Are we there yet?

It was finally time to give in to the season today, after being primed by the early traditional Xmas dinner by R. and Alex on Saturday, then a Hannukah night with latkes, sour cream and apple sauce and meatloaf last night at my Edinburgh folks'. There was ham mince in the meatloaf, but I think YHWH would understand. My dad wears a baseball cap to cover his head as commanded in ?Leviticus while he recites the Hebrew prayer and lights the candles on the menorah. The rest of us are exempt since we're not born of a Jewish woman- YHWH does not see us. In two or three sentences he describes the story behind Hannukah, when the lamps in the Temple had enough fuel only for one night, but lasted for eight. He uses the shammas (the caretaker) to light the other six candles, handpicked by the youngest child, wee wan. Some festive lights are now up round the bookshelves and fireplace since one can't turn back the tide of time, but I'm not putting them on the Monstera because that plant is older than my kiddos.

This Tuesday we met both the older George and Sadie's mum on the Braidburn, which was a great pleasure. They know H. as a motorbike moll, owner of Reekie, but I've yet to establish an independent identity, as I have no dog of my own. I've heard about Sadie's mum for literally years and eventually made a family connection by explaining that I was Jake's sister. That kind of kinship works down the Braidburn.

Picked up R.'s filthy virus on Saturday and needed ibuprofen to propel me uptown for Xmas shopping. Big Wan has it too. I've done extra-well for presents- a calendar of Albrecht Durer prints from R. and an Xmas cake decorated with as realistic a hellebore, mistletoe and holly as one could imagine from H.