It's Christmas time...

Yes, really, it is finally almost upon us. The shops may have been telling us since September, but with 2 weeks to go, I think it's reasonable to say now that it's very nearly Christmas.

As they say, Christmas comes but once a year, and I'm sure I'm not the only one that is thinking, thank heavens for that. For me, it's the fact that I haven't got my Christmas shopping under control yet that's panicking me. For others, I know it's the whole family/work/life juggling to get ready for the Christmas festivities that causes no end of stress. Sadly, for still others, it's the loneliness of loss or the fear of violence that can make this time of year hard to bear.

We all rush around at this time of year - visiting family, seeing friends, buying gifts, making and eating delicious food,going to church, giving thanks - just to make the holiday perfect. It does make me wonder why we have to save it all up - why don't we make more effort to keep in touch throughout the year, why do we need special occasions to tell people we love and care about them? Why can't we do that every day?

And with that, I'm off to brave Stirling shops again to see if I can break the back of my own personal Christmas stress factor. Yesterday's Farmers Market got me some of the way there, off to see if the independent traders are open today for round two!! I may not be managing to keep away from the big corporate fraud completely, but I'm doing my best to shop local, shop small, and when I can, shop handmade.

Wonderland

Yesterday turned out to be a wonderland in so many ways - a trip to Edinburgh, pampering, shopping, fun, culture, coffee, wine, great company. What's not to like?

I was due in town for a haircut and as luck would have it I was able to persuade my partner in crime to accompany me. We did some shopping - yes, I even managed to get my Christmas gift buying started - and then explored the Christmas markets before heading on to the newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery for a quick look.  After that it was the hairdresser's for me and more shopping for Frances, followed by more coffee, a quick file and polish and some wine before heading back home to Stirling.

I even managed to get closer to confirming arrangements to meet up with a friend at Christmas, so happy day all round really. The only fly in the ointment was that our other friend wasn't able to join us in our crimes. Maybe next time?

When in Sicily....

...eat cannoli! Oh well, if you insist.

As my regular reader will know, I made it to Sicily last night after a lengthy, not very luxurious but strangely deeply enjoyable train journey. With the whole boat on the train thing too. I'm here, the sun is shining, the sea is sparkling and life is good. Finally the neverending and overwhelming noise of Rome has been replaced by the much quieter and more sedate pace of life that is Taormina. Not that Taormina completely escapes the tourists since it's a popular stop for the cruise ships but there's nowhere near as many of them here and they seem somehow quieter, less in your face.

The other difference here is that, unlike Rome and other big cities, it doesn't take long to find areas with no or very few other people. In big cities, deserted streets and back lanes are not the friend of the solo traveller, but in small towns like this, they are a godsend. A place to escape the clamour, to drink in the atmosphere, to explore and savour, to discover and learn, to find the small, quiet details that really bring a place to life.

Taormina itself is a strange set of contradictions - a place of ostentatious wealth, with numerous designer shops filling the main drag down the Corso Umberto whilst in the back streets it's much more down at heel. Sicily, like much of the rest of southern Europe suffers from continuing poverty and deprivation. Unemployment is high and apparently there is still a significant brain drain of skilled young people from the island to mainland Italy in search of work that pays more than the local tourism and agricultural economies can do.

It's a mix of old and new too - with the Greek Amphitheatre and the many emerging modern apartment blocks in similar states of unfinished-ness, but for very different reasons. The otherwise idyllic view from my breakfast terrace here at my hotel is slightly spoilt by the building work that's going on and any view south from the town will include at least one crane with various lumps of concrete or bits of steel dangling from it.

Finally, Taormina is a mix of refined and wild, surf and turf, beach and mountain. The town is dominated by the smoking cone of Mount Etna, one of Italy's remaining active volcanoes - and my destination for tomorrow. Unfortunately I'd wanted to book the Saturday trip, leaving as it does at a slightly more respectable 8.30 am but the weather, I was advised, is due to be poor on Saturday - a quick check confirms that snow is forecast for the summit! - so instead I'm booked for tomorrow's 7.00am tour by way of some gorge or other, a train around the foot of Etna before heading on to the summit via cable car, bus, jeep and foot. Fingers crossed it lives up to my expectations!

I guess I'd better go and stock up on food now. It looks like being a long day as well as an early start, and I don't want to be hungry, do I?!

Shiny new shoes

I am being sensible as a mark of respect to my forthcoming running challenge and only wearing flat shoes between now and 2nd October. And I don't even mean flat for me, I mean completely flat.

Those who know me well will realise what a sacrifice that is for me. But you will also know that it can only serve as an excuse to buy myself new shoes. Which I did and here they are!

Good old Clarks and their next day delivery option!

Just because I'm wearing flats, there's no reason not to be stylish or just that little bit kooky.

Art for art's sake

Yesterday was supposed to be a trip up to Grouse Mountain to go downhill (as opposed to cross-country) skiing but Beautiful British Columbia has reverted back to normal winter weather (ie raining/sleeting) and since I refuse to ski in anything that resembles traditional Scottish skiing conditions, we had to find something else to do instead.

And that something else was visiting Vancouver Art Gallery. It's somewhere I've been meaning to visit for the last few times I've been over here but the closest big sis and I had got before yesterday was a yummy lunch in the cafe.  We did that again yesterday but we also managed to get into the exhibitions as well. There were 2 amazing ones in particular - a massive one detailing the work of photographer Robert Adams, with over 300 of his photographs, the main theme of which seemed to be the interplay between man and the environment - with the environment not really coming out on top; and a deeply disturbing piece of conceptual art called Waste Not, which involved the artist laying out the entire contents of his mother's pack-rat collection of junk and ephemera for the world to see. Definitely not one for the faint-hearted or the neat freaks, although it was all very neatly arranged. There was also an exhibition of art featuring Everyday Objects but by that time I'd overloaded on modern art and it was time to go.

To be fair, if I'd wanted just to see art I wouldn't have needed to leave the house. My sister is a very talented jewellery and fibre artist in her own right. Currently she's preparing for 2 exhibitions - a group one (Roots) starting later this month and then a solo exhibition at Port Moody Art Gallery in April.

She's also just gone back to school after (hem, hem) 20+ years to try to meld her more recently acquired skills and interests with her former/formal scientific training. Her first day was on Tuesday and she looked quite the part, even if she wasn't quite sure if she felt it or not.

On top of all of this, she's also a Mum to a Little Person. Personally, I don't know how she does it. I have enough trouble getting my shit life together and it's just me!! Oh, and she has a PhD as well. As you might have gathered, I'm pretty proud of my big sister.

As for today, well it's raining again, big sis is back at school, I head back to the UK tomorrow so for now I'm just mooching around Newport Village and Suter Brook, browsing the shops and testing the free WiFi spots. A last relax before the return journey to reality - and my 2011 missions.

Meanwhile, I mustn't forget the eggs!

If life gives you oranges...

...you'd better just make marmalade!

I've been wandering round Seville for two and a half days now and seeing orange trees everywhere, sadly too late for the orange blossom, which must be amazing. But it's only today that I put two and two together - oranges, Seville oranges, marmalade - doh! I guess there wasn't really anything else they could do with them all was there? Apart from make wine, that is! Many of the bars here advertise that they sell Vino de Naranja (oranges) but when I asked about it the waiter (he of the chatting up on Thursday lunchtime!) pulled a face and said, Too sweet. So I've not tried it. I get the feeling it's a tourist thing.

When I was thinking about what to write today, I also thought about the other meaning of that epithet (the oranges/lemons one, not the sweet wine - keep up!). It's certainly incredibly hot here in Seville (have I mentioned the heat once or twice yet?) and to be honest almost too hot to do anything really. Much as I love shopping, and there is plenty of it here, I've been finding it too hot to be interested (gasp, shock horrot!). But today as I was wandering about with nothing much to do, I discovered that the shops have air-conditioning and while I might not feel like buying anything, window shopping has the whole added pleasure of vicarious air-con coolness. Bliss! (Do you like the entirely gratuitous photo of shoes, by the way?)

As for the rest of today, I headed across the Guadalquiver to Triana, the barrio of Seville's gitano community. I'm not sure if it still is but this is traditionally where the Roma lived in Seville - presumably close enough to come and work in the factories (like Carmen) but not so close that the Sevillanos would have to live cheek by jowl with them. These days it is undergoing gentrification but some of the traditional ceramic workshops are still in evidence, selling their beautiful glazed tiles and pots.

I also wandered round the local market - not as busy on a weekend as it is during the week I suspect judging by the number of closed stalls, but very impressive they were. All with glazed tile signs announcing who had which stall. A far cry from many of the somewhat tatty UK markets!

And finally, something you didn't expect...

because, of course, no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition!

New shoes

I finally got round to buying some new shoes today. Not these ones though. Sadly they don't seem to make Leli Kelly in my size. But shoes all the same, even if they were a scarily sensible pair!

Art for art's sake

At a friend's suggestion I popped into the Royal Scottish Academy today while I was in Edinburgh instead of spending all my time shopping.

And I'm glad that I did. There was some amazing new art on show, including 3 pieces from a rising star of a new artist by the name of Ross Brown. His paintings (one of which is shown here) of the now derelict St Peters Seminary in Glasgow are stunning. A worthwhile detour indeed.

But don't worry I did find some time for shopping too and am now the proud owner of a pair of proper dance shoes for my tango. And I get a chance to try them out at tonight's Milonga.

Indian summer?

Well, here I am on my much belated summer holiday. And who would have thought it, almost the end of September and I'm sitting outside having my lunch without shivering. In the UK! And without 16 layers of jumpers.

As part of my own environmental challenge, I'm having my summer holiday somewhere I didn't need to fly to get to.

So I'm here in Bristol. It's a city I haven't been to in 15 years and I must say so far I'm impressed. Although I suspect the sunshine helps.

The view in the photo is of the much regenerated harbour area, taken from the upper terrace of Mud Dock Cycle Works cafe. And very nice it is too!

The rest of the day was spent perusing Bristol's various shopping areas - St Nicholas Market, Broadmead, the spectacular new Cabot Circus & nearby Quaker's Friar, Christmas Steps and Clifton Triangle. Sore feet at the end of it all, but worth it - and mostly window shopping. I even managed to find my former favourite Bristol shop - the Guild. 101 years old this year - way to go!

On the town

I have just finished having the most fabulous day out with my sister in Edinburgh. It started with a quick trot down to the train station to get the express to Edinburgh, from which mercifully the Tartan Army disembarked at Stirling - but leaving behind their empty (mostly) tins of beer.

Once through in Edinburgh we hit the shops, making Harvey Nicks our first stop. While it was supposed to be my big sister's birthday treat, I was the one that ended up splurging the cash on a Paul Smith suit. Well, half of one for now - they didn't have the trousers in my size but are "sending them up from Knightsbridge" for me. Boy, do I feel extravagant!!

I then disappeared to have my hair cut while my sister went off on her own shopping mission. Sadly she wasn't able to find the top she'd been looking for but did come back beautifully made up courtesy of the nice girls at the Benefit counter in Boots. Lunch at John Lewis was followed by coffee at Vin Caffe (I'm sure we did some shopping in between!) and then back to Harvey Nicks for our Champagne Manicure in the wild colours illustrated above. A quick visit to the MAC counter (and another make over for big sis) and then we were ready for our cocktails.

We both look hot to trot now, and more importantly, we've had fun! A highly recommended day out for girls of all ages. Well, over drinking age that is!

How cool are these babies?

Patent leather high heel Dr Martens boots. Alexei Sayle would be spinning in his grave - if he wasn't still alive that is.

Just bought today and as you can tell I'm very pleased with them.

I never thought saving the economy would be so much fun!

(Sorry for the blurry pic, but the light wasn't very good and I was so excited I had to blog straight away!)

Stirling, Scotland's heart

The excitement of this week has been being present at the launch of a new campaign to promote Stirling, the place where I'm really proud to live and work.

Located right slap bang in the middle of Scotland, Stirling is Scotland's newest city. We gained city status as a gift from the Queen just after the millennium.

Many of the reasons we were made a city are encapsulated in the latest promotion campaign.

As well as being Scotland's newest city, Stirling is also its ancient capital and is bursting with history. We have a beautiful castle to rival Edinburgh; there's the Wallace monument commemorating one of our national heros (and off which I've abseiled!!); and there's the site of the Battle of Bannockburn - which we Scots won (for a change)!!! Few cities can rival Stirling's dramatic and bloody past or can claim as significant a contribution to Scotland's history.

And if you've got little people to think about there's tons more to do than just castles and battle sites. It's not far from Stirling to Blairdrummond, Scotland's Safari Park. In the city itself there's a fun visit to the Old Town Jail to be had, lots of fantastic play parks to experience and if all else fails, how about a trip on the bus.

Stirling's location is amazing - so easy to get to and then to use as a stepping stone for some of Scotland's most beautiful places. Apparently almost 60% of Scotland's population are within an hour's drive of Stirling and it's certainly dead easy to get here by train as well. In fact, it's even relatively easy to get here from either Edinburgh or Glasgow Airports - I should know I have to pick my husband up from one or other of them on a regular basis and I certainly wouldn't be doing that if it was a hassle!!

As well as being a gateway to Scotland's beautiful Highlands and right next door to Loch Lomond, Scotland's first National Park, Stirling is a wonderful place in its own right. The castle sits dramatically against the historic old town and looking down on the newer Stirling. From all parts of the city you can't help see the stunning landscape it stands in - mountains, rocky crags, the winding River Forth and rolling open fields. For me that's one of the things makes Stirling an amazing place to live.

Oh, that and the shopping of course!!! The shops in Stirling are great - everything from the High Street staples to big box retail parks to small independent gems. And if that's not quite enough, you're only a short train ride away from the mecca of shopping in Glasgow! What more could a girl want.

Stirling is really buzzing at the moment - lots going on and lots being developed, new housing, offices, transport links, even a new multiscreen cinema is being built on the banks of the River Forth. It's no wonder that businesses are starting to relocate to Stirling and have their Headquarters here. We even had local boy and entrepreneur, Nick Nairn launching the new Stirling, the Brand at the Castle on Tuesday evening and singing our praises!

As I said, I'm proud to live and work in Stirling. And now you can see why!