Menokreatikkul; Saturday Stitches

Leading up to Christmas, I wanted to focus on getting some of the WIPs sorted out. (That's works in progress, for the uninitiated...)

Last winter, during my brief visit to the Hutch, I began an oversized crochet top-down project using the Squrrel Yarn I'd bought on Temu. It was bulky, made of recycled polyester, and was very easy to work with, as well as being surprisingly warm. The previous item using the blue and yellow has been enjoyed, so this time it was red and yellow. However, I didn't get beyond doing the yolk part, and it has been sitting waiting for my attention.

This was another of my 'just hook and see what happens' projects. No pattern, trusting my instincts. I wanted it to be sleeveless, just using the flow of the fabric width to form a slight cap over the shoulder. I wanted more of a tunic than a sweater, so a bit longer and looser. That said, I admit that I overcompensated the 'looser' under the arms a bit. That said, I can easily hide my hands inside if I want to... I wanted this to be my 'festive pullover', so wanted the intimation of a star up high, shepherds and sheep, or maybe a stable... or travellers with camels... does that imagination work around the hem? Kinda-sorta... and then, of course, the obligatory matching headwear!!! 

I picked up the yolk (completed only to just beginning the trunk), picked up my 10mm hook and set to on the last Advent Sunday, working like mad to have it complete for Christmas Eve. I am going to see if I can sort that excess underarm bit for next year, but otherwise, I'm quite happy about the outcome.

Menoturals; Cattle Crew

So, we begin another year of sharing Nature Fridays with the LLB gang!

As threatened promised, there now begins a series on the cattle I saw at the Westmoreland Show in September last year. It will not be anything like as populated as the sheep series was - not because of lack of interest on my part, but because there were only a few there on the first day. The main cattle show was on the second day, and I did not attend that. However, there are some mighty fine beasts to share with you here... and what better than to begin with Highland Cattle?!

These have featured here quite a bit, as they are, naturally, my favourite of all. I believe I have also told you in the past that the famous red-haired beastie that so many think of as quintessentially 'hielan' coo', is in fact a result of Queen Victoria's preference and intense breeding plans to promote dominance of the colour. In truth, the original breed came in two colours: black, mainly from the islands, and brindle/rust, from the mainland. That rust in the brindle is what was desired, so crossing in from Hereford cattle enhanced the ginger tones, bringing us the much-favoured red cattle we all know and love. Now, it is not uncommon to also find 'blondes'!

While a gathering of cattle is referred to as a herd, for the Highlands, the term fold is used. It dates back to the original crofting practices of protecting the cattle with circular stone walls into which one 'folded' the cattle. It is not wrong to refer to a group of Highland cattle as a herd - but it would be wrong to use the term fold for any other than Highlands.

Here is a drop-dead gorgeous bull displaying the pure brindle colouring.

As cute as they look, like all true Scots, you need to approach them with respect! Handled with quiet calmness, confident but gentle touch, no surprises, and regular routines, they can become quite 'petted'. However, they are also highly independent, can be stubborn to the point of damming rivers, and, as has been observed about many a Taurean, can charge at unexpected moments. Learn when to push, and know when to just let them get on with it.

Menobernating; Courie Doon

To courie doon (Scots) or còsagach (Scottish Gaelic) is the Scottish equivalent of the Danish hygge, Welsh cwtch, Japanese ikigai... just about every culture has a word for that snuggling in for comfort and familiarity. Here in the northern regions, it's also akin to ideas of hibernation, or at least the desire to hibernate!

Often it pertains to having company, but one can courie doon just fine on one's own. It tends to be my preference for the festive season.

Christmas Eve, I sat through to 2 a.m. on the main day, as I watched in the early evening a couple of the Christmas specials of some favourite shows as well as the truly excellent Sir David Attenborough doing what he alone does best...

Yes, I was working the timelines... more on that in due course! Later in the evening, I observed the midnight mass, broadcast from Cambridge. The music was sublime, the choir excellent, and the words meaningful.

What does a little old veggo lady eat for her festive meal? Tattie and parsnip mash, Brussels sprouts, soy sausages, barley gravy and cranberry sauce. It may not look all that fancy, but let me assure you, it was absolutely delicious, and was followed by stewed plums and custard. I was perfectly satisfied!

That was a festive paper plate underneath - in place of having crackers and paperhats. It also saved the plate for a second use later in the day and thus cut down on washing up!

On Christmas night, I had an hour on video chat with the siblings - ain't tech wonderful for that sort of thing? 

Then came Hogmanay, and that too was spent with yarn, festive watching and listening, enjoying the BBC Alba ceilidh, and noting the turn of the calendar by sending out first-foot messages to the sibs. 

Leading up to Christmas, The Hutch had been burning a lot of light due to the deep, dark blanket cloud that blocked all sense of daylight... on Boxing Day, the weather changed dramatically. Although it had been gloomy, it had also been comparatively warm, almost in double figures some days. Now, with the almost cloudless skies and blazing sun, the temperatures bombed. Frosts are the order of the mornings this first week of the year, and I believe a little up the road from here, snow is making a nuisance of itself. Here by the Clyde, snow is a rare thing indeed. 

Thus, 2026 arrived, and life continues as it must. If only the news had changed as the weather did, with a deep cooling off. Sadly, instead, it seems the heat is being turned up. Let all of us, in our own way, create what peace we can. Let's see if we can make it infectious to the point of pandemic proportions...