Year in Books 2016/2017 and Burns.

During 2016 I took part in the Year in Books organised by Laura at Circle of Pine Trees, with the aim of reading at least one book per month. Before I reveal whether I achieved my target, there are 4 books to show you which I didn't get around to reviewing.

The first, read in September, is The bookshop on Rosemary Lane by Ellen Berry which was given to me as a birthday present. It's the story of Della who decides to open a bookshop selling cookery books with the books she inherits from her mother. As the book opens, she is struggling with a purpose in life: her mother has just died, she's bored with her job, her marriage is failing and her daughter is just about to go off to university. It sounded like just my kind of thing - bookshops, cooking, what's not to like? A shame then that I found it all a bit disappointing and cliched.

October was the only month I didn't manage to complete a whole book, though I did read a couple of short stories. I'd deliberately saved The mistletoe bride and other haunting tales by Kate Mosse to read during the spookiest of months. I usually love her books but, to be honest, the two I read, both based on the mistletoe bride folktale, were a bit average. What I did like were the author's notes saying where she got her inspiration or some anecdote around the writing of the story. I'll probably save it and read the other stories this October.

Thankfully, November proved to be much better with The ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman. Here's some blurb from the back cover:

'An ancient little girl, and an old woman who saw the moon being made; a beautiful housekeeper with a monstrous smile; and dark forces woken that were best left undisturbed'.

Clearly it's a fantasy novel, though set in the near past, and narrated by a man looking back at events from his childhood. I really enjoyed this one and will be looking out for more by Neil Gaiman (the film Stardust, based on one of his novels, is one of my favourites).

However, the best was yet to come in December with The snow child by Eowyn Ivey. It's the story of Jack and Mabel who are struggling to make a living in Alaska in the 1920s. They moved to this remote area to escape the tragedy of losing a baby and the resulting childlessness. Their lives change when a small girl appears by their cabin the night after they build a snow girl.

I loved this one! I've always been fascinated by the pioneer experience so enjoyed that aspect of the story. The characters were very well drawn and made you care about them. And the descriptions of the Alaskan wilderness were magical. A great end to the year.

So, did I meet my target? Well, I initially set out to read a book a month but was amazed to find I actually managed 21!

Actually, make that 21 and a half. I started out reading this one, month by month, but then forgot about it! I'll have to pick it up again this year.

Am I going to continue with the challenge? Well, I signed up on Goodreads to read at least 10 books. I probably would have been more ambitious if I'd realised what my 2016 total had been! I definitely plan to keep working through my stash which continues to grow rather than reduce! I'm not sure whether I'll stick to the structure of month-by-month posts though but will let you know my progress.

Onto 2017 then. My January pick, which I'm reading at the moment is The box garden by Carol Shields.  I've read quite a few of her books so my expectations are high.

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Tonight is my annual Burns Night dinner with my friends Sue and Gordon. I'll be following the usual running order which I've written about here and here and the 'highland games' from here.

New this year is pin-the-tail-on-the haggis (image from here). And I might show this YouTube video.

Whatever happens, I know it'll be great fun. There's still lots to do, so I bid you 'Soraidh' (farewell) and 'Lang may yer lum reek! ('live long and prosper!). xx

Feeling the Burn(s)

Yesterday was my annual Burns Night supper. My friend Gordon is Scottish and it also happens to be his birthday the week before, so it's become a tradition for him, his wife and son to come over to celebrate.

I always try to do something new and, this time, I found some printable flags from Activity Village and made some bunting to hang on the mantelpiece and decorations to stick in the dessert. We also indulged in my version of a Tartan Trembler cocktail - one measure of whisky and campari shaken with ice, topped up with Irn Bru (made in Scotland from gir-ders, as the ad used to say!).

We follow the traditional Burns Night running order which you can read about on my previous post. You'll also see there the tartan shirt I wear every year as it's the only vaguely Scottish thing I own!

The main course has to be haggis, neeps (swede) and tatties (potatoes). I tried a new recipe for the swede, roasting it in olive oil, honey, cumin seeds and mild chilli powder - yum! Will definitely be making that one again.

Another yum for the dessert, Black Forest cranachan. Layers of chocolate coated, toasted oats, cherries and cream. Best to take it out of the fridge half an hour before serving though as the oats do set quite solidly in the bottom of the glass!

And no Burns Night is complete without some activities. There was a word search (again from Activity Village)...

...tossing the caber pencil. Balance the pencil on your finger on the floor, then flick it up and see how far it can go.

And our favourite, potting the haggis ie throwing furry pom-poms into a flower pot. As popular as ever though some of the competitors seemed to lack concentration.

To finish, a spot of Burns conga around the living room to that classic, Doon in the wee room, before settling down to watch a DVD. I do enjoy Burns Night - it's one of my favourite nights of the year :)

Today I tried to work off some of the haggis with my new exercise regime. I'm easily bored so I'm following a plan which involves lots of different exercises and you don't spend more than 2 minutes on any of them.

Meet the Home Jules gym:
Chair - for doing squats. Stand in front of it and bend to sit, standing up as soon as your bum hits the seat.
Step - for stepping up and down, or for tapping your feet against (the bottom step of some stairs would do fine).
Weights - for lifting your arms in various directions.
Yoga mat - press-ups, leg lifts, side plank, reverse curls and a few yoga poses for good measure.
Hula hoop - to give that tummy more of a workout - mine needs one!

I should add that I'm only a week into it so it's early days and I'm taking it at a steady pace. Feel the (slow) burn!

We're also trying to eat a bit healthier though that goes astray with things like Burns Night! This afternoon I made me and Chickpea a Mexican Hot Chocolate which has almond milk, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. So far so good. Until I added a dollop of cream left over from last night. Hmm, must try harder! Though it did make it luscious.

I'm also still doing the kirigami and will be updating you on progress soon - this one is from last Monday.

Well, time to heat up those Burns leftovers. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. x

Burns Night 2015

The arrival of the haggis

Today is the birthday of the poet, Robert Burns, and all over Scotland and the rest of the world, people will be gathering to celebrate his life and poetry. My friend Gordon is Scottish and it's now become an annual tradition to invite him and his wife and son over for Burns Night.

I've written about how we celebrated in 2013 and 2014 and, last night, we followed pretty much the same running order. However, this year I decided to add a couple of Highland Games to the entertainment.

First up was Tossing the Caber. Balance the caber on your finger on the floor, then flick it up and see how far it can go. It was hard to tell who was most competitive, adults or children.

Next was Potting the Haggis.

I was only able to get baby haggis. Like all youngsters, they're very lively and each one quivered with anticipation on my hand, waiting for the moment it could launch itself towards the flower pot. The person who could get the most haggis in the pot was the winner.

What, you didn't know that haggis are small and furry creatures? Ha, ha! Neither did Gordon's 7-year-old son who was fascinated with the quivering ball of fluff on my hand. 'Is it real, is it real?' he kept asking from the safety of his mum's side. Of course, I eventually had to confess it was just a furry pom-pom which used to hang from a woolly hat but it did make us all laugh!

Next celebration will be St Patrick's Day. Now, where can I get a couple of leprechauns...

Enjoy what remains of the weekend. xx

Burns Night 2014

Last night I hosted a Burns Night supper for our friends, Sue and Gordon and their son. If you've been reading this blog a while, you'll know I did the same last year. It was a real success and, as Sue has mentioned it several times over the last 12 months, I invited them over again.

I did suggest doing 'Burns Night Lite' but no, it had to be exactly the same. Well, exactly the same would be a bit dull so I kept the traditional running order but changed some of the entertainment.

One of my new elements was the decoration. I bought a metre of tartan fabric to make a tablecloth and added the purple and silver accessories which I already owned.

On arrival, the adults were served my version of a Loch Ness Mystery cocktail (whisky, apricot brandy, lemon juice, orange juice and lime juice).

Then onto the main festivities, starting with the Piping in of the Guests to the sound of bagpipes and a marching band.

The Selkirk Grace

Before the arrival of the food, a short prayer was offered, in best Scottish accent.

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it,
But we hae meat and we can eat,
And sae the Lord be thankit.

Piping in of the Haggis

The haggis was brought in to the sound of the national anthem, Scotland the Brave, and paraded around the table.

Address to the Haggis

Sue read the Burns poem, Address to a Haggis, and Gordon plunged in the knife at these immortal words,

Cut you up wi' ready sleight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright

The meal

As well as the haggis, I served the traditional accompaniment of neeps and tatties: potatoes with honey and pepper roasted white turnip and chantenay carrots. There'll be more information about the potato dish in due course as the recipe was part of my Cookery Book Challenge.

Entertainment and Dessert

Before dessert it was time for some entertainment. Of course there had to be a reading of a poem by Burns (John Anderson, my Jo) and music with a Scottish flavour. 

With a 7 year old present, I was really pleased to find Kilts and Stilts from Veggie Tales. And we all laughed and sang along to Ye Canny Shove Yer Granny Aff a Bus before a rousing rendition of the traditional Skye Boat Song, which I remember learning at school. Finally, by popular demand from last year, we finished with Doon in the wee room.

Dessert was another traditional offering, cranachan.

Auld Lang Syne

Last but not least, with words by Robert Burns we held hands and sang along tunelessly to Auld Lang Syne, backed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and chorus.

And thus concluded our Burns Supper. 

The meal over, we headed out to the garden to wave around a few sparklers, before retreating to the living room for the DVD of Brave.

We had such a good time that Sue is now planning an English evening for St George's Day and I already had in mind something Welsh for an event later in the year. I think this is the start of a trend!

Yesterday I noticed that Shortbread and Ginger is hosting a Big Bloggy Burns Supper so I'm linking up with all those celebrating around the world :)

Burns Night Supper

Robert Burns by Alexander Nasmyth

Today is the birthday of the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, and all over Scotland and parts of the world with Scottish connections, people will be gathering to celebrate his life and poetry. These gatherings are known as Burns Nights or Burns Suppers.

As our friend, Gordon, is Scottish, and it was his birthday recently, we invited him, Sue and their little boy over for a night of food and entertainment (though for scheduling reasons we celebrated last weekend).

They arrived dressed for the occasion: Gordon in tartan pyjama bottoms and Sue in a handmade sporran!

And so to the festivities. Formal Burns Suppers have a traditional running order and I adapted this one from the BBC web site.

Piping in of the guests

With the meal ready to be served, our guests were invited into the dining room to the sound of bagpipes. Well, you can't have a Scottish celebration without bagpipes!

The Selkirk Grace

Before the arrival of the food, a short prayer was offered, in best Scottish accent.

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

And sae the Lord be thankit.

Piping in of the Haggis

The haggis was brought in on a 'silver' platter to the sound of the national anthem, Scotland the Brave, and paraded around the table.

Haggis is a national delicacy and is basically pig offal, oats and rusk cased in pig stomach, though ours was cased in plastic. They can be microwaved, baked or steamed. I chose the latter so it could be kept in the casing for the next important element. I'm guessing that some of you reading this will be thinking 'bleurghh', but it's actually very tasty!

Address to the Haggis

Gordon read the Burns poem, Address to a Haggis, and I plunged in the knife at these immortal words,

'Cut you up wi' ready sleight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright'

I have to tell  you that the entrails really did gush! As soon as the knife went in, the contents erupted through the hole!

Toast to the Haggis

A short toast with a wee dram of Crabbies Green Ginger Mac, a blend of ginger wine and whisky. Yum! I  usually can't stand whisky but this was delicious.

The meal

As well as the haggis, I served the other traditional accompaniment, neeps and tatties, otherwise known as potatoes and swede, using this recipe. Plus chantenay carrots and gravy.

Entertainment

After the main course, it was time for some appreciation of the works of Burns. Gordon read his poem, My luve is like a red red rose, and we listed to a rendition of Rantin' Rovin' Robin.

Toast to the Laddies and the Lassies

We raised our glasses to salute first the gentlemen present and then the ladies.

Dessert

Not at all Scottish, but Sue brought chocolate cake so we ate that with cream. A more traditional offering would be cranachan or clootie pudding. We listened to some classic tunes such as (our favourite) Doon in the wee room  and Donald, where's yer troosers.

Auld Lang Syne

Words by Robert Burns and probably his most famous though, luckily, I'd printed out the lyrics as no-one really knows the words! We held hands and sang along to the the tune everyone will recognise from New Year's Eve celebrations, backed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra and chorus. However, I wanted to share this hauntingly beautiful version with you which Chickpea and I haven't been able to get out of our heads.

And thus concluded our Burns Supper. The meal over, we retreated to the living room for one last dose of Scottishness: the DVD of Brave.

I hope you enjoyed the Home Jules version of a Burns Supper. We had a great time and laughed a lot. Maybe it's time to introduce Supper nights to honour other national poets? Which poet would you choose and what would you include?