A few weeks ago, I received an email from Schmap saying one of my photos of Edinburgh Castle had been shortlisted to appear on their site and requesting my permission. I said okay and thought no more about it. Today, I received an email saying my photo had been chosen for the site. Looking at the photo, I’m a bit confused as to why it was chosen since it is actually one of the military museums rather than the usual picture of the castle itself but hey, who am I to argue?

I’ve no idea who Schmap are either but the photos is here if you want to see it. You may need to hover over Edinburgh Castle to see it.

The Scottish Government are considering a proposal to increase the age limit on legal alcohol consumption from 18 to 21 in an effort to tackle the country’s growing alcohol problem. Over the past year, a few of the major supermarket chains have already increased their age limit to 21 and removed certain products from their shelves. Today, the town of Armadale became the first in Scotland to officially ban alcohol sales to under 21s in a pilot scheme that is likely to last for 6 weeks and if it is successful, the scheme may be extended to other towns over Scotland.

According to SHAAP, people in Scotland are twice as likely to die from an alcohol related health problem than anywhere else in the UK and the number of people diagnosed with liver disease has increased by 52% since 1998. Scotland also has one of the highest rates of teenage binge drinkers and even children as young as 11 are being admitted to hospital with alcohol related health issues.

The problems associated with alcohol abuse cost an estimated £1.1 billion each year and the increase in anti-social behaviour means Scotland has the dubious honour of being one of the most violent places in the world. The World Health Organisation reports we have the second-highest rate of murders in Europe and almost half of them are a direct result of alcohol consumption.

The big question is: is it too little too late?

It seems Brussels is now attempting to tell us what we can and cannot do with our meat and that is endangering the production of mince, a long time staple in the diet of many families in Scotland, particularly those on low incomes. Butchers traditionally hang beef for 14 to 28 days to allow it to mature in order to increase the flavour but Eurocrats want to ban hanging meat for any longer than six days. If the new regulations are imposed, it means a lot of beef will have to be thrown out and prices will sky rocket. There is no scientific evidence to say the six day limit is any safer than the three week limit, and it is entirely safe to hang meat for that length of time provided it is done properly.

The reason behind it? To ensure the French get to order their raw steak tartare without worrying about potential contamination. So, poor families in Scotland lose a cheap meal just so French aristocrats continue to eat in the style to which they are accustomed. Why not impose a law that steak tartare has to come from fresh ground beef instead of messing with a centuries old tradition and guaranteeing the enmity of a country who already looks at Brussels with suspicion?

Let me give you a few more examples of the crazy laws the EU has tried to impose on us in the past:

**Bananas can only be sold if they curve to EU requirements
**Pears must have a diameter of 56 mm
**Cucumbers must be straight
**Chocolate in the UK must be labelled as vegetarian as it is made from vegetable fat rather than animal fat

And the killers:

**The kilt should be classed as womenswear
**Those who wear the kilt may need a license to wear a sporran to protect endangered species

Is it any wonder we don’t want anything to do with the EU and their crazy laws?

It may be officially Spring now but that isn’t going to protect us from the Big Chill. Temperatures are set to plummet below freezing point over Easter with heavy snowfalls on higher ground forecast. We may not get any snow in my area but you can certainly feel the chill in the air. I suspect this weekend will be more about HOT chocolate than chocolate eggs.

Since I’m on holiday, I was going to attempt a visit to a few historical buildings but instead I’m going to stay cozy indoors. I don’t think cold air and a hole in my mouth are a good combination. Actually, the area where my tooth was extracted hasn’t been painful at all which is surprising considering the agony I went through when the tooth was coming in. I’m still avoiding eating on that side though.

For those of us in the Northern hemisphere, it is the Vernal Equinox - a day where light and darkness are equally balanced with light eventually becoming more dominant as the daylight hours stretch. The vernal equinox marks the beginning of Spring which is probably why we have gale force winds (again!). If you want the scientific jargon, I suggest a visit to this wiki page which explains all about the seasons and gives exact timings.

For those who like more traditional values, scroll down the wiki page and you will see a list of cultural aspects surrounding this time of year. My favourite is the festival of Ostara which is one of the minor Wiccan sabats, although it has deeper pagan roots. I’ve always been fascinated by the sabats even though I’m not Wiccan, mainly because I feel drawn to paganism much more than Christianity. I have no idea why and I certainly wasn’t raised that way but I guess you can’t help what you feel.

Ostara (or Eostre) was an ancient German goddess of Spring or the dawn and many of the symbols associated with her, such as eggs and bunnies, have long been associated with the more Christian holiday of Easter. It is of course another example of how Christians adopted elements of the pagan festivals and blended them into their own, such as what they did with Christmas and Yule. As a child, I always wondered what bunnies and chocolate eggs had to do with the resurrection of Christ and no one could tell me either! One legend has it that Ostara was presented with a gaily decorated egg by a rabbit and loved it so much, she begged him to distribute more so the whole world could share her joy.

It’s all related to fertility of course; Ostara awakens from her long winter sleep and nature is reborn. The Spring Equinox is also a good time for us to recreate ourselves too - they don’t call it spring cleaning for nothing!

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

I was at the dentist this morning, supposedly to get a filling, but he ended up yanking out my wisdom tooth! I have to admit that tooth has long been the bane of my life - it has always been the most painful of them all and was a nightmare when it was coming in. Now, it is gone and I’m bracing myself for a world of pain later on. I’m already knocking back the painkillers before the numbness has worn off as instructed by Nice Mr Dentist.

In a way, I’m glad I got no warning, otherwise I would’ve been fretting about it for the past few days. LOL! Last time I got a tooth removed, my mum was there to hold my hand and I was knocked out with gas. Now, they just freeze your mouth and pull it out. I used to get so sick with the gas. How things have changed!

So, today I have less wisdom than yesterday!