Robbie Burns Night

We met 3 friends at the local restaurant for "Burns Night".  The haggis was escorted into the restaurant by a piper and the poem "Address To A Haggis" was read.  We toasted the haggis with a "wee dram of scotch" and ate our Cock-a-Leekie Soup (sorry I didn't get a picture of the chicken soup with leeks, but it was tasty).  We had a choice of Haggis Stuffed Chicken Breast topped with scotch whiskey gravy, neeps and tatties (potatoes and turnip cooked together and mashed) and veggies, or a Haggis and Roast Beast (beef) Dinner served with scotch whiskey gravy, neeps and tatties and vegetables.  The beef was very thinly sliced and heaped up to kind of look like a flower...sorry I started to eat before I thought of taking the picture!  For dessert we had Rum Raisin Bread Pudding served with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. 

While we were eating there was a group playing and singing.  We had so much fun and the food was so good we're talking about going again next year...we even liked the haggis...it was different,..the texture was kind of like liverwurst, but quite tasty...of course I think the scotch gravy might have had something to do with that!! The haggis is the little meatball looking thing in the front center of the plate and the beef looked prettier before I started to take it apart to eat it.

 

update

We had a wonderful Christmas!  The new house is lovely for entertaining!  We had 16 people from our senior's group at church come for a pot-luck luncheon and by putting a portable table at the end of the dining room table, had enough room for everyone to sit down and eat.  We put all the food on the kitchen island and it worked out perfectly.  We basically did the same thing Christmas Eve when the family were here for dinner.

The new house is feeling more and more like "home" now.  We're attending a church and joined a secular "Food & Friends" senior's group...we meet twice a month at a local restaurant and have lunch and sometimes there's a speaker or some "quizzes" to do...it's fun and we've met new people, which is good because I've been feeling rather "disconnected" since we moved out here.

There's 3 things I've always wanted to do but never got around to doing them. 

1. Twelve years ago with took the ALPHA course and started attending church.  I always wanted to take that course again because I was in a totally different mindset 12 years ago.  Our new church announced they were going to run ALPHA, so last night we had our first session.

2.  I always wanted to go to Robbie Burns night.  Next week a local restaurant is having a "Robbie  Burns Night", so we made reservations!

3.  I always wanted to give blood.  Sunday we went past the community center and saw the sign saying they had a clinic the day before.  I phoned, then looked it up online and there'll be another clinic mid March.  Because of my age I have to get the Dr.'s permission, so I'll probably be giving blood!!!

Christmas Decorations

Ready for Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving

We have so much to be thankful for in good times and the bad, but it's good to have a day when we can really think about how much we have here as compared to other countries, especially things like the freedoms we have, health care, quality of life and so many other blessings.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Anniversary Gift

We decided that with moving we did not have the time or energy to plan a trip or have a big party to celebrate our 50th anniversary, so instead we decided to have the kids in for dinner and we would buy a big TV for downstairs.  We had put the little TV there when we moved in, simply because that was the safest place to put it.  The pictures I took makes it look like the little TV went on steroids.

Anniversary

It was 50 years ago today that I married the man of my dreams.  Sure there's been a few nightmares along the way, but basically it was the best decision I've ever made!  This morning #2 daughter phoned to wish us a Happy Anniversary and she mentioned that I hadn't killed him yet...I told her there were a couple of questionable times during this moving bit, that came pretty close!!!! lol

We've had a wonderful day and had lots of greeting and well wishes from some dear friends...we are so very blessed!!

Good Friends

We've been in a quandary as to which church we want to attend out here.  They each have pros and cons. Today we attended church where our former pastor is lead pastor.  We went there a couple weeks ago but he was on holidays so the associate pastor preached...he was very good, but we were looking forward to hearing Tim today, he didn't disappoint us!  His sermon was on "Wives & Husbands" Ephesians 5:21-33, which was ironic because this week we'll be celebrating our 50th anniversary.  There was one couple in the congregation that had just celebrated their 63rd and today it was the 23rd anniversary of the associate pastor and his wife!

After the service we were invited for lunch at the home of a lady we know from our old church.  There were two other couples  there from the church and it was not only a delicious lunch but we got to visit with and catch up.  After lunch one of the ladies presented us with a perpetual calendar with bible verses on every day, and an anniversary card.  She remembered our anniversary, which was really touching!