Birthday fun

Well here it is, my birthday again, and I have been very well-treated by my family all day! I had a long lie and breakfast in bed, then Ally texted me from Arran and we had a chat on the phone. Jamie and Davie brought me cards and presents and James gave me an unexpected extra present of a Clarisonic face massager in which I expressed interest a few weeks ago! I'm going to look SO young once I start using it. Either that or all the skin will fall off my face!
Lunch was at Bread Meats Bread, a trendy burger joint which I have heard recommended. The burgers didn't disappoint and we had a lovely chat. Then after a couple of errands in town we had coffee at Carluccio's - all of this was my choice and I loved it.
A relaxing bath ensued and now we have all scattered for New Year; Ally is already in Arran, Jamie has gone to a nightclub in Dundee, and Davie is at a party in East Kilbride. James and I are about to set off to Alison and Hugh's to have dinner and welcome the New Year.
And so farewell to 2013, a very eventful year but a good one. 

Swimming and raining

Another rainy but pleasant day of leisure, with some exercise added in. James and I went for a swim in the morning and it was really great. I felt energised afterwards. James is a good swimmer but he finds it to be rather boring. However I enjoy gliding up and down the pool letting my thoughts drift and looking at the other swimmers. Some of them are extremely fit and use the fast swim lanes. Others are clearly not so fit and just go in and out of the sauna and steam room. Then there are families with wee children who remind me of my boys at that age. 

After lunch James and David went off to do some bank business which took them ages and I did some housework and then had a coffee with Jamie. I do enjoy his company; he's nearly twenty-four but he is the same good, kind, brave boy that I have loved for his whole life. Jack cat came in drenched by rain, he must have held on as long as he could but finally he was forced to venture outside. I'm glad that I don't have to go to the toilet in the garden! 

Windows in the weather

The holidays continue in a festive and social manner - yesterday I had a great time lunching in town at Zizzi's and catching up with friends, and then making dinner for Alison and Hugh in the evening. I used my tagine again to make a Moroccan stew and it seemed to go down rather well. Today we had lunch in Edinburgh at Janet and Peter's; Anne was there too looking beautiful, she is getting on very well and will be graduating next summer. All this socialising is very pleasant and has the benefit of not being weather dependent - because the weather is very wet and windy! Occasionally we get a couple of hours of good weather, at which point we seize the opportunity to go outside for a walk, as we did this morning, enjoying a brisk saunter around the neighbourhood before heading to Edinburgh.
The rain is back on now with a vengeance and we are warm and cosy in the back room watching Charlie Brooker's review of 2013. It's all very relaxing. 

What to do on a wet winter's day in Glasgow

Well actually there are lots of things to do, and we opted for shopping, ten-pin bowling and cinema.
In the morning James and I took Grandma to the sales at John Lewis. She was delighted with the outing and bought herself a really nice pale cream woollen coat which will be lovely for the Spring, and a very smart pale blue and grey jacket, with a blue blouse to match it. I also bought her another top which went nicely with the jacket so that she can mix and match it. Then I swapped the cashmere jacket which Grandma bought me for Christmas for a smaller size and we went for coffee in The Place to Eat. James showed remarkable restraint throughout the shopping experience.
When we got home it was still raining heavily so James, Jamie, Davie and I went ten-pin bowling at Springfield Quay - it's ages since we have done this and it was great fun. (Ally was away at a party at Dunlop.) I was just as rubbish as ever, the boys were quite good, and James was very good indeed - he scored nearly 200 and had five strikes in a row in our second game! He was characteristically modest but I could tell that he was pleased because he high-fived us all!
The we strolled along to the cinema to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, the second of the three Hobbit films. I enjoyed the whole thing, especially when Smaug opened his evil eye and then loped around in his cave of gold. However the boys were much more critical than me, and David in particular objected to the way the plot had been changed and spun out and said that it was "an insult to Tolkien!" The fun was not over yet because when we got home we decided to watch a DVD that James got for Christmas; Despicable Me, which we have never seen. I thought that it was mildly enjoyable and undemanding; for some reason James absolutely loved it, especially the Minions. The rain continues to batter down outside but we Andersons certainly know how to amuse ourselves and we have had a very pleasant day. 

So happy on Boxing Day

I am in a tremendously good mood. Jamie, Ally and Davie clubbed together and arranged a wonderful Christmas present for James; they have taken him into town for a Boxing Day lunch and then to a football match at Ibrox (Rangers v Stranraer). How thoughtful, James was delighted! Also they made it their Christmas present to each other as well which worked out very well. So Jack and I have had the house to ourselves all day and it has been great! What to do? Well I really hate the messy shoe racks under our bedroom windows, so I decided to get rid of them and rehome my shoes elsewhere in the bedroom. This was not a huge problem because I am no Imelda Marcos, however it led to further reorganising and tidying and I have to say the bedroom looks good. I moved on to the bathroom to tidy and to put away my gorgeous Christmas gifts - several Molton Brown products mmmm - which I am looking forward to using. This all put me in a very good mood, and I then popped out to Tesco to pick up some ingredients for a meal that I am cooking ahead for Saturday evening. And right now I am enjoying an Americano in Costa Coffee before heading home. Tea is all taken care of because we have lots of leftovers from yesterday, so a relaxing evening lies ahead. This is the life! 

Peaceful Christmas

We have had a happy, traditional Christmas Day at home with the family. The boys all came though to our room with their Christmas stockings to open and again Santa had provided a stocking for James and me too! The presents chosen for me by my lovely family were touching in their thoughtfulness, and of course the best bit was us all being together. Jack enjoyed walking around the middle of the bed amid all the wrapping paper and chatter, and he got a present too (a catnip toy). We put the turkey in the oven at 9 (it would take six hours to cook plus resting time), then we went round to Forrest and Marjory's. James and I collected Grandma by car and the boys walked along, as we drove past them on the way up the road I was so proud that these three young men are ours! Forrest, Marjory and the children made us very welcome and plied us with drinks, Christmas cake and presents. After a pleasantly festive morning we headed home and made Christmas dinner. It all went smoothly and we watched the Queen's speech at 3 p.m. before serving out. We had smoked salmon with blinis and sour cream to start and then we had Grandma's chestnut soup which was absolutely delicious. The Melba toast was not perfect but everyone seemed to like it anyway. The roast turkey turned out very well and was nice and moist after loads of basting. All of the vegetables and sauces made it onto the table at a decent temperature and we ate up enthusiastically, chatting and laughing. All very traditional and familiar, which as I get older I appreciate is a privilege. I hope that I am lucky enough to have more Christmases like this one. 

Stormy Christmas Eve

It's a stormy Christmas Eve but we are cosy indoors and I think that we are all ready for Christmas. The presents are wrapped, the turkey is stuffed, the vegetables are prepared and the fridge is groaning with food.
It has been a lovely few days. On Saturday evening we went over to Steven and Hilary's with Michael and Lil for dinner. It was a totally brilliant evening and they made us an amazing Japanese meal. First we had sushi, then vegetables in tempura batter, steamed dumplings with plum sauce and then teriyaki salmon with rice. I have never eaten home made Japanese food before and each course was absolutely delicious, I couldn't pick a favourite.
Sunday was also a lovely day. I went into town first to get my hair cut, an experience which I enjoy more now than I ever have thanks to my pleasant hairdresser. Then James arrived in by train and we met Heather and Ewan for our annual Christmas lunch, this year at Arisaig in Merchant Square. I had asked for a table outside in the courtyard area so it was quite pretty and festive with Christmas lights high up on the roof and people milling around the craft fair. We were gratified that not only was the food very nice but the prices were very reasonable! They even undercharged us but we were honest and owned up. Because that's the kind of people we are! After we had eaten our fill we moved across the square to Metropolitan for drinks. It was very relaxing and fun and has become a great Christmas tradition.
When we got home Jamie had arrived! It was wonderful to see him; we haven't seen him for about six weeks because of his exams and then his ski holiday. Not only was our boy home but he cooked the tea ready for Grandma coming round which was very helpful!
On Monday we all went to It's a Wonderful Life which we thoroughly enjoyed. How I love that film! This year we went to the Grosvenor in Ashton Lane and then we popped across the lane to Brel for dinner. The dinner was excellent and so was the setting, through the back in the conservatory with the trees outside lit up with colourful lights.
And then this morning I went to beautiful Noah's 5th birthday party. It hardly feels like five years since he was born! He was really happy surrounded by family and friends and it was a lovely occasion. Afterwards I drove into town and got my very favourite parking spot behind Marks and Spencer's in Renfrew Street. It was nice having a browse around and then some Lobster Thermidor was reduced to half price right in front of my very eyes! (from £25 to £12.50) I snapped it up along with some hot smoked salmon which was also reduced and we had a fancy fish feast for our Christmas Eve meal! 

Winter solstice

Today is the shortest day of the year and the winter solstice. In fact the actual moment of the winter solstice was four minutes ago; Wikipedia informs me that it takes place at the moment when the sun's elevation with respect to Earth reaches its lowest value (-25.5 degrees), which this year was 17.11 on 21st December. Of course our Neolithic ancestors had no way of predicting it as accurately as that but they understood that although the days would start getting longer again, the worst of the winter was still ahead. They held feasts and festivals around now because this was the time to slaughter most of the cattle so that they would not need to be fed during the winter, so there was fresh meat available for the first time in months. Also our forebears saw it as a time of rebirth and fresh beginnings - if they managed to survive the harsh winter ahead - so it seemed like a good time to appeal to their Gods' better nature by paying their respects with some feasting and sacrifice. 

David and I have both made Christmas cakes this year. I have made one for the second year in a row thanks to our fabulous Home Economics Department. And David has made one as part of his Int 2 Cake Production course. In my undoubtedly biased opinion, they are both great.
In East Kilbride today it was very bleak and cold but the shops had an abundance of tasty festive treats as I finished my food shopping for Christmas Day and stocked up for the holidays. Unlike my ancestors I have every confidence that I will still be able to feed myself and my family over the next few months, no matter what the weather brings, so I count myself lucky. 

Shower emergency

This evening James and I went to my school carol concert which was great, and I am feeling very festive. I think it cheered James up a little after a shower emergency which dampened his mood last night - in fact it dampened more than his mood, because when I arrived home from work I found him wearing his dressing gown because the shower control had come apart in his hands as he was cleaning it and water was spraying everywhere. For some reason he couldn't switch off the water supply and was frantically phoning emergency plumbers, none of whom were available. Anyway, he and Ally did get the water switched off at the mains eventually but that meant that we could only use the hot taps. Today however he bought a new shower (which looks very smart) and a pleasant plumber came out and installed it at tea time, so the problem is solved. Although that was £300 for a shower and £80 installation that we didn't expect to be spending this week!
Last night I was at Christmas Book Club at Rosemary's and it was such a lovely evening. We chatted and laughed and ate lovely food. We told happy stories and sad stories and I looked around at these fantastic women and felt very privileged that they are my friends.
I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day of term. Today we had our Secret Santa and one of my colleagues cooked us a delicious curry for lunch; we all contributed £5 because he is raising money to run the London Marathon next summer. He cooked three different main dishes with a selection of accompaniments - very impressive. I gave all of the staff in the department gifts (wine) to say thank you for their support and I got some very kind cards from parents, staff and pupils. 

Twas the week before Christmas

Well it is the last week of school before Christmas and everyone is getting excited (which is not always a good thing where I work!)

Ally has exams for the next four days and I am impressed at how hard he is studying. One of the exams is the one that he carried forward from last year (when he was ill) so that means that he will have caught up completely. I am so pleased that Ally is happier and more settled in his course this session. Cat is a very good influence on him because she is a clever girl and a hard worker; they look so sweet when they are studying together. 

We have heard from Jamie who was skiing in Courchevel today. His wallet has still not turned up so it must have been stolen rather than mislaid. What a shame and how mean of someone to steal all of his holiday money. 

Davie and I have some great chats in the car on the way to work and David has taught me to listen to Grimmy on Radio 1 and to observe our favourite lollipop man on our route, who is always so busy patting dogs when we drive past him that our theory is that he has never helped a child to cross the road! We see some beautiful skies to the east as we drive up the hill in the morning which is a lovely way to start the day. 

James has just had a very pleasant evening because he has watched a programme about submarines called The Silent War and then a programme about Victorian ship safety. He is a happy boy. 

Feeling Festive

Jamie is currently on his ski holiday to France but unfortunately his wallet went missing during the journey (stolen or hopefully mislaid) so I transferred money to one of his friends because all of his cards and euros were gone. Luckily he is insured but we are still hoping that the wallet will turn up. Marjory, Forrest and the children came round for a Chinese meal on Saturday evening. It was lovely to see them and we had a festive evening sitting and chatting in the lounge beside the Christmas tree with the fire blazing away in the hearth. There was a big thunderstorm during the night; we could hear the thunder crashing quite close which made me very glad to be in my cosy bed. This morning after a decent long lie, James and I went out for a walk to deliver our local Christmas cards. We walked around for an hour or so; James had arranged the cards in an order which made for a pleasant circuit of the area. It stayed dry until the very end of our walk so we were glad that we went out in the morning. On our way home we went to Subway to pick up sandwiches for lunch for Ally, Cat and Davie who were all spending the morning studying very conscientiously.
The afternoon was rainy and blustery but we had a pleasant time doing some shopping and errands (I nipped over to Whole Foods BY MYSELF which was much more relaxing than my last visit!) and I also made some phone calls and arrangements. Grandma came round for dinner as usual and we watched the Strictly Come Dancing results show. It has been a pleasant and useful weekend. 

Oh Christmas Tree!

Yes today was our traditional Christmas trip to Aberfoyle to choose our Christmas tree! This year there were five of us (me, James, Cat, Ally & Davie - Jamie set off on his ski holiday today so was not with us.) The weather was not promising but the forecast told us that it would be better in the morning, so James organised us all to leave the house at 9.30 and off we went to the David Marshall Lodge, playing Christmas music on the way. There was not a huge selection this year but we chose a nice 8 footer and the boys lashed it to the roof of the car while Cat and I perused the shop and visitors' centre. We noticed that one of the "live webcams" had what looked like the carcass of a deer staked out on the ground while a magpie feasted on what was left of its innards. I asked one of the centre staff if it had been alive when it was staked out but he reassured me that it had already been deceased and that it was tied down so that wild animals wouldn't drag it off. I still had doubts about how the many visiting children would feel about "Rudolph" being displayed in such a fashion but maybe today's children are made of sterner stuff than I was! 

We went for our usual walk down to the waterfall and back, and although it was now raining steadily we were quite well sheltered by the trees. We went to the squirrel hide and watched the red squirrels and birds cavorting about in the trees, sometimes managing to climb right inside the feeder boxes. There was a new installation beside the stream which was quite attractive; you could divert the water in different directions through some large flat stones by using wooden gates. Then we had a pleasant lunch in the newly refurbished café before heading home.

And now our Christmas tree is all set up and lighted, tinselled and baubled ready for the festive season! 

Strange experience in the toilet

In all the excitement of Sunday's walk I forgot to blog about a strange and rather frightening experience I had early on Sunday morning. After my delicious curry on Saturday evening I got up to go to the bathroom at about 5 a.m. While I was there my vision started breaking up into brightly coloured pixels until I couldn't see at all. I also felt a bit nauseous. I waited for it to pass but it didn't and I shouted for help. Davie told me later that he heard me shouting, "I can't see!" and then "Mum!" which is a bit strange because my mum died more than three years ago! When no one came to help I decided that I had better make my way back to bed, and at that point my vision started to come back. I honestly thought that there was something wrong with me, but when I woke again at seven I felt brand new and off I went on our walk. How strange! 

Appalling weather

We knew that the weather would be rainy today for the annual hill walking club mince pies outing, but the driving rain which soaked us to the skin still took me by surprise. We were well equipped with waterproof boots and clothing, but the rain got in anyway, probably running down from our faces or soaking up from our bootlaces. It was truly appalling! Despite all this James, Ally, Cat, Davie and I enjoyed getting some exercise. Our walk was The Three Lochs Walk from Loch Lomond Shores to Helensburgh and I think that on a good day it would be a very pleasant walk. We also took a wrong turning and climbed too far up a hill; I suspected that we were going the wrong way when I ended up crawling up the muddy slope on hands and knees because it was so steep. However we eventually made our way back to the path. As we descended down the other side of the hill into Helensburgh we got the full force of the wind blowing in from the sea, which made the rain feel even worse. The group was scattered all up and down the hill by now but Andy phoned ahead and the bus picked us up at the foot of the hill and drove us along the front to a pleasant hostelry where mulled wine and mince pies awaited us. Thank goodness I had brought a complete change of clothing, and soon I was warming my hands on a hot cup of coffee and singing along to Christmas songs. Steven did a fine job as Santa; our reluctant "James Santa" was only too happy to hand the role back over! There were quite a few children present and some gorgeous babies including Abigail Lily who was born while we were at Lochinver at the September weekend, and her pretty curly-haired big sister Katie. I also met Miriam's beautiful 16 month old grand daughter Ruby - I love that name, and she is a bright little girl who was very interested in Santa although a little unsure of him! After some more festive fun we headed back to Cathcart on the bus and all had a nap on the way. I am now in a hot bath but I had better get out because Grandma is coming round for dinner any minute. 

Heather and a lovely curry

Last night Ewan and Heather treated us to a delicious curry at their local Indian restaurant, Rasoi. It was very kind of them and the meal was fantastic, I had a lamb dish with a rich and unusual sauce and the naan bread was so light and melt in the mouth. We then walked back to their house for more chat. 

I have to say that Heather looked absolutely fantastic. She has lost weight (not that I thought she needed to) and become even fitter over the past year. She has been my main inspiration for my own weight loss. Last night she was wearing a gorgeous skirt and top with smart boots and she looked so great. I have known Heather for at least thirty years and she does not look a day older than when I first met her. But she is not just beautiful on the outside, she is a lovely person too. She has shown me many kindnesses over the years and has always been there for me and James during difficult times as well as sharing lots of fun times. She also has a rather pleasant husband and very nice children! Enough said, I don't want to embarrass her! 

Shopping, vet and wrapping

We had rather a successful shopping trip this morning and I'm pleased to say that our Christmas shopping is complete! I have to admit that this is mainly thanks to James who nagged me into doing our online shopping last week and then hounded me into town this morning to buy the last few things. Although I did have some inspirational ideas so it was teamwork really. We celebrated with a lovely coffee at Carluccio's before heading home.
Our next task was to take Jack to the vet's for his blood tests to see how his wee kidneys are functioning. We were concerned to find out that he has lost more weight since the summer, so I hope the blood tests are ok. We will find out next week. Jack was taken downstairs again to get his bloods taken; this seems to happen now since the regrettable incident a few months ago when he lashed out violently at the vet, I wonder if there's a note on his file to say that he needs more than one vet to handle him. When he was brought back upstairs there was a bandage on his leg because he had been so lively that the needle had ripped his skin. Also they had only been able to examine one of his ears (investigating his deafness) because in the vet's words "he was raging" and wouldn't let them look in the other one! And he's such a good-natured boy at home, going to the vet must really stress him out.
When we got home we lit the fire in the lounge and listened to Christmas music while I wrote cards and James wrappers presents. Jack removed his bandage with his teeth and relaxed by the fire. 

Stormy weather and Nelson Mandela

I know it's winter because it's so dark now when I wake up in the morning. Today was the first storm of the winter. Last night the weather forecast was ominously full of warnings of high wind and sure enough we were woken early by howling winds and rain battering against the window. The storm was indeed very lively and was followed by a bit of snow - but by lunchtime it had turned into a sunny but very cold day. So a bit of an anti climax but in my current role bad weather is not my friend because it gives me a lot of hassle if I have to close up early.

After dinner I drove into town to collect Ally from Queen Street Station. He spent yesterday evening with Cat meeting up with friends in Edinburgh but awoke this morning to find that the trains weren't running because of the bad weather. The trains from Edinburgh to Glasgow are now running but Glasgow Central has been closed because the roof was damaged. So I picked Ally up from a very festive looking George Square and we had a nice chat on the way home.

We arrived home to the news that Nelson Mandela has died; I remember all the celebrations when he was released in 1990, just a few days before Jamie was born. It was a time of great hope, the Berlin Wall had come down a couple of months before. Hard to believe that was nearly twenty-four years ago. 

100 years

I feel the need to mention my brother in law Russell's Nan, whose 100th birthday is today. Amazing! Although no blood relation to me (unfortunately - I could do with those genes!), she is the only person that I know who has reached the age of 100. I have met her a few times over the years and she is a lovely lady.
I have now put the marzipan on my Christmas cake. I couldn't help but notice that my cake is noticeably darker than those baked by my colleagues. I did put in a generous amount of treacle but I hope that it is not burned. It smells nice, perhaps due to the fact that I have been feeding it with Grand Marnier! I found it easier than last year to put on the marzipan because I remembered how. I love the way that the Home Economics teachers hover around and lend a hand where necessary without even being asked.
Apart from that I have done nothing but work, but I'm not complaining because it has been a very productive week so far. What annoys me is when I work hard but run into all sorts of dead ends and I don't get things finished. This is often an inevitable part of my job due to its people centred nature, but I do like the feeling of getting things done! 

A tribute to Kenny and Neil

On Saturday evening I found myself at a Neil Diamond tribute night at a nearby hotel with my colleagues for our festive night out. After dinner and a bit of disco we were surprised when instead of "Neil Diamond", the stage was taken by "Kenny Rogers" complete with luxuriant white hair, moustache and beard. Nothing daunted we were all soon dancing and singing along to all the old favourites like Islands in the Stream and You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille. After "Kenny" had warmed up the crowd there was a break for more disco dancing before on came "Neil Diamond". Neil bore a suspicious resemblance to Kenny, but had dark hair and no beard. By this time the crowd was very jolly and there was some extremely lively dancing and singing. Great fun. The whole crowd sang along to Sweet Caroline, it was excellent! Having intended to leave early, I enjoyed myself so much that I stayed right to the end.
This meant that I was pretty tired this morning, but after a leisurely start to the day James and I set off into town for some Christmas shopping and then lunch at Two Fat Ladies at the Buttery. It is many, many years since I have been at the Buttery and I was very impressed. The atmosphere was friendly and the food was really lovely, I particularly enjoyed my Cajun spiced salmon with a mango salsa. It has been such a busy week and it was great to relax with James and have a chat.