Halloween

Ah hiv lang been thirlt tae the idea that keepin awa the ghaisties said tae flee aboot in the mirk on 31 October shuid be nae mair than a semple wee acknowledgement o the auld conventions; cairit oot in an aroond the hoose, on ae particlar nicht wi the bairns an faimily thegither. In ma ain young days, there warnae ony Halloween pairties ootwith o fowk’s hooses or on ither …

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Kintrae livin

A while back ah cam by a notice o an ‘open dayʼ for a gairden in East Lothian. It wis o partícular interest acause it wis in a place ah haed kent weel whan ah wis a bairn. Bein mindit o it fairly brocht back a wheen o memories. For mair nor fifty year, his hale wirkin life, ma uncle wis the gairdener tae the big hoose belangin the estate. …

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Daein it yersel

Onybody keekin roond the door yestreen an seein me laid oot on ma back on the fluir, heid ablo the computer desk, could be forgien for thinkin tae theirsel, ‘O Goad, she’s deid!’ But than they wad hear the sweirin an ken it wis juist me lyin amang the stourie taigle o wires ahint the prenter tryin wi baith haunds tae wrassle oot yet anither o ma crushed, manky cairds grippit like a vice atween the machine rowers.

Anent hou I cam tae be slitterin aboot wi the prenter in the first place, I hae tae gae back a week or twa. Ye see, it haed come tae me that I micht hae a shottie at makkin ma ain Yuil cairds!

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Three days in October


A puckle times o late I hae seen something tae mak ma hert lowp wi delicht. Kennin me an ma guidman wad be in Perthshire toward the back end o the year, a freend speirt haed we iver been tae see the ‘Enchauntit Forest’? This is an oot-o-doors soond an licht shaw that comes intae its ain in the Faskally widlands ootby the wee toun o Pitlochry for aboot fower weeks in October, whan the nichts are drawin in.

Nou we did ken aboot this seein as in ither years we haed aft been in Pitlochry aroond hairst time an seen the advertisements for it. The Enchauntit Forest Community Trust haes been pittin on this spectacle for aboot ten year an it’s a guid thing they dae; the siller it brings is uised tae gie support tae worthy causes roond aboot.

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Makkin a muckle o a mickle

Invitit oot tae a Mexican-style eatin howff twa weeks back I could hear the chiels at the fit o the buird daurin ither hauflins if they haed the smeddum tae tak the chilli challenge. I dout I haed e’en seen a chilli whan I wis their age, an it got me thinkin on the muckle chynges ower time in oor wey o eatin. Oor victuals the day ar sae different …

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