Black & White Whisky

 Sometimes, I just receive flashes from the past and it gets stuck in my mind. For instance, I remember that in my parents' bars, when I was a kid, there was a bottle of Black&White whisky, with the very distinctive black and white dogs on the label, the black one a Scottish Terrier, the white one a West Highland White Terrier. Obviously, I was then too young to drink any, but the label caught my attention. I understand it's far from the best whisky to drink, but all the same, I am not a whisky connoisseur (I mostly drink beer) and since it appeared in a number of works, films and novels, some of which I love, I would not mind trying it. Plus, I have a bit of Scottish blood on me and the label just looks so Scottish. If anyone ever drank Black & White, tell me about your experience.

Auld Lang Syne

Happy new year to all my readers! As it is a tradition on this blog, I am sharing Auld Lang Syne. I hope you enjoy.

Baobhan Sith

For today's countdown to Halloween post, a new critter I learned about recently. In one of the pages I follow on social media, I saw this meme about the baobhan sith, a sort of Scottish fairy vampire. Read this and tell me if you find it perfectly sinister. The baobhan sith deserves to be better known and deserves to be featured in modern horror stories (is it in any?). So does Scotland, come to think of it: it's a perfect setting for scary stories. In any case, baobhan sith is the word of the day.

The Flying Scotsman's Bookmark

As you may know, I collect bookmarks. I buy them, I get them as freebies, I am always on the lookout for new bookmarks. It's a hobby like any other, but it's a practical one: it means there is always a bookmark available when I open a new book. Well always... Let's say most of the time. You can never have enough bookmarks, because too often you can end up short of bookmarks. They may be plain, they may be elegant, bookmarks are always useful. And of course, I have my favourite bookmarks. My all-time favourite, as you may remember, I bought it at the National Railway Museum in York. So when I got back there this year, I made sure to see if they had new ones in their souvenir shop. I found this one, another piece to celebrate the Flying Scotsman. I love it. So yeah,long story short, I have a new bookmark and I regret nothing.

The Flying Scotsman

I took this pic at the NRM in York. It is of course the one and only Flying Scotsman, the legendary train which is one of the museum's many, many attractions. I have been wanting to see it again and share picture of it again. So here it is. Also, we will be doing more train travels in the near(ish) future, so I thought this was as good excuse as any to post more train pictures on the blog.

Railway Bear

During our last visit to the National Railway Museum of York, we bought a new teddy bear for Wolfie's menagerie. A teddy bear designed for the 100th anniversary of the Flying Scotsman. His cap says he is the engine driver. Cool. Wolfie and I found him very cute, but my wife hesitated to buy it, because the price was rather high (£18.00). But our son used this Wolfism to end the debate: "I already gave him a kiss and a name, so it's too late mummy." So yeah, we have a new teddy bear. His name is Scotty, bu the way.

Trespass

 You may remember I blogged before about Trespass, a outdoor clothing company I discovered in the Lake District when we went there back in 2010. The company itself is from Scotland. I only ever bought one thing from it, a jumper/fleece which is now all old and wornout. I bought it to keep me warm as I had onyl packed light clothes and temperatures had dropped dramatically and unexpectedly. I am wearing it as I am typing this.Every time I put it on, I think of the Lake District. Anyway, I recently discovered that there is a Trespass shop not too far from where we live. So I might get there one day to find a new item to wear out.

Lynx in the Scottish Highlands

I just learned that four lynx have been illegally released in the Scottish Highlands. Of them, two have been recaptured. Releasing them was of coursea terrible idea, as the article explains. That said, I hope they release legally and responsibly lynx in Scotland in the future. Because it struck me that the land and the animal go well together. And this bit of news made me think of something else: I wonder if the many tales and sighting of cryptid wildcats that abound in the UK are not caused by such illegal release, accidental or intentional, of wild animals like these lynx.

For Auld Lang Syne...

Happy New year everyone! I am starting it with u Auld Lang Syne, as it is a tradition here in the UK and elsewhere.

The Weird Sisters

I am sharing another picture taken by my father during one of his walks. This time, it is three witches, who of course reminded me of the Weird Sisters in the Scottish Play. By the way, it's a great play to watch come Halloween.

"Stop for Traditional Tea"

 Before I start this post, a disclaimer: if you feel like I am obsessing about trains, you are absolutely right. I know I have been blogging directly or indirectly about trains ore often than none in the last few weeks. But I do love trains. This is a picture of one side of the tin my wife bought me for my birthday. It was filled with bags of New English Teas. I got through them quickly, but kept the tin as it is such a cool one. Anyway, I saw that even the sides were decorated and had somehting to say. During long travels, it's nice to stop at a railway station for a hot drink, especially if it is cold and wet, as it often is in this country. It's like mixing two pleasures in one.But I also love the old fashioned advertisement: "Stop  for Traditional Tea". Simple, clear, sober, yet warm and inviting.

Of Teas and Trains

 You may remember last month, when I blogged about my wife buying me for my birthday a tin box of teabags with the the Flying Scotsman on it. She bought it for the train, not the teabags, but it turned out the tea is delicious as well. So I wanted to know what brand of tea it is (lots of alliterations here). My wife found out that it was New English Teas. They also have loads of boxes like this, with other gorgeous images. That said, I don't think you can beat the Flying Scotsman. Drinking tea goes well with every mean of transport, for every journey. But it always tastes better on a train.

Tea for the Flying Scotsman

 I was spoiled for my birthday. My wife bought me this tea box, with no less than 40 sachets of tea in it. Of course, she did not buy it for the tea, but for what's on the tin. You must have recognised the Flying Scotsman. I was surprised to actually enjoy the tea, which is smooth but strong. Kind of ideal for train journeys, come to think of it. But the tin, oh the beautiful,gorgeous tin! It's like a 3D painting. When the  tea bags are all used, I will put more in it, because I'm not getting rid of that box.

Café écossais?

J'ai reçu une boîte de cadeaux divers à Noël de la part de mon employeur. Parmi tous les cossins, ce sachet de café, d'Edinburgh Tea and Coffee. Du café écossais, en somme. J'aurais préféré qu'ils m'envoient du thé de cette même compagnie. Il y avait aussi du thé ens achet, mais pas celui-là. Qu'à cela ne tienne, je vais le trouver, mais bon, c'est un autre sujet de billet (et une autre quête). J'ai donné le café à ma femme,pour le partager avec ses parents. Elle ne l'a pas encore essayé. Du café écossais, c'est juste bizarre, je dirais même incongru.

Auld Lang Syne (as always)

Happy new year everyone! As it is a tradition on this blog, I am sharing again the classic Auld Lang Syne. Which also reminds me that I have Scottish blood, so there might be something of me in this song, in a way. You tell me.

Christmas on the Flying Scotsman

I  got some great news from the Facebook page  of the National Railway Museum in York, where I found this picture: the Flying Scotsman is back in action and you can travel on it Shildon, County Durham during Christmastime. From the first of December until the 7th of January, this is Christmastime as seen in the old days. Tickets available for free(!) at Locomotion. Sadly we are just a tad too far for it, but I'll see what we can do, as this seems like a dream holiday/seasonal activity. Okay, I  promise I will not write too many Christmas posts before December, but this had to be announced.

The Flying Scotsman crashes

Sad news which I learned earlier on thanks to the National Railway Museum: the Flying Scotsman crashed today. Thankfully, there seems to be no loss of lives and only two injured. I hope they get well soon. And I also hope the Scotsman itself will get repaired properly. I don't think of train crashes, it feels almost surreal. After the plane, it is the safest way of travelling, if I'm nor mistaken. It is certainly the most pleasant and the most comfortable.

Hunting the Loch Ness Monster

 Some longtime readers may remember that when I was a child I used to be fascinated by the Loch Ness Monster. As an adult, I don' believe anymore in its existence, nevertheless I still have an interest in him, if only because of its place in the Acottish folklore. Well, Nessie may not exist, but its legend is certainly not dead: a new hunt, the biggest in the last 50 years, has recently been organised. Nearly 300 volunteers will monitor the lake and its activities. I don't think they will find anything, sadly, certainly not a long believed to be extinct dinosaur (when I was a child my money was on the plesiosaur), nevertheless it is kind of nice to know that people still chase monsters, mythical or not.

Memories of the Flying Scotsman

I found this video on the YouTube channel of the National Railway Museum of York. testimonies for the 100th anniversary of the Flying Scotsman. Maybe the coolest and greatest train in history. I found this quite touching. It speaks to me both as a train afficionado and a shameless nostalgic.

Trespass and a memory

 I like to keep old clothes and I rarely depart myself from them, even after years of wearing them. Even when they get wornout and utterly out of fashion, I keep them until they are unwearable and even a charity shop would not want them. So yesterday, it struck me that I was wearing a Trespass jumper/fleece thingie. The kind of inelegant but practical outdoorsy piece of clothes that is both comfy and sturdy. As any clothe should be. I bought the Trespass jumper in the Lake District, during the summer of 2010. It had been a hot summer and I had only packed light clothes. When temperatures dropped unexpectedly, I had to quickly buy a fleece in one of the many outdoor clothes shops that the Lake District has. I had plenty of choice. I learned preparing this post that Trespass is a Scottish company, not one from Cumbria. And I thought at the time I was buying a local product. Oh well. Be that as it may, it made me want to revisit the Lake District and revisit Scotland too.