Page 11 - James Pirie News

Some people are cat people and some are all for dogs, but I like both of them and cats are our enigmatic friends. And they can become famous like the Downing Street cat Larry or the Edinburgh moggie Hugo who was run over by a hit and run driver two years ago in the capital’s west end.

Now there are plans to memorialise Hugo in bronze and have him become the 16^th animal sculpture in Old Reekie. The...

Now regular readers of this blog will know I live beside the sea and conduct a friendly war against seagulls which can make life difficult, or if not difficult at least messy. As you can see from the picture above there is a pair on our roof-light. The missus has just spent £99 on a seagull audio deterrent, but it comes with a warning that they are monstrously clever and very adaptive. I think we know...

Have you seen an aspen? I have. I just have to walk down to the edge of the garden and we have an aspen sleeper wall. But it is American aspen not Scottish aspen. It’s one of the UK’s rarest trees and experts are planning to repopulate the nation with this lovely grey tree. They used to be fairly common and were spread across all the upland parts of the country, but loss of habitat and the general...

Oh dear just as I’m getting used to the world turned upside down there  comes along another idea and my head spins again. I am in control of my emotions on the threat to invade Greenland. I can get to grips with the latest tourism offer of trips to famine ridden, despotic North Korea announced this week. I sort of understand the reason why Kanye West got his wife Bianca Censori to pop off her fur...

There’s just a few days left before Valentine’s Day on February 14 so after you’ve read this blog there are some suggestions below for great gifts for your loved one.

And if you are a regular reader you’ll know that not only is there a new guy in the White House in Washington with a Scots mum and he’s a demon for trade restrictions.  But there’s always been one trade restriction that has stuck in...

It’s very shortly Valentine’s Day and I have to remind everyone that James Pirie is an excellent place for a quality gif for that very special day, but I must admit I have been distracted by flying nuisances, Seagulls: Or more specifically a pair of them.

Now as regular readers of this blog will know I live next to the sea and the house resounds often to the call of the gull. Now most birds are tough...

Happy Burns Night to One and All

And There's a Hand, My Trusty Fere!

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

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...

January 25^th Celebrates the Nation’s Favourite

When Robert Burns died in 1796 the loss was so great that after a few years his friends would gather for a commemorative supper on his birthday and so one of the longest lasting traditions of the nation began. I’ve been casting around locally for a Burns Supper, because as long time readers will know we haven’t been in the current house for very long...

If you want to have that Burns Night experience throughout the winter, but without the enormous calories intake can I make a little suggestion? Once upon a time I did cooking for a living, I was very young, but the habit has stuck and I do almost all the cooking in our household, and I love making soup in winter. It’s such a warmer in the dreich.  So why not try your hand at neeps and tatties soup...

How to make Clootie Puddie

Now despite the word clootie meaning cloth I prefer to make the recipe in a basin rather than in a cloth.  So I guess I am a heretic.  It takes a short time to prepare, less than half an hour, but an age to cook, over three hours, but it will feed a house full. And of course it’s not really suitable for vegetarians. Unless you replace the beef suet with a veggie alternative...