Not a Suburban Christmas
Shining under an Edwardian rise and fall lamp the table is set for 15 with crystal glasses, silverware, linen napkins tied with tartan ribbon, a dozen candles in polished brass holders, newly gathered holly and ivy, placement cards - drawn by the children, and centrally, a large female winged plaster sculpture holding tinsel aloft. Champagne, smoked salmon and quails eggs in the drawing room to start. The tree, a Scots pine, difficult to find even here in Scotland, is d
Cigarettes and cats
One rainy Friday evening in February I was drawn to English voices at a bar. Three young men, hatted and wrapped up, were sitting outside drinking pastis and smoking. Their breath condensed as they spoke. For the second time since moving here alone three months previously, I wanted, not to join in exactly - but to sit near and exchange a word or two with strangers. The first time had not been a success. A few days following my arrival in November, I saw a poster advertising a
