1 EAGLETON NOTES: New Year Celebrations

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Sunday 31 December 2017

New Year Celebrations

There are no fireworks in Stornoway to celebrate New Year now. Not that there would have been today anyway because it's the Sabbath. Before I started spending the winter in New Zealand in 2006 the Stornoway waterfront was alive at Midnight with families all seeing in the New Year. It was wonderful. When I first came to the Island in the '70s the tradition in the rural townships (and perhaps in town too) was for people (usually men if I remember correctly) to see in the New Year through the night visiting all the houses in the township. In the early days we claimed immunity as we had two tiny children. By the mid '80s though for many years we had our own New Year dinner party at our house with friends. 

For me this New Year the celebrations are suppose to begin tomorrow at Gaz and Carol's with my grandson, Brodie, in Grimshader. It would be my first overnight in their new home. 

I have been in Purdah and haven't seen my grandson since Christmas Eve. After that I developed a bad throat. By this morning it was almost better so I had high hopes. Then by lunchtime I had started with a cold. I cannot remember when I last had a cold. So it looks as if I will have another period of Purdah and not be able to see the family. There is no way I could risk the family getting a cold at this stage of Brodie's development.

So my New Year will be a quiet one. I may, perhaps, go and infect someone else or I may simply stay at home and catch up with the dozens of letters and so on that I want to write. 

I am spending this evening in splendid isolation. I've had very little in the way of alcohol for four months - my wine stocks are better than they have ever been. Tonight, however, I have one big decision to take. Which will be better for me: a whisky mac or a Cognac? Tough one. 


Slàinte mhath!

41 comments:

  1. Hello Graham, I am first on here again.... anyone would think I did nothing else except sit and twirl round blogosphere. Hubby and I are home tonight. We did the pushing and jostling for many years in one pub or another. Been there, rather be at home now. We are planning to watch Jules Holland and switch over to BBC 1 at midnight to watch the fireworks but not a drop will pass our lips as we have promised to pick up our son from a friends house at some ridiculous hour. Taxis are few and difficult on NYE, as well as being overpriced so we are being martyrs and turning out in the wind and rain when he rings us. (Hope it’s not much after 12:30 am!).

    Happy New Year to you and I hope it is better in all respects for you than the latter end of 2017 has been.

    Beverley

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    1. Hi Beverley. I hope that you managed an early pick-up and got some sleep. I hope that all your expectations for 2018 are realised and that you make it up to the Islands.

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  2. Happy new Year Graham. Hope it's a good one !

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  3. Athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise duit Graham,

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  4. I wish you a rapid recovery. Have a great 2018. Keep up the good work on the blog as I enjoy reading your posts.

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    1. Thanks Red. You may have seen that I re-entered Blogland today and read some blogs. Congratulations on your Laughing Horse award.

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  5. I have just broached my annual winter bottle of Whisky. This year's is a bottle of 15 year old Singleton single malt. Just a thimble-full before bed is delightful; the aroma being as important as the taste.

    CHEERS. Here's to a healthier 2018.

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    1. Cheers, Cro. I hope that your village becomes a happier place again in 2018. I don't usually drink whisky but I do have a reasonable selection for when the mood takes me. However for my whisky mac which I only ever drink when I have a cold I use one of the bottles of Sir Edward's I brought home from France in the days when alcohol in France was so cheap for us Brits.

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  6. I hope you get well so you can enjoy that grand baby!

    Warm wishes to you for 2018

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    1. Thanks Kylie I would dearly love to get rid of this wretched cold. I feel okay but I'm just starting my fourth box of tissues today! I hope that 2018 is a Good Year for you (despite our respective views about good and bad years on your blog).

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  7. Athbhliain faoi shéan is faoi mhaise duit Graham,

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    1. Now that's interesting Heron. Obviously I can work out roughly that you are wishing me a New Year of some sort although I can't relate any of the words (apart from duit) to Scots Gaelic and make sense of it all. If I were wishing you a Happy New Year in Scots Gaelic I would simply say Bliadhna Mhath Ùr dhuibh Heron. In practice I'd simply say Bliadhna Mhath Ùr.

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  8. Surely if you put a space helmet or a gas mask on you could safely visit little Brodie? By the way I am shocked that they didn't call the little chap Graham. All the best for 2018 and thanks again for the kind private message. Hope you are better soon.

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    1. YP if this continues much longer I'd be tempted except for the fact that as I'm using paper hankies like they have gone out of fashion I'd have difficulty with a gas mask on.

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  9. My you are going through it. I hope the new year brings better health. It puts my minor soaking in diesel into perspective. My own fault as I couldn't be bothered fitting a new injector pipe on the vibro-roller and it gave me a good spraying. Eau de cologne it isn't more like Eau de Clyde.

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    1. Adrian I rarely ever get a cold. Indeed if it wasn't for the fact that I can't risk seeing Brodie it wouldn't put me up or down apart from the inconvenience of scattering tissues all over the place.

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  10. Colds and small children are a horrible mix. To start with you are worried every time you sneeze that you are going to give them a life threatening cold (you probably aren't but at a few days old I agree it's not worth the risk). By the time you stop worrying so much they are mixing with other children at nursery or play dates and bringing home every infection known to man with the sole purpose of giving it to you -- I don't think there has been a single day since Toby started nursery where I haven't had a cold or some other nasty bug.

    Anyway, I hope you recover quickly and get to spend lots of time with him soon, and best wishes for 2018.

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    1. Thanks Mark. I'm sure you're right about them catching everything once they get to nursery. In fact I think they need to build up some immunity - but not at 10 days! I hope that 2018 is a Good Year for you all.

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  11. Go for the Cognac, just for the sore throat, of course! Happy New Year!

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    1. Kay I'd go for the Cognac for preference ordinarily but the whisky mac for a cold. After all I can't really taste it properly anyway.

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  12. Whisky mac, every time, especially at this chilly time of year. I hope you recover soon, Graham, and wish you a much healthier and happy new year.

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    1. Thanks Frances. I hope you and John are well and have a Good Year too.

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  13. Belatedly, I say have a bit of each! And a very Happy New Year to you, dear GB!

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    1. Thanks Mrs S. And a very good year to you and yours: after all you are special.

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  14. Congratulations on the new family member.... hope you get to see him more soon and that the cold moves on fast. A happy New Year - here’s to improved health for you,all round x

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    1. Thanks Fi. Les time in hospitals would be very welcome. It's rather time consuming and I have so much to do. I hope that 2018 is a much better year for you too.

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  15. My New Year's Eve and New Year's Day were both spent very quietly...by choice. Just me and my two furry rascals...again, by choice. I didn't have any liquor in celebration throughout Christmas-New Year. I, too, have an ample supply of grog here...I guess not imbibing is the reason why! :) There was/is no reason for not taking a sip of a nip or three other than I just didn't feel like it. Not drinking certainly saves on the liquor bill...and it's always there if or when the mood strikes!

    I love "splendid isolation"!

    I wish you a Happy New Year, Graham...and I hope 2018 treats you most kindly. Take good care. :)

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    1. Lee I don't find isolation a bad thing either. I love company (in small quantities - I'm not a party person) but am quite happy being alone. It amazes me how many people find that strange. I hope that 2018 is everything that you wish it to be.

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  16. Happy New Year Graham!
    Prayers you feel better soon
    The Cognac might help.

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    1. Thanks Maywyn. The various concoctions certainly made life a bit more bearable!

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  17. You and my hubby too is down in the dumps with man flu and a bad cough. We didn't manage to see the new year in this year due to him being sick. I hope the New Year improves. I also hope you have a better year once you have got over the cold. Good luck for 2018.

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    1. Thanks Diane. I'm sure 2018 will be a Good Year for all of us. But then I'm the eternal optimist.

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  18. I believe that you should not mix the Grain and the Grape so enjoy one and have a HNY and get rid of the poorly throat.

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    1. Potty I was always told that too. As I very rarely drink Grain that's not usually a problem: Cognac after some wine is quite acceptable! Not that I've drunk much wine for the last four months.

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  19. Sorry tonhear your cold prevents you from seeing your grandson, I hope it passes as quickly as it came. When did I last have a cold. I can't really remember. Anyway, hopefully, 2018 will be a good year for you on all accounts,

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    1. Meike this cold seems to be gripping lots of people here and it's long-lasting and debilitating. I've been very fortunate that I've not actually felt too bad and the main annoyance has been the congestion and constant sneezing and, of course, not being able to go near the family.

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  20. Sympathies with the cold, I'm currently crawling around with a very bad cough. I might have a cognac and raise a glass to you, so I hope you will do the same ! :) Happy New Year!

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    1. Jenny I do hope that by now your cough has lessened (it would be unrealistic to hope it had disappeared completely). I did indeed raise a glass to you just before 10pm last night when I sat down to watch something suitably relaxing before thinking about bed.

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  21. Happy new year to you too! We had a quiet night too, we watched a david bowie documentary and that was about it. Good though.

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    1. Amy, quiet nights seem to be the order of the night this year.

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