Happy New Year to you all. This global warming malarkey is wonderful isn't it.............
Let me tell you a story. Steve and Jennifer Bobton-Smythe have been extremely inconvenienced by the current poor weather. Neither come from upper class stock, the double barreled name comes from them adding their surnames together when they married. He's an accountant and she's a Travelling Persons Diversity Benefits and Culture Co-Ordinator.
They looked all the spring and summer months last year for a perfect home and finally found one in a small hamlet 30 miles from Aberdeen. What a wonderful, rustic, rural community to live in.
The first frosts of October worried Jennifer, so Steve bought a big ugly 4x4 for them. They drove in and out of town at 80 miles per hour on a daily basis, tailgating other road users and lording it over the oiks in their lesser vehicles.
But oh dear. The rural idyll has gone the way of the pear. The worst winter in 50 years is upon us. And now Steve is driving into town at 20 miles per hour with a queue a mile long behind him of people he normally tailgates and abuses. Steve cannot handle his 4x4. Or Snow. Or Ice.
The moral of the story - don't buy a house in rural Aberdeenshire if you can't drive in poor weather and adverse road conditions.
I thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter...............
First music recommendation of the year from Glasvegas "Daddy's Gone". More than a nod to the Motown bands of the 60's and all the better for it.
Showing posts with label Snow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snow. Show all posts
Friday, 8 January 2010
Thursday, 31 December 2009
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
