At around 5.30pm yesterday the dinner gong chimed, leading to six members of my clan congregating in the dining room of casa Strachan senior. Our reward for this short walk from the lounge a splendid early Christmas meal, courtesy of my brother Ian's culinary artistry. A meal of roast turkey cooked to perfection by our... Continue Reading →
Advent
Opening the Strachan advent calendar's first door this morning, I was startled be confronted by a creaking noise. Unsure of it's source, I concluded the sound had either emanated from my yet to warm up middle aged limbs, or as a consequence of rust on the calendar door hinges. With the calendar's composition being cardboard I concluded the... Continue Reading →
One Day More
The consumer build up to the festive period is well and truly gathering momentum. Like the runaway carriage at the beginning of Les Miserables, it hurtles out of control creating collateral damage until its inevitable conclusion. In Les Mis, the victims requiring the intervention of the parole breaker Jean Valjean to gain respite from its carnage. However, in... Continue Reading →
At The 3rd Stroke It Will Be….
It's 1st January 2016. As I attempt to build my narrative, the living room clock stares back informing me it's 11.15. Well it was when I started writing that sentence, it’s actually 11.17 now. When I complete this monologue it’ll probably be about 13.00; unless I stop for lunch, which will add fifteen minutes to... Continue Reading →
Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot…
Well here we are on the last day of 2015. Very shortly, Julian Calendar's latest offspring, who shall be nameth 2016, will make an appearance. It is anticipated, the announcement of the arrival will be made live on TV by Jools Holland, around midnight. I plan to toast the appearance of the offspring with a... Continue Reading →
She’s Gonna Make You A Star
Yesterday I wrote of festivities at Chez Strachan on Christmas Day. I couldn’t share the taste of the turkey dinner or the mince pies via the medium of blogging. However, my narrative of around 800 words will have hopefully given a taste of my family’s experiences on this special day in the calendar. To avoid... Continue Reading →
Are You Sure You Don’t Want A Clementine?!
It’s the 28th December. The Advent calendars are down, the turkey’s been consumed, the clementines (along with anything healthy) remain uneaten and the traditional photograph in the Christmas jumper has been taken. As the old saying goes it’s “all over bar the shouting”. I’m not sure when the shouting will take place, however I suspect... Continue Reading →
Inspiral Carpets Boxing Day Sale – Open 8.30
I ventured out to see Inspiral Carpets and Shed Seven yesterday evening. For those who haven’t heard of them, I hadn’t been granted exclusive access to Boxing Day sales adverts for companies selling flooring and garden storage units. No, I’m relating to around three hours watching two 1990’s Indie bands at the O2 Academy, in... Continue Reading →
That’s Another Fine Mess You Got Me Into!
Yesterday, I had a conversation with an old acquaintance about Christmas gifts. It wasn’t a long conversation, more me asking him “Where the chuff’s my Christmas present?!” Knowing I was joking he laughed and the conversation moved on. He confided in me he’d just undergone a minor hospital procedure to remove something on his head.... Continue Reading →