What happens in Nellie’s stays in Nellie’s. The Elephant and Castle public house in High Street, Dumbarton, and some others with elephant connections. Hat tip to Carolynn Bowman, who was a fan of the old pub, which was a favourite for Christmas and New Year celebrations in days gone by.
“It’s absolutely wrong that the children of our armed service men and women face barriers in education. The Liberal Democrats want to remedy that through a new Armed Forces Pupil Premium so that those young people can get the extra help they need with their mental health as well as their work.
Raise a glass today for our great friend Dan Lynch who died on this day, Christmas Day, in 2012. We had some great times together. RIP
This time of year always reminds me of my father’s annual ritual of sending out Christmas cards. Every December, he approached the task with the rigour and planning of a small military operation. First, and most importantly, was the drawing up of the list – each year, the backbone of old friends, extended family, fellow writers and colleagues would be added to, to include new people he had met over the previous twelve months.
One side of the potato-pits was white with frost –
How wonderful that was, how wonderful!
And when we put our ears to the paling-post
The music that came out was magical.
I was lucky to spend a few wonderful days with friends in the Haut Languedoc. It’s a quieter corner of France. Stunning mountains with dramatic rock escarpments, beautiful medieval villages with rivers running through them, lush vineyards yielding robust reds and vibrant rosés and mystifyingly, a Scottish person round every corner who has made a home and a life here. I can see some similarity with Scotland, and certainly the appeal.
