• Food

    Shepherds’ Pie

    I know it should be called cottage pie if it is beef, and shepherds’ pie if it is mutton – but I have always called it shepherds’ pie with beef so I’m going…

  • Creative

    AliExpress

    I buy quite a lot of crafting things (paper, felt, pens, paint etc) and up until now I have largely been getting them from Amazon (yes – I know I should shop locally…

  • Other,  Uncategorised

    An Oddball whisky

    R has been having a go at buying whisky from an auctioneer.  This is apparently a “thing” these days where you bid on individual bottles and crates of the (in my opinion fairly…

  • Cats

    The Minx

    I went out to do my shift volunteering at the museum this morning (and had a very enjoyable cheese scone and coffee) – there was not much to do as we had a…

  • Uncategorised

    Dunfermline 

    Several things about Dunfermline a)  It is a difficult word to spell – somehow however many times I write it I still get it wrong. b) The first poem I ever learned by…

  • Other

    Conkers

    When I was a child (1970s) conkers (note for foreigners – nuts of the horse chestnut tree) were a highly valued commodity – in fact we used to risk severe adult retribution by…

  • Church

    Harvest Festival

    Today was Harvest Festival – the church was looking very festive.  Things have moved on since I was a child – then it was all giant marrows, now it is food for the…

  • Food,  Gardening

    Harvest home

    It is our church harvest festival tomorrow and I made an apple cake with yet more of the garden’s never ending bounty. In total, the Scouts picked over 200kg of apples and took…

  • Gardening

    Last mow of the lawn

    Definitely colder today, and quite a few leaves are coming off the trees.  I want to have a big push next week to “put the garden to bed for the year” – hopefully…

  • Travel

    Ballater

    A few months ago, J and I went to Balmoral and Braemar.  We had been going on to Ballater as well that day, but it was getting too late so we said we…