in the year to come

“In the world to come, each of us will be called to account for all the good things God put on earth which we refused to enjoy”

― from a Jewish Talmud

(image from here by Anne Redpath)

mist on Leith Links

Granny Greens Goes to the German Market

This was a fab pre Christmas outing to the German market and fair on Princes St Gardens. Passed there today and saw it had already been dismantled.

Want more real mail in 2013? Checkout Postal Joy 2013

Daft Days & Tablet & Postal Joy!

The days between Christmas and New Year (Hogmanay) are called the ‘daft days’. Perhaps because the usual routines are out of action. We swim about in unstructured time. I have to say I’ve been enjoying it very much. I’ve been crocheting and making traditional Scottish Tablet.

If you are at a loose end or are looking for a present for someone here’s my mother’s recipe. It is incredibly sweet a little goes along way. Great with a large cup of coffee and a book.

2 lb Granulated Sugar 1 Tin Evaporated Milk
4 oz butter 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional)
1 tablespoon golden syrup (you can substitute honey if you like)
Using a heavy bottomed pan, combine all ingredients except the vanilla essence. Cook slowly until a boil or 245 degree Farenheit or makes a soft ball if tested in cold water. Stir continually. Once boiling reduce down the heat once it starts to darken. Remove from heat and add vanilla essence and beat until thick. Pour onto a tray which is lined with parchment paper and score into squares when the mixture is almost cold. If once its cold you don’t feel it is achieving a satisifying level of hardness return to the pot and reboil.

Postal Joy!

One of the things that brings me great pleasure at this time of year is the post – real post. Actual cards instead of everlasting junk mail and bills. If you want to extend that feeling of real mail I’m offering Postal Joy again this year. Postal Joy is a service I offer for real mail. There are three options 8, 12, or 18 items of mail. Mail starts in the first week of January and extends until Febuary (mid February for those who opt for 18 items of mail). Each will get a small packet of tablet, a mail surprise ! and a mix of postcards. All cards are handwritten.

Newsletter subscribers get 20% off subscribe HERE and I send you the code. Find out more at my Etsy shop. The cost by the way is the same where ever you live in the world! No extra postage charges.

The picture is by Anne Redpath Scottish Colourist painter. Over at my facebook page I’m posting one Scottish Colourist a day to chase away the winter gloom.

Christmas Miracle with Rory the library assistant

On Christmas Eve I decided that I had to be able to borrow library books over the Christmas period. Three days when I would be sequestered at home unable to get hold of books seemed to be unsupportable. Book supplies needed to be had in abundance. Now I’ve been shut out of the library for about 6 months now due to a VAST library fine. I moved bedrooms back in the Spring and in the move mislaid two library books for several months. So I decided to use some money to pay it off. I thought I could perhaps negotiate with the library if I paid off some of it and owned the rest later. Anyway I expected to hand over somewhere in the order of £40-£50 in fines. Things didn’t go well firstly I didn’t have my library card with me when I went into the library. But one of the assistants said I could get books out if I could prove who I was. I picked out two fiction books and a book by Kaffe Fassett on patchwork and stepped up gingerly to the desk. I handed over my bank card and they called up the details on the system. Rory (for that was the name on the badge he had) swiped the three books and handed them over. ‘Isn’t there a fine?’ I asked. ‘Oh your account seems to have been suspended and the fines wiped off the system’ said Rory.

I skipped out feeling I’d been a) let back in the world of books and b) given an unexpected Christmas present!

Robert Doisneau in the Alps

When I was in Grenoble I managed to see this fabulous exhibition of Doisneau’s photographs of the Alps. He went there regularly. Sadly online I’ve failed to find any of the realy interesting pictures of early skiing (in every day suits!) or the wonderful pictures of peasant life.

the orange chair

I love this picture – my mother painted a toy chest in orange with folkloric images on it (it was the 70′s!) so this particular picture gives me added joy.

I bought last minute present of a light up LED dove which I’m going to see if I can work, put on coffee and open presents now. Seasons Greetings to you all however you celebrate this time of year.

Causewayside

Another delightful picture by Anne Redpath – I’ve been posting a Scottish Colourist a day at my facebook page to cheer things up. She was a friend of my Great Aunt Mary. She returned from the South of France before the war after leaving her husband with several children in tow. I am so impressed that she managed to keep on painting and eventually carving out a very honoured position as one of Scotland’s leading painters under such hard circumstances.

preparing

this is a lubitel from the year of the snows

Today not so pretty gray wet rainy. Emerged to hunt down special cat food. Failed in my Mission. Swapped cat food for Tablet. Am back in the tablet factory aka kitchen making more. Attemping to get my Christmas / solstice spirit here. However on the plus side got many delightful vintage crime fiction books from this shop. Yesterday I dashed through the farmers market stopping to buy a Big Issue from the homeless woman who is always there and was delighted to hear that she WONT be there next year and instead is starting a business with her boyfriend. Tomorrow catch up with one set of friends at pub another at the cinema. To be honest its the getting together with others which really rocks my boat.

Analogue Friday Film

I’m going to see The Shop Around the Corner tonight – I love going to see films at Christmas time. I saw this a few years ago but I’m looking forward to it again.

Here’s the old style coming soon of 1940!