Day 7 of Advent, chocolate and other matters

I'm kind of hiding from the fact that it's coming up for Christmas and I should perhaps do a bit more to prepare for this. Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll think seriously about it. Tomorrow I'll make the Christmas cakes. Yes, I know they're supposed to be made months in advance but I never do and it never seems to make any difference. I might also write some letters and cards. I will also think about presents.

In fact, I do need to be a bit more organised about presents since none of the offspring will be here... though in fact that maybe means I can be a bit less organised, since none of them will be here... and we might just do a post-Christmas Christmas.

We've mainly given Son and Daughter-in-Law their presents already, mind you, since we won't see them at Christmas and are unlikely to see them between now and then. Apart from anything else, the road bridge over the River Forth, which is between them and us, has developed faults and is to be closed till next year (and who knows when next year?) This is causing HUGE disruption for people who live on one side and work on the other, as well as for the distribution of goods and for people who want to visit friends and family. There are other bridges but they're considerably further upstream.

There has been, as we say in Scotland, a tremendous stooshie about this. The SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party, who're in charge) is said to have been cost-cutting and ignoring the reports of stress on the metalwork of the bridge.

One certainly wouldn't like to be plunged into the icy waters far beneath.

When I was a girl, there was no road bridge, only a rail bridge and a small car ferry. Thus people didn't make that journey much by car. Once the bridge was built, of course far more people used it than had been expected and thus it's now wearing out. They're building another one but it's not nearly finished yet. It's all interesting and - though not so much for us - somewhat trying.