Fit Like? ( How are you?)

And a happy new year to you too Scotsgran......

We're in Galloway at the moment and although the accent isn't so broad I struggle to understand when I listen to the older ones chatting on the bus......

Aye min in thes Scotsgran

I mind in this .

I was brought up in Aberdeen

Un caen fin fit like meens

Jist love tae see thes spelt LOL

And it wisni lucky if yer first foot wisna tall and dark .

And yi hid ti teck a lump oh coal and a bottle of whisky.

And only drink wis drunk at New Year bit it lasted all night tell the nect year.

Kids got cordial.

Happy New year to you Scotsgran and all you can wish for.

Scotkat

My mother insisted we speak English in the house Pamg and Scotkat. She had a mother from Inverness and it is rumoured they speak English very well. As most books were written in English it was seen as important on the way to a good education. Like Scotkat I do not remember seeing any books written in Doric for children. We went on holiday to Orkney when our children were small and I found a book called "The Grassy Stories" written in Orcadian. My children loved it. When my younger daughter spent time in Germany her boss was delighted to hear that we have a language of our own. I'm not sure Pamg but I think what you are hearing in Galloway will be "Lallans". That is the Lowland language as spoken across the borders in Northumbria and Scotland.
I went looking for the Orcadian language and came across this very interesting article which supports my mothers theory 100%. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/elphinstone/kist/search/display.php?mrus01.dat
I can't guarantee my spelling is correct because I write it as I think it is written. Happy 2013 and may the people of the world learn to communicate with each other regardless of their accent or language.

It's a pitty the old customs and traditions are dying out. It's interesting to hear about the ones in different places. Here, children used to go out on new year's morning, singing a traditional Welsh folksong. It had to be after midnight, and was ALWAYS in Welsh. The people used to give us a penny or two lol and sometimes you'd have a thruppeny bit ! If you had not been to a particular house, they would be annoyed and asked why you had missed them out !
There's nothing like that now ... and it would be too dangerous these days anyway :o(((

Yes there were few cars on the roads in those days and it was no problem to keep open house when everybody for miles around was well known to the locals. People are able to get around quicker and keep themselves to themselves nowadays. Its very introverted and a great shame. For all their apparent freedom they are much more restricted than we were.

I find people today are very boring :o(

Aw the best Sheila fur you an yours in 2013 xx

Your description reminded me of how my Papa used to go around every one - he was in demand. Being tall and dark he was always wanted to the the first fit! My auntie round the corner was a red head and would always shout in the window to check she wasn't the first fit!

Ouch. I can't believe that. You are so interested in what you see you probably just don't have time to for them. It is hard to get past the shield some people seem to wear. They are all striving for somethig that does not exist. We may have been poorer but we did seem to have a lot more carefree inner satisfaction than youngsters nowadays. I don't think that the message that you need to be personally responsible and look after number one is a good message to put about.

Thanks Angie. I remember the coal and the tall dark first footers who came to our house. We have a fair number of red heads in our family and it was their misfortune to be uwelcome as the first guests of the year.

Great blog..so enjoyed reading and the comments!

Someone once beat me at Scrabble with the word 'LUM'
I queried this impertinence, and he laughed and said in Scotland they say ' Long may your lum reek' meaning 'Long my your chimney smoke.'

I did not know Scottish words were allowed in Scrabble but I will use more of them now Diane and he was right lum is the word for chimney. The words do translate as you have said but the deeper meaning is that you will have enough heat, warmth and and a roof over your head for many years in the future.
So my wish for you for 2013 is "Long may your lum reek."

I remember a line from Rodger Whittaker which went 'till all the roads? gang dry...or summat like it!

You lum reek too, lum reeking is incredibly important!

My husband's family were all Geordies, and Tynesiders shared a lot of Scots dialect. First footing was a long-held custom with them as well. "Lang mey yer lum reek" was a saying I have known since childhood (Dad was from Sunderland) but I'm not sure from where that came!

Lulu, I know Roger W. did a rendition of the Skye Boat song but not sure if he did Rabbie Burns "My love is like a red, red rose" which has a line 'til a the seas gang dry. Reek is smoke and you definately need a chimney if you don't want to be kippered.
Mel my daughter went to uni in Newcastle and her first job was in a firm ISL - Imported Scottish Labour. There were lots of Scots and Irish there. The Geordies would like a vote on becoming part of Scotland if we vote to break away from the UK. Looks like the Border rievers - the rustlers settled there.

I surely remember 'my love is like a red, red rose'.....do you remember Rodger W and his whistling song?

The Mexican Whistler. I could not remember its name so I looked on the internet and have spent a pleasant time listening to old favourites. He also did one called the Finnish Whistler. You can hear snatches of these and lots of others on this site Lulu. http://www.last.fm/music/Roger+Whittaker/+charts?rangetype=week&subtype=tracks. Ah those were the days my dear. We could still actually dance to the music.

I tried very hard to whistle like that!! I remember a live LP of Mr W which I so enjoyed..I must have been about 7! I danced to anything and everything in those days and wanted to be a ballerina!

Just one more casualty who found dancing through life more fun than the discipline of ballet lol.

And my joints are in far better nick they they would had I been a ballerina!!

Very true.

What a lovely way to let the New Year in Scotsgran! A very happy New year to you. Thanks for that, I really enjoyed it!

And to you and yours Rose. I could do with a few more hours in the day this year. lol.

My mother was a dancer. Her feet are in comparatively good condition considering, but it certainly causes problems in later life. Mind you, it was only for a few years - she stopped when she was expecting me and never returned to dancing.

She probably has a sylph like figure which will not cause her feet any grief. My mother in law wore 3" heels until she was in her early nineties.

Well, I think she's in pretty good shape, though she would laugh at that. No high heels though, at 86. She walks the dog every day though, after driving herself to the park.

You chose a good gene pool to be born in to. lol.

Agrh heels!!! Wouldn't have been seen dead in flatties in my 20's though! Now it's wellies and flip flops!

The one thing I could never tolerate (well- except for a few teenage years!) is uncomfortable feet. Even as a child, it always made me miserable. My feet would ache on shopping trips up to London and I hated it! Thank goodness there are good comfortable shoes around now, and I can get away with trainers when I'm shopping (I'm an inveterate trouser-wearer).

Nothing much worse than sore feet! I bought some silly shoes for a concert last year, wore them for 20 minuits and was glad I didn't break my ankle!!

I never could wear very high heels 2" max and I too like trainers or walking boots. I have one pair of court shoes which are kept safely for special occasions but it means I have to wear something which goes with black.

Worth it, though, isn't it? :-)

Yes. Dancing is hard but not impossible in the boots and trainers but they don't exactly go with the coiffeured look.

Agreed - but what a wonderful picture it conjures up!

OH used to drive our pensioner club group all over the place once a month. We went to the Summerlee Heritage Centre in Coatbridge and a chap from the Organ Society happened to be in that day playing dance music from our era on their organ. There was plenty of room so I jokingly asked my husband "are ye dancing"
(reputedly the customary invitation of the Glaswegian youth to a young lady) and off we went. More couples joined us on the floor although we were all well wrapped up for the wintery weather. The organist obliged with requests from the floor and we were all ready for a cuppa and a cake before we had to go home. Youth might be wasted on the young but what fun it is being an OAP with no hang ups about appearance etc.

LoL!
Sometimes I forget what I'm wearing and that I haven't brushed my hair (not that brushing makes much difference!)
I sport an interesting wellies, knee pads, shorts concoction whilst gardening in the summer..I do draw the line at heels and knee pads though!

Just think Lulu you could multi task and spike the lawn with your high heels. lol. It would not do your knees much good though.

Now there's an idea!!!!

Or high heeled wellies in this sodden ground!

Platforms??? lol

or flippers?

So enjoyed this posting and catching up with everyone. I've been in hibernation and fattening up over the winter :-) Great to get back on GoY and looking forward to longer days.

Happy New Year Julie and welcome back. It seems to have been winter since we had two weeks of summer last April. I am hoping for some extra sun this year.