Today is the twelfth day of Christmas, the end of the season, the Epiphany, marking the arrival of the three Kings to the birth of Jesus. In Ireland, this day is known as ‘Little Christmas’ - also called Nollaig na mBan, which translates as Women’s Christmas. It used to be quite widely celebrated and apparently … Continue reading The Dead
P. and E. hosted dinner in a city centre restaurant last night - right in the heart of Edinburgh. We were a party of about a dozen; of all ages, connected by blood and friendship. “Don’t we scrub up well?” E. declared, surveying the table. It was a night for best Indian shot silk, velvet … Continue reading Love Affair
At Christmas and New Year we send cards and messages wishing each other happiness, merriment, prosperity, contentment, joy, fulfilment. Probably one of the most common wishes we bestow upon each other is that of peacefulness - peace for Christmas and for the year to come. So common is it to write blessings of peace in … Continue reading Peace
Cheeses: I’ve been researching all of the different types, in other words, I’ve been tasting them. You see, I’m off the hook for cooking dinner on Christmas Day and I’m in charge of the cheeseboard. I’m happy with my task. I reckoned it would be an easy job: one blue, one hard, one soft - … Continue reading Vacherin
‘Sweets for my sweet, sugar for my honey’, you know the old Drifters’ song? It could be the anthem for Christmas as we enter the annual sugar-fest, gearing-up our already sugar-laden diet to push ourselves beyond the limit of what we know to be good for us. It all looks so pretty though, the shelves … Continue reading Sugar and Spice
Are you - as they say in Irish drinking slang - going for ‘a few scoops’ this Christmas? Of course you are, most of us will be at some stage. The work-do, family meal out (or in), an annual girls or guys get-together; I’m sure there will be an offer, or an opportunity to let … Continue reading A Few Scoops
Yesterday, I was in the midst of magic as the children from Edinburgh’s Royal Blind School took me on an odyssey. Actually, they took me on ‘The Odyssey’, which was the basis for their annual Christmas Show. These young people live with visual impairments, many have additional support needs and complex multiple disabilities. Watching them, … Continue reading Odyssey
It is Christmas and we will buy gifts, wrap them, give and receive and be generous. It is altogether a good thing. Sharing what we have, marking our appreciation of others, acknowledging their support throughout the year; this is one of the better Christmas traditions. If you possess the means and the time, then it … Continue reading Beauty
Happed up - as my dad would have said - with bright red mittens on my hands, a white maple leaf stitched onto each palm, the aran-knit hat pulled down as far as my eyebrows, and low over my ears. Around my neck I had double-looped a scarf, the one that V. gave me, patterned … Continue reading Thin Ice
Last night K. took me to the ballet, ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. She won the tickets, clever girl, in an art competition. It was for the dress rehearsal, and it opens for real tonight. My advice to you: go. I’m no ballet aficionado, but that was the best night out I … Continue reading The Nutcracker
My Edinburgh Press 