Auspicious Day

Posted on January 1, 2014 by freda

It’s strange that we insist on making a day special. We have to make order of things, and similarly we have to make order of time passing: – sunsets, dawn, lunar cycles, the passage of the planets – and hence the passing of a year. And we find ourselves thinking, Where does the time go?  At least I do, especially as I get older.

All being well, 2014 is the year I will become 70. Will I suddenly feel that I am wiser as well as being older? One constant prayer throughout the years has been that I will grow and learn about Wisdom, so I can only keep on hoping. I think of the generation before me – The Oldies, as a cousin called them. And yet now, I am fast becoming one of the Oldies myself. The previous generation have passed on, but they leave a legacy of love, laughter and sadly – there are sometimes hurts or misunderstandings that time thankfully heals and erases. Growing in Wisdom means learning when to let go and when to hold on.

On this New Year’s Day I want to let go of fear, anxiety and suspicion; and I want to hold on to hope, the excitement of learning new things about people and about this amazing world we live in.  For you, I hope that things will be better, no matter how good or how difficult this past year has been. And as my Granny used to say, Lang may yer lum reek. 

 

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Highlights

Posted on December 31, 2013 by freda

Whizzing past the site next to the motorway where the Kelpies are being completed had to be one of the Christmas Highlights. Others are below it. . . . . . . . .

B2013 KelpiesThe last few days have flown past – being part of a large family group is always great fun, it’s the little unintended comments and cameos of children at play. So here goes with the magic of our Christmas. . . . . . .

  • Church on Christmas Day was standing room only. It makes such a difference to have holidaymakers joining in. Our locum Minister, John, rose to the occasion and the service was very special.
  • Parcel opening has to be a highlight
  • Especially Misty tearing open her parcels – not exactly neatly, but effectively.
  • Christmas lunch – the cook was HBTW – thank you muchly!
  • Having a lazy day afterwards; some of us slept needless to say.
  • Trying to make sense of the children’s play station
  • Watching the expressions on many faces

The last day of the year deserves a mention – so here goes. I hope I have learned the things I was supposed to learn. And I pray that in the New Year I can be hopeful and caring and considerate.

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Happy Christmas

Posted on December 26, 2013 by freda

Happy Christmas – tide everyone. I’m having a couple of days off.
See you Satirday.
Blessings to you and yours

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Showering Blues

Posted on December 24, 2013 by freda

Son #3 is here for Christmas. Because of reasons which will be disclosed and duly ranted about, he doesn’t have a shower at home at the moment. So we have decreed that he needs 3 showers before he is spick and span enough for visiting Big Brother (ie Son #1) on Boxing Day.

Thereby hangs a tale, I hear you say.
A tale of trials and tribulations indeed.

A year and a half ago an inept company went into liquidation and effectively made Son #3 homeless. Two moves later and with his life still packed in boxes, he is still no nearer to a permanent place. Bathing has become something that needs assistance and involves an electric chair, (not the lethal kind, at least so we hope,) and though he is top of the housing list, very few suitable properties are available.

In the meantime, Son #3 is enjoying the luxury of unlimited showers in a warm house. By the way, he did give his permission for this tale of woe. It helps relieves his sense of helplessness; I just hope he can get settled in 2014.

PS – We are having a great Christmas anyway.
Hope yours is good too.

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Buns or cupcakes?

Posted on December 23, 2013 by freda

B2013 CakesWhen is a bun a cupcake? I think the answer to that is -when it is decorated and made to look sumptuous. These little cakes are a gluten-free take on an old family recipe. It is so easy that even I can do it, and they are ready in less than half an hour.

The know-how was passed on from at least three generations ago, and was a firm favourite in the days, long, long ago when I used to have a regular baking day. A Thursday, as it happens, though for the life of me I can’t remember why.

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz margarine or butter
  • 5 oz sugar
  • 6 oz self-raising gluten-free Dove flour
  • 2 eggs
  • About 2 tablespoonfuls of milk
  • pinch of salt
  • teaspoon syrup

Method:

  • Basically bung everything into a mixing bowl and beat well
  • Add a teaspoon of syrup to moisten the mix
  • When it reaches a dropping consistency put into bun tins
  • Bake at 180C (350F) for 20 minutes
  • Decorate and enjoy
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Silent monks and Hallelujah Chorus

Posted on December 22, 2013 by freda

I had forgotten how funny and inclusive this video is. Thank you M for reminding me.

If you need a few minutes peace do have a look.

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Strictly dance and quickly polish

Posted on December 21, 2013 by freda

Strictly Come Dancing 2013 – won by Abby Clancey.  Now I still don’t know exactly who she is or what she does and yes she is a good dancer. But Natalie was better in my opinion. Still, the Final Show depends only on the public vote and as I didn’t vote anyway I can’t really complain. Congratulations to the winners and to all the finalists.

It’s been a busy day one way and another, and I find myself wondering how I am going to cope with doing a quick tidy up tomorrow. All vacuuming and dusting is going to be of the “lick and a promise” variety. I well remember my mother doing a quick rush round with a duster on the odd occasion when she had special visitors coming. She really did spit on a duster and rub off marks on the furniture. Yeuch! What about hygiene? Even worse was when she made me lick a hankie (clean thankfully) – then she would proceed to wipe round my mouth to get rid of the evidence of a snack, usually bread and jam. All that happened was that I felt sticky everywhere.

My father used to clean the shoes at night – the routine established whilst he was in the army. He used to spit on his black shoes and then buff to an amazing shine. Dear oh dear, such strange memories from childhood. Maybe they say much about my aversion to dirt and muddle.

For the sake of propriety let me be clear – by the term “a lick and a promise” all I mean is that it will be a quick dust rather than a polish, and vacuuming the bits that can be seen.  Sssssh! Don’t tell anyone.

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Last Dance

Posted on December 20, 2013 by freda

I am just back from Dance Class – the last one until after the New Year. We won’t be there until January 10 when it is our Winter Dance. That means dancing a lot and playing dance games and enjoying ourselves.

Actually we enjoy ourselves every week. The need to remember the steps gives the grey matter a workout, and the exercise is as good as any cardio exercise. Who would have thought that the waltz could be so energetic – it’s all the ups and downs and taking longer steps than you would expect.

Our teachers are marvels – they can switch between the man’s steps and the women’s steps as easily as anything. When we are learning something new, the men learn their steps on their own …………. similarly the women learn their steps on their own. Then, when we come together it is supposed to make a beautiful melody, as it were. The reality is often lots of laughter and nearly falling over. And No, there isn’t a bar. We are very fortunate to have such a comfortable and warm Community Centre with a sprung floor. And there is a state of the art kitchen so we do get tea at half-time.

Tonight we concentrated on a set dance based on the foxtrot, see video here; we also did the Paso Doble and finally the waltz.

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Over techied

Posted on December 19, 2013 by freda

It is getting late and I seem to be being bullied by tweetdeck to authorise it to take over the management of my facebook page. Now the funny thing is that I haven’t put anything on facebook for ages, other than comments for other people and sometimes a like or two. And as for twitter – I have almost forgotten how to operate it at all.

Time for bed.
Goodnight from Dalamory

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ecards

Posted on December 18, 2013 by freda

We decided that this year was the time to try out the ecard option for Christmas cards. This is what I have learned so far:

  1. To be viable it means having a reliable database with up to date emails.
  2. That means it is necessary to be organised – almost like being at work.
  3. The online format has space for a personal message and because it is typed it is easier to deal with than the handwritten kind that tend to get scribbled.
  4. Therefore – no sore back
  5. Instant feedback is available in two ways: i) You get an email telling you when the recipient has looked at the card: and ii) It encourages the recipient to write a chatty note back
  6. Point 5 should not surprise me because it is what the online world is all about.

I found myself remembering my first job in insurance. It had the grand title of Agency Clerk – in fact a lot of the day to day routine was about keeping addresses up to date. Remember this was in the days long before computers, so when someone wrote in with a new address all sorts of records had to be changed (index cards galore under different headings) – and there was the possibility that there was a change in someone’s premium for example for their car or house insurance.

One lazy day, one lax move and the whole system would collapse. And it all depended on the lowliest newbie in the office. What I did was to work as quickly as I could so that I could pick up more interesting bits of work from other people in the department. That way I was gaining ninja skills. Well, so I told myself.

 

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