapshots don't do justice to what we were lucky enough to see. Snow makes everything look so lovely, don't you think?



We went to the Raemoir Garden Centre for lunch.
Johanne and I had a very good grilled vegetable panini and Anne had a tuna melt.
I would definitely recommend the food!
However, it's still a noisy venue and the curtains at the windows can't be drawn (and the entire building is glass) when the sun is shining in your eyes!

We chose the garden centre because we thought Maura might be working. She has just started working there part time in the tearoom. And there she was!

I was pleasantly surprised by the cost of their Christmas trees; I didn't think they were especially dear.
5ft-6ft. trees were £35 and 6ft-7ft were £40!
Lovely trees and they deliver free.
In fact, their service is so good that they had managed to deliver Anne's tree to her door before we'd got home!
We paid for the trees, got into the car, drove home... and as we came into the street, the garden centre van was turning out!

When Anne and Johanne decided to go ahead and buy their trees...I thought about it but didn't in the end.
I think I possibly made the wrong choice.
Those trees are the only ones they will be getting in and if you leave them out in the cold, they would probably be OK.

Anyway, on a different note, Kujo's walk round the Burnett this afternoon was really cold.
I thought you might like to see the pond so here it is.



Anne took this one of me with a red nose.

And I took this one of Kujo!

It's a wee bit dark. I didn't realise it was starting to get dark.
Kujo is a lovely reddish brown colour, like the autumn leaves and you wouldn't know from my photo!

Ian's home now so I'm going to take off now and make the tea!

Wednesday morning - just as it's getting light

I've had a couple of text messages from Aunt Mary recently.

At the end of last week, she texted to let me know that Uncle Brian had ended up in hospital.

He has gallstones and is on the waiting list to go into hospital and have them removed. Once he was diagnosed, Aunt Mary made changes to his diet and that made life a lot easier for him but on Sunday he had an attack of severe pain and was admitted to hospital!

We have also been keeping in touch over the last few days because of the weather.
She sent this text yesterday:

'Hi Jo, scarey is the word! (she's talking about the weather conditions).
I skated to Julie's today on a wing and a prayer.
Tried to go to school this am but slipping and falling.
Had them (Sam and Tom) crawling on hands and knees to get
back to the drive - they couldn't fall that way! (their street and their drive are both on a slope)
Managed later but frozen again tonight.
Say a prayer for me in the morning! (she has to drive to Julie's on Wednesdays too)
Mary x'

They are supposed to be getting the snow today down there.
I've sent a text to see how she has gotten on this morning.

I'm supposed to be going to a talk at Crathes Castle this morning. I'm driving. Wish me luck. Should maybe put a bit of carpet and a shovel in the boot!

Just before lunch time

Gary appeared on Sunday morning with Luca in tow at about quarter to ten.

Well, Gary didn't know that the times of masses had changed two years ago. Why should he know? So there they were coming in just as I was heading out!

I think Gary still had me going to the Vigil Mass on a Saturday night. I did appreciate the vigil because I had already been to mass when I got up on Sunday morning and when I was working it gave me a full day to work without interruption.

We don't have a vigil anymore. Not since our priest had to take over the parishes in Braemar, Ballater and Aboyne.

Sunday morning is fine for me now because I can meet my buddies at mass and go to the Milton for coffee and a scone afterwards. I've all the time in the world now.

I've read his blog and if I had thought there was a half a chance that he and Luca would have considered coming to mass, I'd have grabbed it. I wish now I had suggested it, Gary, when it crossed my mind.

Luca has been to mass, you know. He and I went when you and Carol, Dad and Ross went to Manchester to see the football.

He was very well behaved.

Anyway, after mass we did, as Gary said, go for a walk to the Burnett Park. D'you know the pond was frozen!
Luca and Gary stood well back as I went to the edge to check how strong the ice was. I reckon you could have walked on it but Gary, very wisely, suggested that I didn't try it out.

Luca stood well back, as I said, pointing at it with a worried look on his face.
"Bath," he said.
'Big bath' would have been more appropriate!
Don't you just love it when wee ones take what they know and apply it to something else!

Here are the wee films I took on Sunday morning.
The first one is in the park not far from the pond. On reflection, I should have got the pond in to show everyone but I didn't think at the time, sorry.



The second one was taken in the grounds of the Tor na Coille. Luca was delighted by the sound of the frosted grass as he crunched his way through it.

What do we think of Luca's hat?

I loved the idea of having three pom poms on a hat but the cosy ears on it kept slipping round and covering his eyes. It didn't seem to bother the wee fella though. He just wandered around half blind!

Tuesday morning

Ian texted to say that he got to work ok this morning but that the traffic was awful. Ross was late leaving for work because he had to dig his car out of the snow... his time management isn't a strength.

It's really beautiful outside as it always is when we are covered with snow.


I would have taken more photos but my camera had only enough charge for these before it gave up the ghost! I had it on the charger all night...the battery isn't holding a charge.

I keep thinking about getting a replacement battery but I haven't done anything about it yet... a job for the 'to do' list, I think.

You'll all be glad to know that I have taken two jobs off the 'to do' list recently...
I finally got my photo taken for my new passport!

I used the photo booth in Somerfield!
I'm worried about the quality. It's very dark.

Johanne' comment on seeing it was that you would know it was me. So what am I to take from that?
And Ian said, "What's the worst thing that can happen? They'll send it back and tell you to try again!"
I think your father has taken a leaf out of your CBT book, Kelly!

I still have to get someone to countersign and I've still to fill in the form myself.
I hate filling in forms.

I'll do it today...I wonder if there is a black pen in the house?

The other 'to do' job that I did was to buy new shades for the bedside lamps because we had broken one of them.
I took a trip into B&Q yesterday and found a pair that would fit in nicely. So I can score that job off the list!

B&Q was full of Christmas trees and lights!
There was a full range of artificial trees ranging fro £13 to about £90. Some of them were very nice and narrow too, which with small rooms is what you need. Real ones can be a bit too wide for little rooms.

But what did thrill me was the outside plant area...it was filled to bursting with real trees of all shapes and sizes and the smell was wonderful. I wondered around outside walking up and down the aisles of trees breathing deeply. What a treat!