The blogs in January would have been easy to keep up with as there weren't many of them. Weather was a major factor as we have had the most winter weather so far this year that we've experienced since settling here. And we hear the worst is yet to come this weekend, but what could be worse than snow, rain, thaw, ice, sleet, more snow, winds gusting to gale force at times, and now more snow and ice on the way? Poor Don has had very few opportunities to get out on the golf course. It is snowing lightly even as I type this and Don is at the Comrie Golf Course trying to get at least 9 holes in before the course gets closed again because of snow, as has happened at both of his courses for much of January.
After the final flurry of New Year parties, dinners, and open houses, we settled down to putting away the holiday decorations and dieting. I went back on the South Beach Diet and have managed to do pretty well so far, although there have been set-backs here and there, particularly last week, beginning with my birthday dinner on the 20th, continuing during the 3 days we were in Glasgow last week having all 3 meals in restaurants each day, and culminating in dinner at the Sutcliffes' last Friday night, the day we arrived back home.
In fact, the whole month has been rather a case of "feast or famine" because as you'll see in the blog for 3rd January we began the month with a chili cook-off. Don and I were the only contestants and so our 4 highly diplomatic guests ate our respective entries with great gusto and declared a tie!
The weather has been so dreadful and bitterly cold at times that there has been far too much sitting by the fire and reading than there should be, especially for someone looking to lose weight. Nonetheless, South Beach is producing results. When I had my semi-annual blood pressure check at the Comrie Medical Centre yesterday, I sailed through with flying colors. The nurse was particularly impressed with the fact that I weighed 10 kilos (22 lbs.) less this time than I did a year ago.
I have spent a fair amount of time knitting. In fact, as you can see from the photo above, I finished the one sock and am making great progress on its mate. I have, however, also begun to quilt the piece that is pictured on the blog of January 11th.
Being inside and unable to play golf worked out perfectly for Don who used the time to prepare a two-hour presentation to the St. Fillans Music Circle, which he gave on the 22nd. His theme was "Devils and Angels." He had been warned that the devil would have all the best tunes and he found that to be the case. He persevered, however, and created a well-rounded programme of both devilish and angelic music with annotations and historical footnotes which drew—and continues to draw—praise and appreciation from the members.
Don also has been busy doing committee work for both the Strathearn Music Society and the Friends of Cognac (FOC). With other FOC members, we were invited this year to attend the annual Burns' Supper put on by the Association of Chartered Bankers. These dinners always have several traditional elements : Piping in the Haggis, which Burns referred to as "Great Chieftain o' the puddin' race", the Address to the Haggis, and Burns' Selkirk Grace before the start of the meal. In case you've forgotten or don't know the Selkirk Grace, it is elegant in its simplicity:
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.
Following the meal, we had The Loyal Toast, some songs by two singers, and then the Immortal Memory to Burns. Following that, the piper played a lament and a march, and then there was a toast to the lasses, a reply from the lasses, the recitation of Holy Wullie's Prayer, followed by the singing of The Star o' Rabbie Burns and Auld Lang Syne by the assembled crowd. The food and drink were abundant and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We were thankful that a coach had been laid on to get us home safely.
To help celebrate my birthday on the 21st, we had Peter and Robbie Innes come for a meal on Sunday the 20th. Don made a marvelous Greek stew called Stifado and a friend made a chocolate mousse cake which was fabulous. I am definitely older but if I were perhaps wiser I might have skipped that cake. But then, where's the fun in that?
If you look at the blog for 26th January you will see lots of photos from our 3 days and 2 nights in Glasgow last week. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time and saw a couple of sites we had been wanting to visit for many years. We also attended two Celtic Connections concerts. The blog is a longish one, in part because of the number of photos, but we think you'll enjoy it and that it will give you a glimpse into why it is we think Glasgow is a super place to visit.
The day we arrived home, we had been invited to David and Juliet Sutcliffes' for dinner. It was nice not to have to cook for ourselves until the following day.
Donald has been on the computer quite a lot lately getting his three distance ed courses for the term going and responding to instructors and students. There are over 80 students enrolled in the three spring courses, which says a lot for Don's efforts to help AACRAO (his professional association) establish their online education programme.
Thank you to all who sent cards and e-mails. We love hearing from you even if it takes us a while to respond. We hope this finds you all well and voting in primaries. We do get coverage of the results in BBC TV news. We can't vote in a primary but will definitely be voting in the general election by post. May the best person win!
Love,
Lynn and Don
After the final flurry of New Year parties, dinners, and open houses, we settled down to putting away the holiday decorations and dieting. I went back on the South Beach Diet and have managed to do pretty well so far, although there have been set-backs here and there, particularly last week, beginning with my birthday dinner on the 20th, continuing during the 3 days we were in Glasgow last week having all 3 meals in restaurants each day, and culminating in dinner at the Sutcliffes' last Friday night, the day we arrived back home.
In fact, the whole month has been rather a case of "feast or famine" because as you'll see in the blog for 3rd January we began the month with a chili cook-off. Don and I were the only contestants and so our 4 highly diplomatic guests ate our respective entries with great gusto and declared a tie!
The weather has been so dreadful and bitterly cold at times that there has been far too much sitting by the fire and reading than there should be, especially for someone looking to lose weight. Nonetheless, South Beach is producing results. When I had my semi-annual blood pressure check at the Comrie Medical Centre yesterday, I sailed through with flying colors. The nurse was particularly impressed with the fact that I weighed 10 kilos (22 lbs.) less this time than I did a year ago.
I have spent a fair amount of time knitting. In fact, as you can see from the photo above, I finished the one sock and am making great progress on its mate. I have, however, also begun to quilt the piece that is pictured on the blog of January 11th.
Being inside and unable to play golf worked out perfectly for Don who used the time to prepare a two-hour presentation to the St. Fillans Music Circle, which he gave on the 22nd. His theme was "Devils and Angels." He had been warned that the devil would have all the best tunes and he found that to be the case. He persevered, however, and created a well-rounded programme of both devilish and angelic music with annotations and historical footnotes which drew—and continues to draw—praise and appreciation from the members.
Don also has been busy doing committee work for both the Strathearn Music Society and the Friends of Cognac (FOC). With other FOC members, we were invited this year to attend the annual Burns' Supper put on by the Association of Chartered Bankers. These dinners always have several traditional elements : Piping in the Haggis, which Burns referred to as "Great Chieftain o' the puddin' race", the Address to the Haggis, and Burns' Selkirk Grace before the start of the meal. In case you've forgotten or don't know the Selkirk Grace, it is elegant in its simplicity:
Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.
Following the meal, we had The Loyal Toast, some songs by two singers, and then the Immortal Memory to Burns. Following that, the piper played a lament and a march, and then there was a toast to the lasses, a reply from the lasses, the recitation of Holy Wullie's Prayer, followed by the singing of The Star o' Rabbie Burns and Auld Lang Syne by the assembled crowd. The food and drink were abundant and we all thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We were thankful that a coach had been laid on to get us home safely.
To help celebrate my birthday on the 21st, we had Peter and Robbie Innes come for a meal on Sunday the 20th. Don made a marvelous Greek stew called Stifado and a friend made a chocolate mousse cake which was fabulous. I am definitely older but if I were perhaps wiser I might have skipped that cake. But then, where's the fun in that?
If you look at the blog for 26th January you will see lots of photos from our 3 days and 2 nights in Glasgow last week. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time and saw a couple of sites we had been wanting to visit for many years. We also attended two Celtic Connections concerts. The blog is a longish one, in part because of the number of photos, but we think you'll enjoy it and that it will give you a glimpse into why it is we think Glasgow is a super place to visit.
The day we arrived home, we had been invited to David and Juliet Sutcliffes' for dinner. It was nice not to have to cook for ourselves until the following day.
Donald has been on the computer quite a lot lately getting his three distance ed courses for the term going and responding to instructors and students. There are over 80 students enrolled in the three spring courses, which says a lot for Don's efforts to help AACRAO (his professional association) establish their online education programme.
Thank you to all who sent cards and e-mails. We love hearing from you even if it takes us a while to respond. We hope this finds you all well and voting in primaries. We do get coverage of the results in BBC TV news. We can't vote in a primary but will definitely be voting in the general election by post. May the best person win!
Love,
Lynn and Don
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