Back to Normal!

                         

Here we are the 5th of January already it has gone in so fast since the turn of the year. Since I last did an entry I have been having my share of disasters. We had invited the family to a New Year / Birthday Lunch  on Wednesday. On Tuesday evening I took myself off to the kitchen to get a start made on the meal.  I was going to make a pot of soup (no. one son very fond of Mums soup) and I was also going to make a Steak Pie which is very traditional at New Year. I went and retrieved the meat from the fridge and opened it up boy oh boy was it off my goodness it was just about walking by itself to the bin.  It was dated the 4/5th Jan (think it meant this year but you could have fooled me) and I had opened it on the 2nd so it should have been OK.  I have a thermometer in the fridge so I can check everything is ok so there was no problem there. Here I am standing the kitchen the night before Stuart birthday with nothing to feed the family on.  I continued and made the soup which miraculously turned out fine and left it at that for Tuesday.  First thing on Wednesday I went to our local supermarket and bought a piece of roast for the lunch came back and guess what not enough foil to go round the roast. Managed to get it covered and popped it in the oven.  For once my guests arrived early makeup not done hair could have been doing with a hot brush as it had gone a bit limp with all the cooking, however did get there in the end.  The roast was not what I would have liked but it did the soup was great and the Sticky Toffee Cheesecake (bought in) was smashing.
Today we have taken done all the decorations etc and had a hoover round Stuart is watching the telly after having a haircut this morning. He had a pain in his chest coming back to the car walking uphill on his own and doing his usual when I am not there walking too quickly, however was  fine by the time he got home.
Tonight I am starting a new book, one that Stuart bought me at Christmas. Its a new author for me Alexander McGregor. He writes murder mystery stories.  You know how Ian Rankin (Rebus) writes about Edinburgh McGregor writes about Dundee so I think it will be very interesting to an ex Dundonian. 
Time to go now and see what I can make for the tea hope nothing else goes wrong this week but if all went well what would I write about.  Bye Bye for now.

                                    

Another grand day out.

January brings the snow,

Makes our feet and fingers glow.

What a lovely day we have had here on Tayside. wall to wall sunshine and very little wind a not cold at all. When I got up this morning I thought I was going to feel very down today feeling a bit lonely and blue have not seen anybody over the festive period with it excepting of Christmas Day not even a phone call. I suggested we had a trip to guess where St Andrews always does my heart good to go there.  Most of the shops were closed and most of the coffee shops too but still we had a nice walk and then a trip down to the shore.  It was so busy you would not believe it, there were hundred of people taking a walk along the beech. The sun shone all the way home and if it stays like this we will have a heavy frost tonight. I have written two new entries in my other journal if anybody is interested. Will close now in the hope you have a pleasant evening.   Love ,
                              

http://journals.aol.co.uk/jaymact1/JoansBirdwatchingDiary

A New Year.

                     

Good Evening, just a quick entry in the hope you are all having a great New Year's Day. No surprise to say that Stuart and I have been out birdwatching today in the cold and wind and made a great start to our year we hope it continues. The wind has subsided somewhat after yesterdays storms. When we were out today were driving along this narrow road and the pictures above tell it all we had to turn back. In all my years on the road this is the first time I have ever seen a fallen tree across the road. I am very glad it happened before we got arrived.  Hope you enjoy your evening.        Love
                                            Joan.

Hogmanay

              

It's the last day of 2006 and you wonder what next year will hold. This has been a good year for Stuart and I. Stuart has been in reasonable health just a few blips which we can manage. We had three great holidays one in Ullapool one down in Norfolk and lastly one in Macduff  in September. All of these holidays were greatly enjoyed by both of us and we are already booked for our cottage in Norfolk in May.
We have had a very quiet Christmas, up at Richard's and Lisa's for Christmas dinner and not done much since other than food shopping and a wee look round the sales and never bought anything it was just too busy, but it did get us out for a while.
The weather has been very dark this last week lights on all day it is very depressing and no use at all for birding you would need a torch to see anything out there.
Later today we will print off our bird list for this year and I will do an entry in my other journal about that when we have the final count.
Well I think thats about it for this year other than to thank you for reading my bits and pieces and leaving your comments for me I really enjoy reading them and all of your journals. With that I will wish you a Happy New Year when it comes and will raise my glass to you all at midnight if I stay up or tomorrow when we toast the new year.  

                                          Best Wishes,

                                       

                                      Joan.                          

 

                                     

Christmas Eve.

         

I think donna excelled herself with this Santa. thank you so much.

Good Morning, and I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas Eve. It is such a special day. Heathrow has arrived in my part of the world not the planes but the freezing fog, what a morning. No plans as such today a bit of tidying etc. and some telly no doubt its nice to have the time.  I must stay away from making Mince Meat pies, will try my best but the urge will be there. Old habits and traditions are hard to loose. Will try to walk for a Sunday paper but if the fog stays I will nip round in the car.
Last night we watched the Dancing it was great and I think the best man won.  Did I hear Tess calling Bruce Sir before he sang his number had not heard or read anything about him being Knighted in the papers yet or have I missed something? I remember there was a bit of a stuchie last time when he did not get a knighthood so maybe he will in the New Year's Honours?
Wanted to get this entry done early just in case of what I don't know.
Now I would like to wish you all A Very Happy Christmas and hope you all have a lovely day and Santa is good to you. Off now for some breakfast.
                                                  Take care and Love

                                          

All's well.

                 

Good Afternoon, hope you are all well and having a good day. The graphic is the title of one my favourite movies (not managed to spot it amongst all the movies for Christmas this year ho hum) if anybody see it on over Christmas let me know please as it has come to my rescue many times. When I worked in the supermarket by the time you got home on Christmas Eve you were really off the whole idea of Christmas, but if this movie was on it would but me back in good spirits in no time. Customers really get quite fraught at this time of year and do take it out on the staff that are trying there best. We always seemed to run out of something one year about half an hour before closing after a very long day we had a lady in doing the ran dan that we did no have any Sprouts left we had had tones on them but they had all gone. Another thing that we used to run out of was cream. Many years ago I remember customers actually running in the store at 7-30 am to get the last of their food shopping. Don't think it is as bad now.
I retired at the beginning of December 2004 so I would be off for Christmas, in 2003 I had have Christmas off as I had hurt my back at the beginning of December that year so little did I know that I actually worked my last Christmas 2002. I find I love Christmas now as I am not rushing about a the last moment trying to do six things at once.
I went back and reread last year Christmas's entries you may or not remember the carry on with the icing on the cake I found it very funny today not like last year when it happened. I did not make a Christmas Cake this year as it is just too much for Start and I to get through and it is not that good for Start to have to much of it so I just bought a small one. 
So as the Graphic says at the top of this entry being retired make me say  "It's a Wonderful Life" or at least till something else goes wrong.  Have a good evening and may the best dancer win.  Love,

                                                
                                               

The Shortest Day.

                  

Thank you Donna for the lovely graphics.

Good afternoon, here we are at the shortest day I am always happy to see it as things get better from here in my mind.  The nights will creep out slowly but surely. Just come in from Perth where I took these pictures I have posted. I wanted to let you see what a difference a week can make. All is tranquil again and the river flows softly. I could not believe my eyes last week but I was so glad I saw it in full flood. Have had a busy few days we did St Andrews on Monday and yesterday we had Ellen for the day. she was back to her normal self after the very tired girl we had last week. She was bouncing around and was very chatty. We took so bad with her last week I was beginning to think she was coming down with something but it was just tiredness as it had been a long term for her and she had just finished the day before.  Have now done all the food shopping and the last few odds and ends we needed for Christmas all the wrapping is done so now we can sit back and enjoy. The weather has been a bit milder today with no frost this morning and the sun was almost shining fom time to time. It has been a lovely week we have not had the fog that is being so troublesome in the south of the country. Hopefully it will clear soon for you. That's about it for today so I hope you have a pleasant evening.
                                        Love