Evening

Gary, you took 24 photos with my camera when you popped in tonight and here are the best ones.
I've saved all of the photos you took on my hard drive so you can see them but honestly they are very blurry. It's not your fault, the camera's not working too well these days!



"orse!" said Luca handing the book to me.
"Do you want to come up?"
He nods his head and holds out his arms.
We go through this little ritual a lot just now.
It is just the beginning...there are about half a dozen books in the play box and we usually get through at least half of them.
You should hear him say sausages when he finds the page about the fat sausages in the pan...really cute. That page is in the book with all the rhymes in it.

Row Row Row the boat
Gently down the stream
merrily merrily merrily merrily
Life is but a dream.

Luca learned this one ages ago at daycare but they taught him another verse too...

Row row row the boat
Gently down the stream
If you see a crocodile
Don't forget to scream
Aargh (you scream at this point)

He doesn't oblige with the scream too often now but he was hilarious when he learned it at first!



Once we go into the kitchen,he hits the tins cupboard.
Today, for the first time, rather than take them out and stack them high, he rolled them across the floor.
Packets of dried pasta slide quite well too, you know! Great fun.





Ross came home from work while Gary and Luca were still here and he sat beside Luca and I on the couch.
This was a big deal!! For Luca that is, not Ross.

Relations between them are difinitely warming. Wouldn't you agree, Gary?

After a wee browse on the internet

I found this information on the internet and the explanations seem familiar.

'A silver coin symbolises wealth, a penny is for a pauper. A key represents a change of home or career. A ring means you are going to get married and a thimble or button means you aren't.'

Evening

Tried to phone you tonight, Kelly. Returning the call from you that I missed yesterday but you are out. Read my email.

What Scottish tradition springs to mind when you are asked for one?

This is the question Cade would like an answer to.

He has a talk to do at school on his family heritage and since his is so diverse, he has opted to focus on the Scottish side. So?

I have already mentioned Christmas dinner and kilts.
I took the liberty of using your good self as a model for the kilt, Craig. And very handsome you look too!! :)

I thought of Guy Fawkes Night, but Ian said that is a British Tradition, not a Scottish one...although the king at the time was only King James I of Britain (I think he invented the name Great Britain!?). He was the VI of Scotland.

Anyway, Ian said guising ... how do you spell this word? Is it from the root word disguise? I don't know!

But kids here don't go out guising anymore ... do they? What do they do? Have we not copied Trick or Treat?
You said they go out begging in Cornwall, Kelly, didn't you but here...I don't really know for sure!

Nobody has been around our street since you all grew up until this year, when Ian, much to his embarrassment, shut the door on somebody! He thinks!

On Halloween, the doorbell rang and Ian and I looked at one another.
"You left the lights on, didn't you." I said.
Ian knew that he had.
"Well you can answer the door," I finished.
With an anxious look, Ian searched his pockets for change and disappeared down the stairs.
He appeared back a couple of minutes later saying that there was no-one there.

After settling back down to watch TV for a couple of minutes he said, "I think I might have closed the door on somebody - I think someone said, 'Boo' just as the door closed!"
Oh dear!

After Ross gave up going out, we had no kids in the street for a few years so I stopped organising for Halloween and after a while, I just opted out - I put the lights out at the front of the house - I am so ashamed!!




We had Christmas pudding for dessert tonight! It was Sommerfield and it was very good!
Why did we have it?
Ian asked that same question.
Well, the shops are filling up with Christmas goodies now and I had noticed the puddings - all wrapped in golden paper and looking very festive on a shelf at the supermarket and I thought, "We never really do justice to Christmas pudding on the day because we are so full. So why not enjoy it just now!" So we did!

You know, in Storie Street (where I was brought up), we ate clootie dumpling and not Christmas pudding because, I guess our taste leant more towards the sweet rather than the bitter, but I must admit, I began to quite enjoy Christmas pudding when I got to about fifty. I guess it's an acquired taste.

We used to eat dumpling on birthdays and I followed my mum's tradition and put buttons and money in the mixture. My mother used to put silver threepenny bits in it but they didn't exist when you were all small so I put in 5p pieces wrapped in greaseproof paper.

The tradition was a bit diluted by the time it got to me because I remember vaguely there being more than buttons and pennies being in the dumpling and the trinkets you found when you ate the dumpling had some significance.

I wonder if I could find out on the internet?

Lunchtime

Hi Cade... It's me again!

Christmas food is different if you come from Scotland.
We eat turkey at Christmas with stuffing and little sausages wrapped in bacon and roast potatoes and lots of brussel sprouts!

And we have Christmas pudding and brandy sauce or trifle for dessert.
This is what Christmas pudding looks like.
Most wee boys and girls don't like it because it is bitter - they usually eat the trifle!


Oh and I almost forgot, when we sit down at the table there are Christmas crackers to be pulled!

You pick up your cracker and holding it at one end ask someone else at the table to take hold of the other end. Then you both pull.

The cracker will break into two with a big bang!


Inside the cracker is a party hat, a joke and a wee toy.

I sent some over to you for Christmas.

Morning

Hi Cade!
Mom told me about your talk at school.
I am still thinking but here's a couple of photos of Craig in traditional dress.
When men and boys in Scotland are going to a wedding or a special party, they often wear the kilt.


Can you see Craig?

Teatime

It's 20 past 5 and I'm starving!

I've been on the computer for a while now trying to keep my mind off food...I've now past the 'extra stone' mark in my weight since I stopped work! And that's with me trying to increase the amount of exercise I do.

I'll keep typing...

I've managed to order Luca's Christmas present from Argos which is good but I've killed off one of Ian's credit cards in the process by entering what I thought was the correct password, but obviously wasn't!

When the window appeared asking for the information, I phoned Ian. I had known the password but I had forgotten it. So he was actually on the other end of the phone when 'The Big Red Words' appeared on the screen saying, "NO".

My ' Have a free flight to Newquay' credit card came to the rescue!

Here's a preview of Luca's Christmas present.




I got my hair cut and coloured today. My hairdresser has found the love of her life while on holiday. She's not long back and I did know where she was going but I can't remember.

Anyway, he must have been special because she now knows what it's like to make love on the beach! Yes, you did read it here first!!

I'm sure I amn't letting any cats out of bags because my hairdresser is a very chatty person.

He's gorgeous and forty and separated from his wife four months ago. She, his wife, told him to go because they weren't getting on. So he has taken a year's contract of work wherever it is that my haidresser went on holiday.

It took her ages to cut my hair because she kept stopping to tell me a bit more about him and their time together. Her enthusiasm made my visit quite jolly!

Hope she doesn't get hurt.

I couldn't help notice the note of disappointment in Ian's voice when I told him that tonight's tea was a repeat of last night's. We're having carrot and sweet potato soup with boiled ham and crusty bread followed by dumpling (one day old now, I grant you).

Ian has just come in. It's five past six. My thanks to you all for keeping me out of the bread bin!

Morning

I have just finished negotiating my way around the Orvis website - successfully on the second attempt!
Christmas present is now winging it's way to you, Craig. Hope you like it...I saw it and I immediately thought of you! :)