FAMILY NEWS

Iseabail is unwell. She is in hospital after what appears to have been a stroke.

We were through to Edinburgh to visit her and try to assess the situation.  Mairi and John and the children were through at the weekend so between us we are attending to the various bits and pieces necessary in such a situation.

 

(2009 photo)

I would say she's not at death's door but incapacity has yet to be fully established as the days (?weeks?) go by.

 

 

 * * * * * AND THE YOUNGER GENERATION * * * * * * 

 

 

Ellie (left) had her 3rd birthday last week.  She's Little Miss Personality Plus!  Words like 'fiesty' come to mind ... as you can see in this photo taken at Ednie Farm 3 weeks ago. Big Brother Alastair calls her 'sassy'! 

 

When we were together last week she offered me a pretzel from the Tupperware bowl on the kitchen counter.  After taking one she turns to me and says ... with a stern finger wag ... "Now Grandma, that's your Last One!"    

 

Harriet in pink is 4 and a half and is Little Miss Organiser.  She is very 'together' and likes to help tidy things away. And just look at that beautiful smile!  

I mentioned in a previous posting how Harriet made me laugh when, after giving her some bitter chocolate to taste when making a ganache for cupcakes (which she spat out with a "Eughghgh") she turned to me and said "Grandma, you really must be more careful when giving children chocolate!"

CARRY ON REGARDLESS OF THE SNOW

It has been snowing ... a lot! It has been on and off for a week and today, Sunday, there was a real dump!

 The back garden. 

 Our friend, Bill (aka to us as Professor Sir Wm) dropped by.  It was his birthday and he is 91 years young.  As luck would have it I had just finised putting the last Smartie on Ellie's 3rd birthday cake.  I found a leftover candle from Ishie's 11th birthday (3 weeks ago) and so we stuck it in the top and toasted each other with our cups of coffee.  

Iain

Mairi held a Burns Supper for her pals.  Iain contributed with his Toast to the Haggis and Tam O'Shanter.  My contribution (in abstentia) was this clootie dumpling.  I do it in the pressure cooker but somebody told me today to use the microwave oven... never thought of that!

Had leftover clootie dumpling with Dot and Eleanor this afternoon.  Dot's garden figures ... looking somewhat bedraggled!

Hopefully it will start melting tomorrow.  The weather forecasts are very, very good... for which we are all very grateful!

This young  group played a wonderful concert on Friday night.  One of them was 'billeted' [not a word the British use!] with us and had to catch an early morning train for their next gig.  Our driveway and Iain's car which sits outside were both covered in solid ice in the early morning.  Nothing for it, but the lad put his cello in his back, and dragging his suitcase on wheels behind him he and Iain headed off  down the hill treading carefully in the wheel tracks of our snowy street to the BR train station!

FORGOTTEN WORDS

This posting on the internet has been doing the rounds.  Link here: 

http://historyhustle.com/20-awesome-historical-words-we-need-to-bring-back/

It is all about words that have fallen out of use. Of the 20 items listed this one really struck a chord with me:

The origin [Wikipedia] : 
The term draws from a famous comment purportedly made by Apelles, a famous Greek artist, to a shoemaker who presumed to criticise his painting. The Latin phrase "Sutor, ne ultra crepidam", as set down by Pliny and later altered by other Latin writers to "Ne ultra crepidam judicaret", can be taken to mean that a shoemaker ought not to judge beyond his own soles. That is to say, critics should only comment on things they know something about.

The saying remains popular in several languages, as in the English, "A cobbler should stick to his last", the Spanish, "Zapatero a tus zapatos" ("Shoemaker, to your shoes"), the Dutch, "Schoenmaker, blijf bij je leest", and the German, "Schuster, bleib bei deinen Leisten".

Furthermore ... I would like to add my own observation to this, namely:

the more educated they are (and/or ... the further away from the subject they are...) the more authoritative is their stance!

Until I find a better image this will have to do!  You get the idea!

(A bald eagle and a Canada goose came beak-to-beak at the Spider Lake Springs Campground Friday morning.) **
_______________________________________________

* Cobbler Image Source: Wikipedia - Jorge Royan
** Globalnews.ca.   

FAMILY ROUNDUP NEW YEAR 2018

Christmas and New Year have come and gone! 

|* * * * * * (Most of) THE GANG  * * * * * * *

Alastair, 9 (nearly 10), Ishbel 11, Ellie nearly 3, Mairi, Me with Harriet, 4, and Iain at Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire, down at the harbour, New Year's Day.

 Alastair at Slaine's Castle (John's picture)

 Mairi, Big Alastair, Indy and wee Alastair at Slaine's Castle (John's picture)

Mairi at Slaine's Castle (John's picture)

 Indy being measured by me at The Kitchen Height Chart (IKEA's finest)!

* * * * * * *  Ishbel's 11th birthday which is December 31st * * * * * * * * * * 

We spent a week at Andrew's holiday house in Cruden Bay... a wonderful 8 bedroomed Victorian house built (by wealthy industrialists) in the 1860s when the railroad brought summer holiday makers to the north-east of Scotland.  The railroad has gone but the houses remain.

 

The best part of a birthday is putting the Smarties on to the cake and blowing out the 11 candles.

 The library had a fire.  John brought along a couple of jig-saw puzzles.

 Kings and Queens of England ... Done!

The conservatory was full of toys for little people.  What better than a lovely wooden doll's house!

Star baker Harriet

* * * * * * NEW YEAR'S DAY WALK DOWN TO CRUDEN HARBOUR * * * * * * *

Ishbel at the Victorian fire hydrant

 Alastair at a boat with his namesake:  Rascal!

Ellie of John's shoulders

* * * * *   AND FINALLY * * * * *

Ellie ... the end of a long day.