You know, I’m all for diversity and embracing other cultures and their rights to live according to their customs in this country but what about my right to to enjoy my own customs and traditions without feeling guilty? As The C Word season approaches, all the silly PC talk seems to explode and every day you hear a new tale about The C Word being banned in case it causes offence to someone somewhere in the UK. What do I mean by The C Word? Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! If that offends you - tough shit!

Fact #1: There are certain cities in the UK with large numbers of ethnic minority residents so it has been deemed offensive for shopping malls within said cities to display trees and decorations in celebration of The C Word. What about the non-ethnic residents and their right to celebrate their own holiday season? They complain and they are accused of being racists.

Fact #2: Certain card companies are now removing the words “Merry Christmas” from their cards and replacing them with “Happy Holidays” so they don’t offend non-Christians. So, with that in mind, why am I subjected to a variety of cards about Eid, Ramadan, Hanukkah and other religious holidays?

Fact #3: Since when did children start singing “Baa Baa Rainbow Sheep” in nurseries? Black is a colour, is it not? I wear a lot of that colour so what am I supposed to call it? My clothes are deffo not rainbow!

The world has gone mad and I’ll be wishing everyone a Merry Christmas this year and putting up my decorations as normal, thank you very much.

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13 of Scotland’s most haunted castles! Boo!

01) Glamis Castle
The birth place of the late Queen Mother, Glamis is one of the most haunted castles in Scotland. The Grey Lady of Glamis was accused by King James V of being a witch and was burned at the stake in 1537. Another ghost is said to be the 4th Earl of Crawford who haunts a room where he played cards with the devil.

02) Culzean Castle, Ayrshire
Whenever one of the Kennedy family is about to get married a ghostly piper is said to play in the grounds. He is also supposed to play on stormy nights. There is also a ghost of a young woman in a ballgown (reported as recently as 1972) but no-one seems to know her identity.

03) Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran
The older part of the castle is said to be haunted by a “Grey Lady” who starved to death in the dungeons of the castle because she had the plague. A man has been reportedly seen sitting in the library and a White Deer is reputedly seen in the grounds of the castle whenever a chief of the Hamiltons is close to death.

04) Cawdor Castle
The castle became part of the Campbell clan when Muriel Calder, heiress to the castle, was kidnapped at the age of 12 and married to the Earl of Argyll’s son, Sir John Campbell in 1511. A ghost wearing a blue velvet dress has been reported in the castle though no-one can say whether this is Muriel Calder.

05) Craignethan Castle, Lanark
Mary Queen of Scots is said to have spent the night here before the Battle of Langside and the castle is said to be haunted by her (minus her head, which was removed at her execution!). Other apparitions have been seen in the courtyard of the castle. In recent times, visitors to the castle have followed a figure dressed in historical costume, thinking it was leading the way to a pageant.

06) Dunrobin Castle, Sutherland
The ghost which haunts the upper floors of the castle is reputed to be the daughter of the 14th Earl of Sutherland who was imprisoned by her father to stop her from marrying someone he regarded as unsuitable. She tried to escape down a rope from an upstairs room but fell to her death.

07) Fyvie Castle, Aberdeenshire
When building work was being carried out in the early part of this century a skeleton was found in a secret room. The Grey Lady was seen frequently thereafter - until the bones were returned to the room when things quietened down again. Another ghost, a “Green Lady” is said to be Dame Lillias Drummond who was starved to death by her husband, Sir Alexander Seton, who then remarried soon after. The ghost is said to have scratched her name on the window sill of the bedroom being used by the newlyweds - and the name can still be seen there.

08) Inveraray Castle
The present castle was built by the 3rd Duke of Argyle as he rebuilt not only the castle but the town of Inveraray as well. The castle is reputed to have a number of ghosts ranging from a harpist who was killed during the attack by Montrose, another which appears when a Campbell chief is close to death and a young woman who was murdered by Jacobites.

09) Castle Fraser, Aberdeenshire
In the 19th century a young woman was murdered in the castle and her body dragged down the stairs. It was said that the stains on the stone stairs kept reappearing, despite strenuous efforts by the servants. The stair is now covered in wood.

10) Dunstaffnage Castle, Oban
The castle’s ghost is said to wear a green dress and foretells major events, both good or bad, which are about to befall the Campbell nobility.

11) Delgatie Castle, Turriff
The castle is reputed to be haunted by a red haired woman and during the Second World War an entire detachment of troops who were billeted there fled from the castle in bare feet as they were confronted by the ghostly apparition.

12) Baldoon Castle, Galloway
The Bride of Lammermuir was forced by her parents to abandon the man she loved; she married David Dunbar but became insane and stabbed him on her wedding night. Ever since those events in the 17th century, she is reputed to roam the castle dressed in white, blood-spattered clothes but is most often seen on the anniversary of her death.

13) Edinburgh Castle
The castle is said to have a ghost of a headless drummer and a piper playing on the battlements.

It’s energy savings week over here and we are being bombarded from all corners on the best and most efficient ways to save energy at home and at work. Apparently Scotland has a very poor record for saving energy and many of us leave our gadgets on standby mode which I have to admit I’m guilty of doing. My new TV doesn’t even have an off/on switch because it is a flat screen similar to a computer monitor and if I turn off my DVDR it locks and scrubs all the settings! So, is this my fault!? I mean, am I supposed to switch off absolutely everything before going to bed… I thought all these fancy gadgets were designed to use less energy?

Speaking of switching things off, the govt are proposing to do something quite dangerous by changing the timers on street lights so they go off after midnight or thereabouts. Can you imagine shift workers coming home in pitch black streets? There are also concerns about a possible increase in crime, especially in the cities. If they want to save power surely they should stop the bigger stores from keeping their displays lit all night when shoppers are tucked up in bed?

It is dark enough in the mornings as it is and I noticed a big difference this morning when I was heading for the bus (yes, I get the bus to work - that must be worth a few bonus energy points!). The clocks change this weekend too.

I went for a dental checkup today and discovered I need a filling replaced and also have a chip in a tooth that needs fixed. I’m kinda relieved actually because I’ve been having so much pain from my wisdom teeth on one side that I was convinced they were rotting away - they are perfectly fine. Guess I just have to grin and bear the pain awhile more. One thing that did hurt though, was the damn bill! £163!!! Bloody hell, I don’t want to buy the practice! Speaking of which my new dentist is a rather good looking young chap…. Might make those fillings more bearable!

So, it looks like the overtime cash is going to the dishy dentist rather than the Florida Fund but savings are still coming along nicely so that’s okay. I’m also half way done with the Crimbo shopping too!

My grandma used to love to take loads of photos and my mum was going to just throw them all out when she died but my cousin and me balked at the idea of so many family memories being ruined so we rescued them. Yesterday, we sorted through the whole lot and divided them up according to family grouping and well, it is really up to them whether they decided to keep them or not.

I found an absolute treasure of a photo though! My great great grandparents on Grandma’s side! I was thrilled because it is the only photo we have of them and the first time I’ve ever seen them before. It makes me wonder just how many old photos there are of the family in Australia though because my own great grandma probably took a whole load over with her when she emigrated in the Sixties. I was promised copies of any found but that had never materialised.

I also found a photo of a young man in uniform who I believe is my Grandad’s brother, Tom. He died when he was only nineteen from a burst appendix. He just looks very similar to young photos I’ve seen of Granda - it’s all in the chin area. Anyway, I’m going to scan those and upload them to my family tree site and flickr album later.

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I love semi-precious stones and here are thirteen of my favourites and their basic meanings (there are of course a lot of different things associated with each stone). I have most of these as bracelets or loose stones.

Rose Quartz
Some people believe that stones “speak” to you and I feel that way about rose quartz. It is my absolute favourite stone and I’m always drawn to it whenever I see it. Rose Quartz is symbolic of love and romance.

Lapis Lazuli
Sacred to the Ancient Egyptians, this stone is stunning and represents truth and clarity.

Hematite
Also known by some as the “black pearl”, this has to be the coolest stone around and is good for increasing intuition and improving relationships.

Amethyst
The colours in the amethyst are beautiful and this stone has powerful healing properties, especially with headaches and insomnia.

Turquoise
An aqua blue stone shot through with black veins, turquoise is one of the sacred and ancient stones which protects against harm and connects to the psychic world. It is also a symbol of friendship.

Crystal Quartz
This stone is used during meditation and healing

Rhodonite
Pinkish-red with black veins, this stone helps improve the nervous system and reduces stress

Aventurine
A cool green colour, this stone is said to be very lucky.

Sodalite
A deep blue in colour, sodalite promotes inner peace

Blue quartz
Blue is my favourite colour which is probably why I’m drawn to so many stones of this colour. Blue quartz promotes peace and tranquillity.

Goldstone
This is actually a man made stone but I love how it sparkles with gold dust. It represents vitality and energy.

Angelite
Pale blue in colour, this stone represents peace and protection from the environment

Iolite
A deep blue in colour, this stone has strong connections to the sea and helps you open a path to your inner self.