Merry Christmas!

Nollaig Chridheal

agus

Bliadhna Mhath Ur!

Mo Naire! 38 weeks

Mo naire (accent on the a) is the Gaelic for shame on you (though literally it means my shame). So shame on me! I missed a week. I think I was pining away for my friends to write comments, and I just didn't have the heart to write a post last week.

No, I'm just kidding! Not having the internet at home, and having a busy week just combined against me.

Christmas is coming! I know that Hogmanay is celebrated more in Scotland than Christmas, but I do love Christmas. I need to brush up on the lovely Gaelic Christmas song I learned a couple years ago:

Mo ghaol, mo ghradh is meudail thu...

Grants and 40 weeks

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, and yesterday I wore a sweater that his mother Jean Grant McCloud made. I'm wearing it again today, in fact, because it's such an amazing sweater - like a coat of many colors, it is striped brown, gold, pink, blue, green, red, purple and so on. I have been reflecting on this woman who died before I could meet her, much less get to know her. And yet, in some of my characteristics, in a few traces on my face, I know that in small ways I am able to know her.

And as for our hard to trace McCloud ancestor of the 18th century, he may not have come from Londonderry after all. He lived in Londonderry, New Hampshire. It still doesn't rule out an Irish connection, but we are back to square one with him.

Some of my favorite Films & 41 weeks!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving, and didn't eat as much as I did (Too Much)!

I'm hoping to find a really smashing list of Scottish movies, and have come up with a few - and please, suggest any that I have missed. Some of the best ones I could think of were:

• The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964) one of my favorites from childhood
• I Know Where I'm Going (1945) in which the ever charming Wendy Hiller discovers a passion for Scottish things (and Scottish fellows!)
• Hamish Macbeth (1995) a hilarious and endearing series set in the Scottish Highlands
• On a Clear Day (2005) a very good film about a man who swims the English Channel
• Little Voice (1998) a rowdy yet endearing film
• Dear Frankie (2004) a heartwarming film
• Chariots of Fire (1981) some of it is in Scotland! And it's an amazing film
• The Ghost Goes West (1935) I saw this years and years ago, I remember really loving it!
• Ring of Bright Water (1969) SO depressing, but beautiful scenery!
• Regeneration (or) Behind the Lines (1997) Most of it takes place in Scotland, and hey, it's about WW1 soldier poets!
• Storm in a Teacup (1934) a delightful romp with Vivien Leigh and Rex Harrison!
• The Water Horse (2007) Very sweet
• Made of Honor (2008) a silly romp, part of which was filmed at Dunvegan!

So, I'm sure I'm forgetting some of the films I've seen and loved, and I'm sure I'm leaving out alot more! Please share your favorite Scottish films with me!

Glasgow Cuisine? 42 Weeks!

Yesterday Heather & I happened upon a hamburger restaurant (Five Guys burgers & fries). It's a chain, which is sad, but what is not sad, is that the hamburgers and fries were really delicious, and tasted homemade, and not like fast food! They had lovely fries, or should I say chips? And they had malt vinegar. I doused my chips in vinegar, and it reminded me of when I went clubbing (!) in Glasgow with Claire and her friends, and afterwards, at around 2 a.m. we went and ate chips on a bun! Delicious, salty chips doused with vinegar, charmingly presented on an open bun.

It's the only time I've been clubbing, and even though I didn't drink anything, I had a marvellous time, and danced with reckless abandon! In heels! And I topped it all off with Chips on a Bun.

From Crayons to Perfume: 43 weeks!

I was just listening to "To Sir, with Love" the other day and remembered that "Lulu" is Scottish! She was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie near Glasgow, and grew up in Glasgow. In America, at least, she is best known for her role in (and song) "To Sir With Love", which is a wonderful movie with Sidney Poitier and Judy Geeson.

Rosehip November & 44 weeks!

There is a beautiful song by Vashti Bunyan called "Rosehip November" Vashti Bunyan, in 1967, decided to travel north to the Isle of Skye to a supposed artists commune headed by Donovan. She bought a caravan and traveled slowly, and by the time she reached Skye, all traces of a commune, real or supposed, had vanished. But a wonderful album came from her experience: JUST ANOTHER DIAMOND DAY. She has a gentle, lyrical voice, and the songs from this album fit in with the seasons so beautifully. Obviously "Rosehip November" is an autumn song, but there's another "Come wind come rain" that is perfect for spring. And there's a haunting song at the end of the album in which she sings a verse in Gaelic.