Monday, December 07, 2015

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.

5 comments:

  1. Stooshie is a cool word--uproar? Upset? I live about 7 minutes away from work over country roads, so my commute is never stressful unless I get behind a school bus. I'm usually so early to work that it happens rarely. :)

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  2. Oh gosh, Isabelle, I've been thinking about you since I read that news, what a pain, especially commuting. When I was young we took the ferry, which I loved, but much slower to get across. My uncle worked for the civil engineers that built at least part of the bridge......sorry.

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  3. Anonymous1:41 pm

    Would it be possible to reinstate the ferry, perhaps? It must be dreadful for regular users.

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  4. At least there is solace in a seasalt chocolate tree. Many things around us this winter are too big for our heads. My head is undoubtedly too small for such things. I have very fond memories of your bridge; the last one involves getting utterly lost in the centre of Edinburgh (it's a long story) and eating far, far too late back where we started.

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  5. Oh Wow! I can't imagine what a mess that closed bridge must be creating. Might be good business if you own a boat LOL!

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