Hogmanay in the Snow

Hello Folks

Well here we are at Hogmanay again.  God knows where the time goes to.  With 2 wee ones our Hogmanay will be a quiet one, at home, couple of beers, watch the (repeated) Still Game, avoid the now turgid Only an Excuse and to bed by 1am. 

I know it's cliched to lament the death of this Scottish Tradition, but I'm going to anyway.  Gone are the days of first footing.  As a kid I sat in my grandparent's house with an Advocaat or Snowball.  As the Grieve of the farm, all the workers came to Granda's house for a dram.  It was the only night of the year he drank (apart from the occasional Sweetheart Stout which I still have a fondness for) and a smile still comes to my face as I remember my Dad and Uncle helping him to his bed! 

As I grew older I'd go into the village and go round the houses until the early morning.  You knew everyone and were welcome everywhere. 

Now New Year is organised, forced jollity.  It's become a parody.  I can't think of anything worse than standing in the centre of Edinburgh with a bunch of Tarquins and Cecilias dressed in tartan telling you how their great great uncle was "Scotch" and how they love our quaint traditions..........

As is also traditional, it threw it down with snow here last night, we had around 8 inches, so I've spent a good chunk of the day clearing snow.  In our whole street I think three of us have done so.  The rest are probably sitting writing letters to the Evening Express to complain about it.

Now I know the city council have been a disgrace and many older people are housebound because of the mess of the pavements, but I have to say we have had people clearing the pavements almost daily and the gritter was round the street today. 

People need to take a bit of responsibility for their own lives.  It took me a hour to clear the snow, gave me some exercise and it was a beautiful day to be out.

As our street is full of single mothers and single blokes in their 30s who have inexplicably been given pensioner's houses by the council (I dare say they have 'issues' which mean they just have to jump to the top of the council house queue), you would think they would get off their arses and do a bit of light manual labour and maybe do their pensioner neighbour's path while they are at it.

But nope, no sign of them.  Society is dead right enough.  However to be a 'local' here you have to have lived here since birth and be able to trace your family back 5 generations. 

New Year's resolution - don't get so worked up about the insular inhabitants of the village I live in!!

Have a great Hogmanay and see you all in 2010.

Last music recommendation for this year is a classic Come Together by the Beatles.