Happy New Year 2024

A Happy New Year to all my friends, readers and bots.

May it be a good one!

New Years Day, 2023

 

The new year started with a damp saunter down to the Kirk.  The clouds did their best to hinder the sun brightening the morn.  Few were out this early.  A couple of dog walkers were dragged along by eager pooches, a car passed now and again, and a patrol car containing two sleepy officers wended its way down the road hoping everyone would stay quiet, at least until they were awake.  

Many were missing today from church, family gatherings, the cold bug, and left overs from Christmas keeping people inside.  A lot of old women will not come out when the weather is dodgy either.  Still, we managed to murder a couple of songs, pass our bugs onto one another, discover how many had fallen down or been manhandled by the kids or dogs over Christmas, and made our way home rejoicing, sort off.

I failed to 'see in' the new year last night, I was asleep by 11 pm, and even the fireworks from those who ought to know better did not trouble me much.  On YouTube someone walked about Edinburgh at night, offering the live view of the rain drenched city.  People massed about, glittering lights glittered, and wet streets offered an opportunity to break a leg or two.  The thought of mixing with crowds was far indeed from my mind as I watched.  I was glad to be sitting here wearying myself watching others.  

It is now when I come to understand the attitudes of the older generation I knew when young.  Why is it we understand things long after the time when we require to understand things?  And why do young folks have all the energy when people like us, over 35, need the energy more than they do?   

Life can be so unfair!

At this time people tend to either look back or look forward, to my mind it makes no difference.  Whether it is the 1st day of January or the middle of summer life, will go on as it is.  There will be hard times, tragedies, sad occasions.  There will also be good times, excitement, joy and happiness, often.  Just as life normally offers.  

You go into the year trusting yourself, and that has seen you through so far hasn't it?  I go trusting Jesus, well usually, knowing he will always be there, usually gnashing his teeth and asking "Why did you do that?"  He has been leading me for 50 years or so and I cannot fault him, though I have let him down often.  He is our only hope, in good times and in bad ones.  He never fails.

 

I hope you have a 'Happy New Year' indeed.

 

Happy New Year 2023

 A Happy New year to one and all.

May this year bring happiness to you.

Happy New Year 2021

 

      Happy New Year

         From an old Grouse. 

 

          Life will go on, live it carefully

          All the best to you and yours 

 

Jan 1st 2019

Careful consideration was given to getting on the bike and riding up the old railway this morning.  However my body, lacking a full sleep period, decided otherwise therefore just after 9:30 I wandered out seeking fresh air and sunshine hoping not to be greeted by too many cheerful types wishing "Happy New Year" to one and all.  These English are funny folks, on Sunday many wished me a 'Happy new year' whereupon I informed them it was not 'New Year' until midnight on hogmany, this they failed to comprehend.  Today, the 1st of January 2019, as I crossed the park I passed many a person not one of whom looked capable of wishing anything but the Black Death upon those who crossed their path.  One man almost but not quite nodded in my direction and I gave no greeting to any, one cannot be too careful I might have woken some of them up! 

As ten of the clock approached some shops were opening, 'Argos,' 'The Works,' and one or two others were on the point of opening while 'Iceland' and W. H. Smiths were already serving customers desperate for urgent supplies, there has been no shops open since er, last year.
Miserable people sauntered around in the chill, little sign of revels anywhere though I suspect the pubs will be full again by lunchtime.  Surprisingly few windows broken, indeed none that I saw from last night, the extra police patrols on duty must have had an effect.  Not that these patrols mattered to me as I sat in my bed from early on seeking interesting things to do on the laptop.  This it turned out was as interesting as what was on TV, nothing could be found and all other things were boring me, so I read one of my Christmas books, re WW1 would you believe?, as outside fireworks exploded to add background to my reading.  I think they shot their bolt as by midnight few fireworks lasted long, they appeared to have used them all up earlier. 

 
Now I sit here and cogitate after my lunch, followed by 'Black Bun,' while I attempt to get life back into this bulk.  I fear I have failed and now will have to go against my dearest wish and return to my bed and sleep off the weariness caused by eating.  I may be some time... 

Indeed I was but the cloud covered sky of earlier has been replaced by a dark night instead.  This forced me to eat once again (Why does meat have no flavour? What does 'slaughtered in UK mean? Is the beef foreign?) and now full of whatever that was I search for football to finish the night.  All I can get is a National League game (England's 5th division) to entertain me while I doze away the beginning of a new year.  
How has it gone for you so far?
No disasters yet as far as I know, I have failed to upset anyone, though I could have tried that this morning, and silence all around can be heard.  I say that and vehicles appear from nowhere!  A quiet day but surely tomorrow will be back to normal?  Many schools return on the 3rd so teachers can return tomorrow and discover how many are missing, shops will be back to their usual hours, traffic will be lighter but the world returns to face the new year with a miserable expression and fear of Brexit everywhere.  The announcement that the Dept of Transport has given millions to a firm to provide ferries, a firm that has no and has never operated ferries, comes as no surprise as the firm is owned by a man who is a major Tory donor, corruption is rife in this government.

OK folks the break is over, get down to the gym!

Happy New Year to all my Friends

A Good New Year to One and All

2017 Draws to a Close...

Torrential rain, high wind and darkness ends the year.  A year I am pretty glad to see the back off.
Glancing through my diary I note several birthdays, one visit from a  niece, one trip to see her perform and vast amounts of money paid into Tesco's!  
The rest of the year has been taken up with long term cold like symptoms that would never leave, and rusty knees that will never heal.  Let joy continue!  The intention to get slim and fit has failed and I have gone into reverse, indeed the ache from the fitness attempts remains with me still.
Good job I am not one to complain.
The Conservative government (If that is the word) continues to fumble no opposition bar the SNP exists, and the people, certainly many round this area, continue to accept the 'little englander' lies of the main tabloids.  The political future looks grim.
Football wise, which is more important, the Heart of Midlothian are once again beginning to return to form.  I expect glory any day now.
One bright spot in my miserable life that I never complain about is of course St Paul's church, the Anglican church that has now become a second home.   The theology is often dubious, very Anglican in that way,  but they wish to see God and seek him correctly.  I am used to these secondary things that irk but even I am now expected to read a 'lesson' occasionally, such as I did today.  The accent drew blatant racism from two ladies who ought to know better but considered this a reason for giggling like schoolgirls.  I will get them back...

Hogmany today while magnified by the tourist board and local media is not what it was.  In the 60's we went from house to house after midnight 'seeing in' the new year.  It was a generally happy time in which drink flowed, people shook hands with strangers and all was delight.  But in my mind and that of many others it is less happy these days.  There is more of an edge, getting drunk for the sake of it, rather than the party these days.  This is disappointing.  Know doubt age does not help and many will enjoy their evening but far too any now remain at home, possibly asleep, when the midnight chimes chime and the overpaid telly hosts croak above the noise of fireworks.  I might be one of them, those asleep, not the fireworks.  I may find the mysterious bottle of Highland Park malt whisky that arrived yesterday must be put to the test first of course....

 

A 'Guid New Year' tae Yin an A'

A Good New Year to all my happy readers.

And a Good New Year to the rest also!

By the way I am not in the photo...

First Day of 2016

Naturally after the bright sun and blue sky of Hogmany we are waking to Jack Frost lying all over the park.  It appears winter may well have arrived down her at last.  Oh goody.  The wind blew, the rain arrived and I was thankful I need not get the bike out.  My knees rejoiced as we went back to bed.  A little bit of a late night last night.  Not a party around here just me scribbling on this keyboard, tea drinking and lost in thought (a dream actually) when the fireworks went off all around.  Suddenly I was in a new year.  
I fell asleep.

   IB Times

The lack of news allows any disaster to fill lots of airspace and this fire was a disaster indeed.  Quite how no person was injured is amazing but it does leave the sense of impeding danger in all these ludicrous tall buildings.
Dubai is a place that inspires nothing in me.  A desert with vast skyscrapers filled with the rich.  Not my idea of fun.  The fact that they ran out of cash to complete the building of the fancy plans leaving vast numbers of unfinished dwellings does make a grin appear I must say.  Who goes to such places? Celebs, football players and people with too much money or those wishing to mix with said celebs.  For what?  The heat makes it difficult to stay outside, inside it is filled with windowlickers chasing fame or famous people wishing to be seen.  Everything costs the earth, including the sand which has to be imported for the building works as the local sand is not of the right texture.  Play with your woman on the beach and the religious police lock you up, drink there and they beat you, stay indoors and meet empty people chasing empty people.  If I was there I might light a fire also.

Daily Mail

 What is it with people and 'selfies?'  This Christmas & New Year facebook has been awash with selfies and retweeted selfies all comprising people with faces far too close to the camera making folks like me who see them for the first time think Halloween has returned.  It is not as if they are good pictures, although some of the young bits of fluff come out well, faces distorted by the angle and too close to the camera (sorry.... phone) and Mr & Mrs look like a freak show lost from Chippendale's Circus.  There appear to be vast numbers of folks who have spent the entire last few days taking shots of themselves and posting them on the web.  
STOP IT!!!
Have someone take a pic from six feet away and make you look human next time!

The day like me is done.
In England people are looking forward to bed and the weekend.  In Edinburgh and Scotland in general the celebrations continue, somewhat lessened but in similar fashion.  In this house I might manage a toddy later.

I hope this year brings good things to all of us.  We have all had bad things last year let us hope for good things this time around.  I hope my company of worldwide friends can enjoy all good things and good fortune during the coming days.

"May the Lord bless you and keep you, 

may he make his face to shine upon you 

and give you his peace."

   

A Guid New Year!

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A Guid New Year

Wishing a Guid New Year to ane and a,' 

and mony may there be!

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New Years Day

The day dawned early, as it usually does, bringing my half closed eyes into 2012 for real.  Having taken a quick glance at my previous Ne'erday posts I noted they were all glad to see the previous year pass and longing for a good one ahead.  I suspect many others will have found similar this morning - or afternoon in many cases!  Just after finishing breakfast, at ten fifteen, I wandered out to catch the fresh 2012 air.  The air around me didn't feel much different from last years although it is incredibly mild for new years day.  The BBC site claims it is 11 degrees here, that's 52 F would you believe!  In Edinburgh they always refer to such temperatures as 'Summertime!'  In Edinburgh, and everywhere north of the border people today will be greeting strangers with "Happy new Year,' or "All the best," as they pass, shaking hands with a few and possibly discussing the place of entertainment tonight.  The few I passed as I wandered the streets looked the other way as I approached, the English class showing through. Paul Theroux mentions in one of his books walking along a country park path on the English south coast. The path ran for around seven miles and he was alone, bar a solitary woman coming the other way.  As they met she 'looked the other way until I spoke,' and would have passed by had he not said the dread words, "Good Morning."  A typically English, and southern English, response.  One man was doing some joinery outside his house, he just glared as I looked in his direction and buried himself in his hobby.  Shops in Scotland, bar the 'Paki' ones (Don't say that it will cause a war!) are closed, transport non existent, although a few buses might run and taxis will be making a bomb in these three days. Shared taxis, those with two or more drivers sharing the duties, will run non stop for 72 hours!  They will disappear for a day after that mind, probably to count the takings!  A couple of shops here have opened, attracting a handful of customers, and newspapers are on sale, even though there is nothing to say.  In days of long ago football in Scotland took place on this day, usually the Heart of Midlothian would defeat Hibernian and follow this up with crossing to Fife on the second of January to defeat Dunfermline.  These were good days ruined by the Glasgow bigots who had it all brought to an end by their behaviour, or lack of it that is, so no football up north until tomorrow.  However the English have a game or two on, one has just finished and was the worst I have seen since 'Roseburn Rovers' took on a Rag, Tag and Bobtail Dunfermline outfit and got royally stuffed!  They blamed the goalie but as I said I only let in the first eight!  


Now I note that as the dog walkers fill the park the rain begins removing what passed for smiles from their faces.  The dogs are happy enough mind, rain, snow and gale force wind doesn't seem to bother them. For some reason I appear to have eaten too much these past few days, either that or the Italian Merlot is not what it ought to be.  I canny understand it, It cost £2:99 a bottle!  So as I sit here planning my 'get fit' routine, exercises, diet system, shopping arrangements, and then ripping it up and throwing it away now as  it saves time doing that later, I find myself hoping we all share a better year than the last, that Jesus speaks to each one of us, that we rise above the problems which will always be there and make the world a better place for ourselves and all the rest.  You all make my world a better place, that's for sure!

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Happy New Year 2011

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A good new year to all my readers.

May this year be everything you wish it to be!

Happy New Year 

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