Today, the North of Scotland has been hit with gale force winds and very white mini hailstone balls. You have to keep your head down. It does give new meaning to the vernacular term 'in your face'. In the midst of this interesting weather pattern, my windscreen wiper decided it was time to meet up with its opposite number. It was firmly rebutted, tried to cling to the windscreen but ended up hanging limply to one side. The wind caught the wiper and attempted to wrap it round my wing mirror where it flopped helplessly till I could guide it to a more dignified position.

This dance of the wipers is going to cost me an arm and a leg

CONVIVIAL COMPANY,
GOOD FOOD AND
A GREAT ATMOSPHERE,
ARE HIGHLY INTOXICATING.

I KNOW THIS,
BECAUSE
I HAVE BEEN THERE,
AND DONE THAT.
MOREOVER, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN!

Passport control (at an airport that shall remain nameless):

TO AVOID QUEUES - PLEASE QUEUE HERE

LOATHE IT OR LOVE IT.

This is a version of the Hopefields game from courtesy of snacks@blogster.com where blog friends/buddies 'thoughtfully' answer festive questions.

MIDNITE SNACKS

Hopefields Game….

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Eggnog with rum, hot chocolate w/cognac

Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa who?

Multi- colored lights on the tree/house or white?
Multi – or none - uh, wait, is this a trick question?

Do you hang mistletoe?
UMM… HELLO?

When do you put your decorations up?
maybe never? Is that too soon?

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
shredded spiced beef, on toast

Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
decorating the tree, baking

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
at school, at 6. boy was I pissed that my parents LIED. So embarrassed. I defended them/him. He must be real because “my parents wouldn't lie to me.” Oooooohhhhhh.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Hello?

What kind of cookies does Santa get set out for him?
no cookies for the santa man. I don't need the extra calories.

Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Hate it, and don't miss it at all. Pretty from inside if you don’t have to drive or shovel.

Can you ice skate?
Yep. And wait till you see the tricks I can do when I’m sliding across the ice on my butt. Again.

Do you remember your favorite gift?
Pedro the stuffed donkey. Big, too expensive – cased the presents and knew he wasn’t there. I was so BRAVE and pretended to have a good time. Until I opened the last box, and found Pedro crammed inside. Still have him. Mom had to replace the velvet hooves with corduroy, and redo ears and eyes, but he endured. Much smaller than he was then, LOL!

What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
getting out of town.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
not a desert person.

What is your favorite Holiday Tradition?
getting out of town.

What tops your tree?
what tree?

Which do you prefer Giving or Receiving?
Giving. It is wonderful to have someone to give to.

What is your favorite Christmas Carol?
Eartha Kitt’s “Santa Baby.”

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Addictive. Sugar and peppermint, whats not to like?

"...aiming for genial simplicity", is it possible?

WHOOPEE! My favourite - dark chocolate is back in vogue. I don't eat lots of it, a little is as good as a feast and it must be at least 74% but not over 86% Anything less is a kid sister/brother and is progressively sweeter so, not to my taste. Strange to say, I do not like cocoa or chocolate drinks but I do enjoy a little bit of good dark chocolate.

The Scotsman reports that dark chocolate is on track to outsell milk chocolate for the first time
.

I am smug - I liked it before I knew all that - I've obviously got good taste buds.D

I am sure there is a perverse type of telepathy at play in our house. It does not matter what time I get up in the morning, early, middling, or late, hubby gets a notion to have a wash just I prepare to, or I get into the Shower. This in itself is not remarkable except that our hot water pipe is shared between the bathroom facilities (and they get first shot of the hot water) and the shower. Therefore, whoever uses the shower when ablutions are in flow elsewhere ends up with------- you've guessed, a cold dowsing: brrr.

This morning I wanted to be ready and to sit comfortably to listen to a radio programme. Yet again, perversity ruled. I turned off the shower tap and decided to sit quietly in my bedtime glory in the kitchen, sip my morning tipple and tune in to the radio station.

A loud hissing rudely interrupted my peace, my fusion of listening and thought: the ruddy kettle had been switched on! By this point "Petal" was not in the least bit divine or sociable. She flounced back to the bedroom, propped herself on the bed then curled the bedclothes around her, switched on the radio and you know what - the snuggly experience was really delightful.

Um, yes the radio programme was okay too.

This afternoon, I sat, and I sat and I sat. Whilst I was sitting, I was enjoying the company of an octogenarian Italian friend who became my friend during the time she was teaching me her beautifiul language many years ago. She has also taught my daughter who was in fact her very last pupil. During our meal, people greeted us as they passed by our table. These were very mature people who my friend had taught at the local high school in decades past. Our waitress, not known for being warm and friendly, was particularly solicitous and smiled a lot.

Later, we moved onto a local bar to sit comfortably in their all-encompassing armchairs, to continue our varied topics of conversation into the twilight of the afternoon. No matter where we were, people treated us with courtesy, friendship and care. Any assistance my friend wished was quickly forthcoming. When we departed, her gloves and a package she had earlier left on the bar were brought forth from safekeeping and handed to her. She was not in the least bit concerned about her belongings, my friend knew that like herself, they would be looked after.

It was heart-warming.

Okay - I've been taken gently to task about my 'Ladies Only' blog of yesterday when I eulogised about Swedish Massage. (No change there, I hasten to add.) Perhaps one of our gentlemen contributors would like to redress the balance and give their perspective of the same therapy...

A Swedish Massage is to be highly recommended. I indulged in one today, and it is only the second time I have experienced this therapy.

Ladies, you do need a therapist that has a confident and sensitive technique. Therapists who are timid in style and approach will never offer a competent massage of any kind. There is nothing worse, for example, when having a hand massage to wonder where the finishing touch has gone; was it a passing sleight of hand...

I must arrange to have another relaxing Swedish Massage, and soon. Yes - I shall sleep really well tonight .

Tonight was the night I was going to write about our town's fun day; I will have to keep you champing at the bit for another day. The evening is maturing and I need to go out to buy film seats for Nanny Mcphee.

It is so nice to be able to spread my relaxation around a range of enjoyments without feeling a pang of guilt about not developing an argument for an academic assignment that I should be getting on with, or pretending it does not really exist on my planet... to justify my lack of attention.

For anyone who may be in the uneviable position of needing to procrastinate take on board the following maxim:

Procrastination is a process. One must simply let it run its course.

Harry Potter! I am not, though it may seem to the contrary, attempting to replicate Mr Snape (Sir...) or conjure up Dobby. Snape has a relatively subliminal, role in the latest film and dobby is nowhere to be seen.

However, there is plenty else to occupy ones senses. There is lots of humour, much to giggle about and there is the dark side with smashing great effects, all rolled up into one super film.

Yes, the playtime with the giants could have been developed, what there was, was cute and did leave ones imagination free - the film was after all an age 12 rating - Reeta Skeeta was a pain, as she should have been. Sirius did not have much of an airing:he is important on many levels in this story and yet there was no real impression of that in this portrayal. He came across like he was a magical MI5 one-off messenger.

Surprisingly, there were times in this film when Harry was a bit wooden and Ron, who has seemed stiff and uncomfortable in role previously, was fluid and amusing in this one. I would love to have seen the teenage angst and third party games and rows played out more. They would provide for visuals that work.

Many of the issues would be addressed by the production of a longer film. My main grouse is that the films are too short, though I believe the current one had an extra quarter of an hour: in my view that is not enough. I should like to see a feature length Harry Potter, especially as the stories are becoming more complex. If Tolkein's work can merit lots of film time to develop the plots and sub plots, so can J.K. Rowling's masterpiece.

I now know where the Hogwarts naming hat was found; the flattened version of John Knox's breeches, the huge pancake brim with which I was doffed, (see previous post) is definitely, in my humble opinion, IT! It only rises to a pinnacle on really out of this world magical occasions and as for chatting - that's definitely got to be reserved for the Gods on other planes, not for amongst us lowly muggles.

On Wednesday 30th November 2005 I graduated with an MSc from Edinburgh University.D The ceremonial took place in the McEwan Hall, a rotund building that dates back to 1888.

I was allocated a front row seat in the McEwan Hall for the graduation ceremony together with the PhD’s. They were kitted out in black robes like mine but with wonderful thick vivid red silk grosgrain bands and similarly vivid red silk lined hoods. I had a 3" silk green band with flashes of white around the shoulders and a green silk lined hood. The hoods were really deep, mine ended up just above my ankle and a little above the hem of my graduation robe. (Anyone else with my kind of enrobed 'greenery' ended up in the rows behind.)

All the graduates were, in time honoured tradition, invested with their respective statuses with a symbolic doffing on the head of a pair of John Knox's old velvet breeches which had been fashioned into a bunnet. Just as well, as I am not sure I would have been too thrilled to have been batted around the head with a manky old pair of untreated trews!!

Lunch is well on the way to its final preparation; all that effort for demolition to take so little time. It nearly didn't make it but I caught it just as crunchy bits (which I like) developed.

Once the lunch ritual is done and dusted for today, I shall pack a bag and all the other subsidiary bags that have to go with it, as we're away to one of the big cities for a few days. I suppose we'll have to pack a shovel, blankets and at least one flask as well, just to be on the safe side. We shall be climbing (driving) high over the Northern Highlands of Scotland where weather conditions can be most unpredictable.

My blogs will fall into silence; nay, peace will reign, for a few days at any rate.

Things have quietened down a bit today - anything would be quieter than the storms we had. Gusts up to 120mph were recorded in some exposed parts of the county.

We travelled to the county town this afternoon. 20 miles away, to support their fun day. We took the opportunity to have lunch at our favourite Nepalese restaurant there. We were the only lunch customers and boy, was the room cold. I ordered a good single malt whisky (Glen Morangie) to warm me up, not my usual aperitif but a much needed one this time. It is distilled about 75-80 miles from where I live and is a very fine quality single malt whisky. The name means glen of tranquility.

En route we saw masses of flooding. It was impossible to see where the river's bank was. Lochs were similary undefinable. It was still pretty windy but my hat more-or-less stayed where it was put.

The fun day is a day when funds are raised to pay for Christmas lights and for the street party at Hogmanay. Shops offer sweets, sweet mince pies in one case, some shops give discount on purchases, and in others, staff dress up in varying xmas costumes.

The children had a Christmas hat parade and because it was so cold, the little ones wore their woolly hats, some with ear mufflers, under their parents' creations. Official lighting up was at 4.30pm however it started to rain at ten past four and very, very heavily too.

I bought my housebound 85 year old mother-in-law a hand-held fibre optic snowman that had six lighting programmes so we could do a bit of xmas lighting up at her house. She had some fun with it and soon cottoned on to how it worked and switched off. She's going to ration its use to make sure she's got it working for Christmas.

Our fun day is next week; I wonder what form it will take. I do know that the county townsfolk will come over here and support ours, so it should be a jolly communal afternoon.

I obtain great amusement from looking at the adverts that attach themselves to my site. There really is a wonderful sense of achievement in realising that whatever or whoever it is that is hanging on to my every written word really has not picked up on my true interests or figured out me! It is very satisfying.

We are being ravaged by the most tremendous storms,the North Atlantic is a high white foaming wall,the wind is howling in from the Arctic and the house has been allowed to 'cool' down.

I have just heard the understatement of the year - "you're not very warm are you."

We have blizzards here now, hailstone blizzards that really hurt when they hit. I got blown into a pole and to avoid the blinkin' thing hurting me, I grabbed it like I was dancing round a maypole. I was temporarily a black spectre with a bright red fluffy, bitty scarf being twirled full circle round the pole by the force of the wind.

P.S. I'm risking the elements again tonight, to go out and see Harry Potter.

Tonight I want to say thanks to all those people who are making my blogging experience such an interesting and fun one. It opens up my world to a different experience from the insular world I live in.

My immediate world is insular because it is divorced by its physcial location from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is a slower pace of life in a community where people smile at each other, even those people you don't know. You are considered the odd one out, or sympathetically thought of as 'new' if you do not smile, or if you do not return a smile when one is given.

Notwithstanding such pleasantries, I still want and need to know what else is happening in other parts of the land. I have found blogging is to some extent offering me other insights and on this site in particular, as I have contact with such responsive and friendly people.

Thanks again, to all of you. D

An hotel in which her school group were staying for the weekend ignored her request for a vegan diet and one other youngster suffered the same fate: his dietary needs related to health requirements.

She withdrew from the world to nurse her anger and frustration, unable to openly express herself and her feelings anywhere that she felt was useful or constructive, least of all to her parents, who in truth, were bewildered and deeply concerned. She refused to attend school two days this week. It is a crucial examination year and a critical point in the year and she missed two vital days.

On two previous occasions her parents were the reason for her withdrawal from school; as they have involvement in educational matters, it was her way of hurting them. She returned to school with me and settled well. This time the reason was different but the reaction would have had the same self-destructive effect. I was dubious that I could work the 'miracle' a third time and I held back from direct contact, spending time instead in giving mum a bit of TLC and moral support.

However, in talking with mum she said that her daughter had checked I was not being invited to the house as I was 'dangerous'. It was a clear message to me: that statement made me reverse my decision and I returned home with mum.

There was no hiding in her room, she was sociable and obviously glad to see me. When mum went out she even made sure we were comfortable and warm. We talked and we shared; she responded constructively to some of my gentle challenges to her thoughts.

Tomorrow she says she will go to School - I do hope so.

I believe I already know the answer to this question: are you aware there is a consultation process underway between the public and Offcom about the use of non-geographical telephone numbers e.g. 0870/1, 0845, and premium lines 0900 etc?

By comparison, geographical numbers, those that start with 01 - 02 are reducing in price while the cost of being forced to use non-geographical numbers is rising.

The deafening media silence, the lack of advertising is stifling our right to vote, to have our views made known and our voices heard on an issue that takes money from our pockets without our permission.

The media are extraordinarily quiet about it; the media giants all use non-geographical numbers and financially benefit from them.

Vested interests in all the 'right' places means that this public consultation about an imposition of extra charges to services we are already paying for, will be publicly under-subscribed. As a consequence we will no doubt, be left with a pigs ear of a result.

Questionnaires are available for completion online and all information including details of the consultation questions are available from www.saynoto0870.com. You can also go direct to the Offcom website. Make your thoughts known, make this a genuine public consultation.

Please pass this information on to as many people as you can - it is important and in the long term could save everyone, money.

I did copy and paste the links in but this system did not show them - sorry.

I'm now off to get my consultation document done and dusted.

Today I was going to write something seminal but I have put so much effort into wrapping lots and lots of gift parcels for Christmas, (I can see wrapping paper patterns dancing in front of my eyes) that I have decided to postpone thinking for another day.

A police officer died yesterday in the course of her duty and another was injured. I feel, I hurt about this as I have for other police officers who have died on our streets while serving the public.

I also feel and hurt about those other innocents who have met untimely deaths in our communities.

There is no doubt about it, it is brass monkey weather here! It was lovely in the sun, but it was so bright and low, it was blinding. It has been one of those few days we get when it is crisp and dry, where the ice underfoot does not really lift, making for dangerous walking and driving. The low lying bright sunlight shines for such a short time, bowing out to leave a clear and even colder night to quickly draw in. One car driver already, has fortunately survived a patch of black ice.

We are not quick enough to cover car windscreens, they frost almost as soon as the car is parked. There really is very little time so the covers are left for another occasion.

Winter really has arrived now...

Winter is really upon us here in the far north of Scotland. Since last week we had pounding gales, with winds gusting up to 85 miles per hour (you'll have to work out the equivalent kilometers). Last Friday most of Scotland's bridges were closed. The very cold rain, sleet and even watery snow has arrived, with which the wind plays havoc.

At this time of year we have very short days and as the summer months approach we have very long days of light, like the white nights. I have read a credit card outside at nearly midnight without the assistance of any other light; sadly, it wasn't my credit card...

If we have clear frosty nights, it is possible to view the Northern Lights (aurora borealis) when they appear. and last year they were spectacular. Our views are particularly good as we have a vista which is about 75% horizon; it almost feels like being in a bowl, which is a description that explorers to the North Pole often give of their experiences. There is no necessity to go to those extremes to find it, the intrepid traveller can experience the phenomenon in the far north of Scotland.