I wis rakin aboot the British Newspaper Archive and fund a wheen columns frae the early-tae-mid 20t century anent Christmas shoppin. Thocht yese micht enjoy readin them. In the first airticle, frae the 25 Dezember 1947 Forfar Dispatch, we hear aboot Mary Ann and the scriever gaun their Christmas shoppin. Gaun by the notices she dictates tae gae alang wi her praisents, this Mary Ann soonds like quite the character. …

A wheen thochts anent sindry maiters… Crackin wi a nurse in Scots; In praise o ilkaday Scots wirds; What aboot ‘thir’?; Scots and Gaelic leids consultation.

Three nichts efter, auld Major dee’d peacefu in his sleep. His bouk wis buirit at the fit o the orchart.

This wis early in the Mairch. Ower the neist three month the’ war a quate steer aboot the place. Major’s discoorse haed gien the mair lang-heidit craiturs on the ferm a hale new ootleuk on life. They didna ken whan the Rebellion spaed by Major wad tak place — they haed nae reason tae jalouse it wad be ithin their ain lifetime — but they haed nae douts it wis their duty tae prepare for it. The pigs teuk on the darg o learin and guidin the ithers, as they war thocht on as bein the maist heidy o the bease. Maist weel-forrit amang the pigs wis twa young boars caa’d Snawba and Napoleon, that Mr Cameron wis breedin up for sale.

Mr Cameron, o the Kirklands Ferm, haed sneckit the hen-hooses for the nicht, but wis ower fou wi drink tae mind and steek the pop-holes. Wi the ring o licht frae his bouet jowin frae side tae side, he hytert athort the yaird, kickit aff his buits at the back door, haed ae last swallie frae the beer bowie ben the scullery, and stoitert up til his bed, whaur Mrs Cameron wis aaready snorin awa.

The anely aye-bidin thing in life is chynge. Thon’s a truism that the past year an a hauf haes made us aw a bittie ower famíliar wi, in weys baith guid an ill. But chynge raxes ayont the stramash o wir ain lifes forby, bein as deeply rootit in naitur as the things it touches, fae the blimmin o the yellae whins on the braes tae the broun hairst leafs …

Sae a thocht a’d gie ma pynt o view on aw ’is, an ’e story ahint whit caused iz tae stairt the editathon muivement an whit a hink anent the hale hing. On ’e 25t August 2020, a 4chan an Reddit post wis pit oot bi Ryan Dempsey, unner the uisername “Ultach”, fae Ulster, anent an American Wikipedia admin, whase name a willnae mention tae jouk thaim gittin ony mair …

Frae here at ma desk ah can see richt doun ontae Hawick high street. It’s ten weeks noo syne ah left the hoose for ony ither reason than tae tak the bins oot, but ah get ma vicarious kicks in ither weys. A single loun ploddin throu the rain wi a Kwik Save cairier bag is a mystery ye could scry intae for decades. Cyclists swerve tae the opposite sides …

Uisually, whan I write here on Mak Forrit it’s airticles that I’m writin, but this time, I hae a wee story for yese: The day is the twinty-fowert o Mairch, 1350. I masel, Brither Ringan, Benedictine monk at Dunfermline Abbey, am herein settin furth a bogie tale ootwi ma relígious duties. Whan we rose for nocturnes (wir nicht prayer), I wis haein a awfie frichtsome bogie tale o a dream. …

It’s the ninth o Mairch, and I’v juist gaed affstage at a venue cried SALA BBK in Bilbao, Spain. I hae hauf o the neist day tae explore aa the airts and pairts o this Basque toun afore me and my band hae tae ging on a plane back tae Glesca via Amsterdam. It’s business as normal in Bilabao, and fowk ar nou gaun aboot their auld-farrent Monday mornin wey: …

Réunion Creole is a Creole leid that is spoken in Réunion, a island aff the East coast o Africae, in the Sooth-Wast o the Indian Ocean. It is the anerly leid specífic tae the island and is spoken bi mair nor 80 per cent o the indwallers, and is unnerstuid bi even mair. Creole is kent bi the feck o the population, but is for ordinar uised in ilkaday contexts, …