Airticles tagged “Scotland”
Scots: an ayebidin kist o Scotland aforesyne
Thochts anent the unique role o the Scots leid in Scotland’s bygane, and whit wey it haes a gey special role tae play in communicatin Scotland’s heritage the day. Scots is Scotland’s past Scots can niver be juist a medium throu which tae communicate Scotland’s past — for Scots is Scotland’s past. Hale centuries o Scottish history haes taen place in the Scots language; hunners o thoosands o Scots haes …
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 …
Braw lads an soor plooms: on the mairch in Galashiels
Aboot the first thing that happens whan we get tae the mairch is that we get pit in chairge. Weel, kind o. Yin o the organisers comes joggin taewarts us across the gress, asks if we’ll be stewards. Me, ah cry aff; ah’m here tae write aboot the mairch, no tae rin it, an ah’m gey shuir ah’ll no hae onything positive tae say bi the fínish. Ah’v no been …
Fechts, furnication an sclander: a deek at the auld Edinburgh an Glesca burgh records
The wabsite British History Online haes setten furth in digital form extracts frae the burgh records o 16t an 17t century Edinburgh an Glesca. I haed a bit rake aboot an hae pitten a wheen walins ablo, alang wi glossars for wirds that’s no sae kenspeckle. The’r recordins an aa o me readin thaim oot (in less or mair Modren Scots cause ettlin tae uise the pronunciation o the time …
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.