Friday's

My usual Friday consists of writing shopping list, sorting out banking, writing lists of stuff to buy (I usually only go to Lerwick one day a week, must have reached that age).
But Thursday I got a distress call from big sis asking me to come and help her clear up all her paperwork before she went away for a week (She had the flu and had to spend a few days laid out on the sofa with lemsip, magazines and telly, cos that’s what you do!).
So Friday I headed out West to help, I was given a list and got through it in plenty time. We went to Town and delivered pattern books, curtains, cushions etc. then headed to the Peerie Shop Café for late lunch/tea of sandwiches and coffee.
I had a call from Radio Shetland last week to see if we could do Give Us a Tune on Friday night, and said yes, of course, so we went through our music list and sorted out the banter, whilst eating and drinking our coffee and sandwiches. We had a lovely night, and since we have done this a few times were not nervous, although I guess the bottle of bubbly always helps! (Gordon never complains when I top up his glass!). So after another successful Friday night Give Us a Tune, we both headed to the Great Wall for a takeaway, to the Co-Op for more Pop and home for an easy Friday night in!
Imagine having to go out on the pull? I don’t think so.
p.s. You can listen to the show again at www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/radioscotland, follow the links to radio shetland.

The Perfect Pink Party

So, what are the ingredients for the above?

Ask big Sis, because she held one on Saturday night. A belated birthday party for me (she is holding one for each of us Sisters, she’s good like that). I sometimes think that when you get to a certain age you shouldn’t have parties, it’s kind of a bairns thing isn’t it?, but then I think of the fun you have (and we always do), and I put my fears aside!

So we arrived around 7pm (she said, ‘don’t come early, I had a lie-in due to a late night so I need all my time’), Sisters only, all dressed in pink, to a beautiful pink table (see photo) complete with pink covering, pink food, pink bubbly, pink balloons, pink streamers etc etc etc, she had gone all out, complete with pink wig ordered specially from Dundee (as I said, she’s good like that). Once everyone had arrived we toasted with Pink Piper (I couldn’t get Pink Bolly!), then we started into the party games, pass the parcel for big girls with prizes which included pink shoes!!!! (bliss!!!). She had also arranged a Charity Auction, which we all had to bring something that everyone else may want, I did my usual party CD music, a compilation of Perfect Pink Party Music and an After Midnight Pink Party Music (the kind you can greet to once you have had enough Pop, hence the After Midnight!), there were many other items to bid on, a fabulous pair of pink suede high heeled boots (I had to have those!), a pashmina, a photo of a little Angelina ballerina, pink perfume, and the ultimate, a PINK Rampant Rabbit from Anne Summers (Sister Susie had spent all week trying to get it sent up from Aberdeen). The bidding started well, with various sisters taking turns in imitating Harry Hay, we even had a phone bid at the most crucial moment (Mam phoned when the Rampant Rabbit was up for grabs!, her that is hooked on Bid Up TV, she did put on a reserve, and thankfully, it was overtaken by miles by sisters aplenty!).
We then went on to the Music Quiz (one of my favourites as I do like my music), I won, of course.
Then the Sisters who were driving had to leave and we all got PINK Party Bags, with fantastic goodies.
It gets a bit hazy now as we retired to the upstairs sitting room, with yet more pink pop and the after midnight cd, which we listened to with tears in our eyes.
I went to bed leaving 2 big sisters asleep on various sofas.
But all in all it was a simply wonderful night, good company, good food, fantastic entertainment, and perfect pink pop, what more could a thirty-something ask for on her birthday! Roll on the next one. And we raised over £100 for charity (going into the Cancer Research shop next week with a cheque).

Summer holidays nearly over

Well, the holidays are nearly over and the schools go back on Wednesday much to my daughter's disappointment (all the late nights and even later lie in's will have to stop Rob!). Were just back from a few days in Aberdeen (where Shetlander's go for breaks to get away from the peace and quiet), the noisy City, but then I guess every City is noisy compared to living here (I don't really do noise and folk and cars and all the other City stuff).
So as I said we were away for a few days and 'me Lass' took one of her pals away, imagine 5 days spent with 2 x 13 years olds, shopping (which went very well apart from the fact that the 'Pal' tried on nearly every pair of Jeans in Aberdeen), bowling, cinema, and the Fair (with all the grabby machines which very rarely spit out the toys you sooooo want), unfortunately for me, 'me Man and 'me Lass' ended up with a giant size, Tigger, Eeyor and Piglet, they did try for Pooh, but we ran out of time.
I did get one day alone shopping (and did bag a fabulously loud coat from River Island for £10 - its wonderful and a bargain), whilst 'me Man' took the lasses to the Football (I don't do football, I went once in January and said never again, not sure if that was to do with the cold, or the fact that it was, well, FOOTBALL!), been there, done that, don't really want the T'shirt.
On our last night in Aberdeen we headed for the Lemon Tree to see Gwyneth Herbert (heard her on R2, fantastic voice, got the album, a few covers and a few of her own songs), she was the best, the kind of music that sounds as good live as it does on CD, and there are not many that do! And I don't think there are many Pubs in Aberdeen (or anywhere) where you can get quite a nice Spanish Rioja for £9.50 a bottle! Needless to say I drank the whole thing to myself as 'me Man' was having beer. And a good night was had by all, well that's what I thought till the next day when daughter, pal and 'me Man' all said it wasn't really their kind of music, guess that's what you get for taking me to the Aberdeen Football Stadium in January, Mo!
Oh I must just add a little note, the day before we left for Aberdeen I had Muriel Gray (yep, the one off the telly and now on the radio) at my house in the morning recording part of a programme about dialect for Radio Scotland, and I had John Carolan (photographer extraordinaire) along in the afternoon taking photos for his Shetland Women project. I can't wait to the see the pictures, although I am more excited about seeing the pictures of my peerie dog, Sparky!
So the fun is over and I really must get back to work, still in holiday mode even though we've been back nearly a week and the Burra Bear orders pilling up fast!
But all is well, my Mary is free to sew, I've just bought a Gaggia Coffee Machine (that will add to my grown up Sofa and Dining Table - see when you get older, you buy thing to last, not cos they're cheap!) and it's my birthday next week with a BBQ planned (sun will shine or else!) and a second night at Big Sis's house for a girly night. So life is good. But I am starting to decorate again, kitchen and dining room, so watch this space!

Whats new

Well, there’s been quite a bit going on in the last week or so. I will start with last weekend, big Sis invited me, me Man and me lass (and her pal) for dinner on Saturday night. So we arrived to what I thought would be mountains of rich buttery, creamy yummy food, but she had decided to ‘go healthy’. This may have had something to do with the previous week when she invited other sisters, families and wir Mam for tea and ‘did wir Mam in’, with all the rich food (she was up the whole night with indigestion). We began with a bottle of Bolly (got to have the real thing), and not even a nibble or crisp in sight. But seriously, the dinner was lovely, a huge platter of simple fresh fish to start, lobster, prawns, smoked trout, crab and some kind of seaweedy thing that was really rather nice. The main course was chicken with cous cous, roasted veggies and a tiny tiny jug of juice from the meat, to which I managed to persuade her to add copious quantities of white wine and cream! Mmmmmm! We finished with what I can only describe as HEAVEN! (she must have been feely guilty as all the food was soooo healthy) a chocolate cheesecake with a baked bottom and as much real chocolate and cream as it could hold, and god, it was good! We finished upstairs with more pop and were sent home just after midnight. I got home thinking another drink would be a good idea and settled down with a bottle of beer in front of a live Coldplay concert on Sky!

Sunday night and I was off up to Busta House to meet up with my American Knitting friends. Gregory Courtney of the Simply Shetland knitting book and his gang were back in Shetland for their annual Tour, and they wanted to meet up and see some bears! I also brought Mam along with her Fair Isle Rowes, Jayne Kelly with her fabulous jewellery and the Muckle Gravit. We joined everyone in the dining room of pudding and then went through to the Long Room where I did a little intro and then we settled down for coffee and passed around the Gravit so they could all have a go and add a bit. What a lovely night, and even Mam enjoyed it (her that ‘doesn’t really like that kind of things!’). We left to promises of all 20 of the group calling along my house on Tuesday to see the Teddy Shed & Sparky dog.

Tuesday arrived and true to their word, the Jamieson’s bus parked up outside and all 20 of them poured in. They had to take turns in the Shed as it can only hold about 6 at a go (tightly packed). But Sparky was the star of the show (3 year old Parsons Jack Russell, looks like Eddie off Frasier), I dressed him in his Kilt, and the cameras started clicking, he loved every minute!


Friday
QUESTION: Have you ever been told off for talking to someone whilst filling your car with petrol?
I was!, on Friday, in Lerwick at a garage I have gone to for the past god knows how many years, I wouldn’t care but there wasn’t even any cars behind my car or the car of the person I was talking to, but she came out of the shop waving her hands and saying 'excuse me!', gesturing that we hurry up, so much for customer service, I was furious and I will be looking to buy my fuel elsewhere from now on, just a shame that they are the cheapest in Town. Maybe she had the PMT/Grumpy Old Women syndrome? Who knows.