Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter with their families.

Do you have any Valentine’s Day traditions? Will you give or receive flowers, chocolates or other candy? Are you in the early stage of your relationship like the “young love” couple below?

Or are you in the “lasting love” stage like these folks?

Our Burns Supper, like usual, is far from the traditional version. Yes, we have haggis, champit tatties and bash-ed neeps and whisky but that’s where the similarities end. We don’t toast his immortal memory, no toast to the lads or lassies.

We do, however, have someone recite at least a portion of Address to a Haggis. This year was my turn to do the honours. So in my best Scottish accent, I muddled my way through. It was a good thing I had printed it out beforehand. My husband was the ‘official’ photographer and he managed to get a few pictures of us before we got too ‘fu’.

We were five for dinner – my husband, son, grandson, girlfriend and me and enough food for an army. Well, at least enough that I don’t have to cook tonight. Lots of leftovers.

Our wee haggis, aka “guest of honour” was a tiny wee thing – probably about the size of a hardball used in major league baseball, if not a bit smaller. Well, I cut him up with ready slight, and as I finished reading Burns’ Address to the Haggis, poured a wee bit of The Glenlivet over him. Yum!

Despite the fact none of us wore any tartan, in addition to the food, there was a Scottish flair to the evening. Tartan napkins, my good tartan China, and my Clan Robertson placemats and coasters.

Before the end of the evening, bottles of Oban and Glenmorangie, joined in the festivities, but they didn’t stay long. It was The Glenlivet who was still around at the end when we decided to call it a night around midnight.

And to all my Scottish friends and family…

Happy Hogmanay!

I spent the second last night of 2011 in the best way possible. My girlfriend from South Wales arrived in Canada just before Christmas and is staying with her cousin. We’d talked all along that we must find time to meet up somewhere between where we live and her cousin’s home. Last night was the night! We decided to meet at a restaurant in Cornwall, ON. What fun! I can’t believe we’d not been together since 2005! First us at her cozy bungalow in late June and then she came to us (her first trip to Canada no less) that October.

But back to last night… it was wonderful to see her again. Our rendez vous was at Kelsey’s on Brookdale Avenue at 6-ish. I was afraid when we arrived we’d have a long wait because no one had made reservations and the car park was packed. They had arrived before us and when I told the girls at the hostess station we were meeting friends and didn’t know if they were there yet. She asked us if our last name was King and immediately took us to the table. Once I got around the corner, I immediately saw Anne at the table and rushed to see her. Her cousin took many pictures of her and I together, some with my husband, too, and her daughter took one of my husband and I together. I must get them to e-mail the photos to me.

The food and service were excellent but what impressed me the most was they had their menu available in Braille! You see my friend, Anne, is blind.

Long after we’d paid the bill, we were still sat around the table laughing and talking. Our waitress came back once and asked if she could get us coffee or soft drinks and there was no problem with us staying there and being silly longer. Finally between 9:30 and 10:00 we bid our farewells and made our way back home.

What will my plans be for tonight? After last night, it’s going to be hard to top so I don’t think I’m going to try. Still, I have nibbles in the freezer that can be warmed up and champagne chilling to wash them down. So that will be this afternoon then a glass or two of bubbly tonight. And if I can get a streaming webcam facing the right direction, I’ll watch the New Year arrive in Edinburgh or Glasgow or some other city in Scotland.

I hope Anne enjoys her first New Years in Canada as she has her Christmas. Cheers my friend and Happy Hogmanay!

SHOULD auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

Chorus.—For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!
And surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae run about the braes,
And pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a
weary fit,
Sin’ auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
Sin’ auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
For auld, &c.

Robert Burns

Another Christmas has come and gone. The next big thing on the calendar is New Years. So do you make resolutions? Better yet, if you do, do you keep them? Do you go out and celebrate New Years Eve?

Here, where I live, they have concerts in the churches beginning early in the evening and continuing to “the hour”. I’ve watched the celebrations online in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and London and on those nights I’ve managed to stay awake, the big “do” in Time Square in New York City, and in Toronto. This year’s celebrations in Niagara Falls look like they’ll be quite interesting. There’s only been one year in my memory that my town did anything huge for New Years and that was 1999 when we were flipping into 2000. For the entire year, a countdown clock had been affixed to one of the downtown stores, then on the big night, a ball was raised down at the waterfront followed by fireworks. It was a fun night.

If this year is like any other, we’ll stay in, maybe watch a movie and be in bed long before midnight.