Month: November 2020

Going out for lunch

I had high hopes for today's post. It would be a kind of follow up to what I wrote yesterday, but this time I'd be meeting human friends for lunch in a restaurant*. It would be great, I could take photos of the food, and the view. And tell you what a lovely time I…Read more Going out for lunch

Meeting old friends

We're not allowed to meet our friends indoors*, but that didn't matter today. Because the old friend lives mostly outdoors. In a large barn conversion featuring a fashionable indoor/outdoor living space She'd had a new delivery of comfy bedding today! As you can see, she's a cat. A barn cat. Not quite Holly's** "no name…Read more Meeting old friends

Remembering

I'm actually struggling to write a post today. It should be easy because it's Remembrance Sunday and I've already written about Hallowe'en and Guy Fawkes. But I don't have anything personal to bring to the commemorations. One of my uncles and a great uncle served in the Second World war, and I have a few…Read more Remembering

(Festive) baking

Among all the recipes for using up post Hallowe'en pumpkins my daily newspaper had this one today. The author Benjamina Ebuehi was a contestant on Great British Bake Off a few years ago. You can find more of her recipes here. It sounded delicious, a chocolatey variation on the traditional cake. And so I set…Read more (Festive) baking

A good day out

And yesterday we managed one. It had all the best features Beautiful scenery A picnic We had more than just grapes, but these were particularly delicious grapes* And a happy dog there are few things DogS likes better than running after balls on a beach And historic sites this bridge isn't a major historic monument…Read more A good day out

Fireworks, but not tonight.

So tonight is Bonfire Night tonight, more formally Guy Fawkes Night. But this year there won't be any big public displays, England, Wales and Northern Ireland are currently on lockdown and here in Scotland large gatherings are banned. And while I'm missing all the things we can't do at the moment, this one well, I'm…Read more Fireworks, but not tonight.

The Post

Many people complain but we have an excellent postal service. Sometimes I would even describe it as magical, items arriving at their destination in what seems to be impossible speed. Throughout lockdown the post was a source of joy and anticipation, I kept things in "quarantine" for a day before I opened them. Now impatience…Read more The Post

When someone* else does the gardening

Actually, who am I trying to kid? It's MrS who does more than the lion's share of the gardening. He cuts the grass, what we have can't be described as a lawn, trims the hedge, and plants out the things I buy at garden centres. these are my greatest achievement in the garden, I did…Read more When someone* else does the gardening

Observing traditions

Today is the Feast of All Souls. Friday you may have celebrated Hallowe'en, perhaps decorating your house or yard with pumpkins or spooky items. In Scotland children mark the festival by "guising" dressing up and going from house to house, ideally performing some kind of "turn" in return for treats, usually sweets or chocolate. That…Read more Observing traditions

Challenging myself again

Not anything new, in fact I'm looking back six months and reviving my "every day.." challenge. It's just a pity that "Every day in November" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. I didn't manage to keep up posting in between times. June was a time of hope, infection levels were dropping and lockdown…Read more Challenging myself again