All Hallows' Eve - Scottish style

Skellig Levi circa 2010

If you know me at all, you know that I LOVE Halloween.  Every part of it is fun for me!  I was deeply missing my GR days of ole, when I used to have a Halloween Party every year for the ghosts, goblins, and the tired and often freezing parents.  I loved walking around with the boys for trick or treating, and then handing out candy by removing the front glass window in the door to have easy access to the trick or treaters.  I often got 200+ kids each year, and lit up the house with lights and huge blow up graveyards.  

Halloweens of yester-years...

Oh the good ole days.

I know that Halloween hasn't been the same during the covid years, so I wondered as I sat here in Glasgow, unsure of what to expect.

But wonders of all wonders............IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

Oh my heavenly days, it is a BLAST over here!  

While we learned while living in Ireland that it originated there, the Scots have certainly had their fair share of taking it from there.  

So here is the main thing you need to understand - -  it is NOT trick or treating here.  It is guising..... here is a more formal explanation ...

Scottish children traditionally donned costumes and pretended to be malicious spirits as they went ‘guising’ around the local streets. It was believed that, by disguising themselves, they would blend in with any wandering spirits and remain safe from harm. After performing tricks or songs, guisers were given gifts to help ward off evil – a far cry from some of today’s trick-or-treaters, who get ‘treats’ for simply showing up in costume.

I bought the candy, turned on all the lights in the house, hung out a wee blow up skeleton on the hedges, propped open the gate, bought and put out 7 pumpkins ranging in sizes I could carry home and settled in for a fun night.  

Unsure what or who (or what) would show up.  

This was my most favorite costume - He is a Glasgow Cloud!!  

Seriously dude, you nailed it!

They came in packs and were really patient to wait for each kid to do their bit.  Nothing like the times that Beth and I ran from house to house as fast as we could; a joke, song or trick no where in sight!

This kid had an ap-peeling banana joke - of course.  

  

The guisers started coming around 5:30, it was already darkish by then and it started with the weans.  (wee ones - aka little kids) coming with their parents.  Malcolm, my neighbors 4 year old grandson, kicked off the festivities in his shy fashion, while others slowly sauntered in.

Then my neighbor Claire stopped by.  And thank goodness she did, as I did not realize, that the guisers must do something to get their candy.  WHAT?!?!?!  How did I not understand that, what had I missed???   You must 'sing for your supper' it seems, at least that is how it went down in Glasgow.  

From then on it was a full out show, full of jokes, riddles, songs, trickery and laughter.  Oma and I stayed by the door and soaked it all in.  These kids came prepared, they knew the assignment and they delivered.  

Say, why is 8 afraid of 7?  Because 7, 8, 9.......  

Why did the cow cross the road? .....to get to the moooovies.

Why do ducks have tail feathers?  To hide their butt qwacks.

Seriously, y'all, it was so fun!!!! (*so fun*- right Aine and Effie!?!😆).  I wanted it to last all night!  Although I ran out of candy really fast and had to send Levi off to the store to procure more.  

Oma was just as thrilled as I was to hang out in the hallway, awaiting our next guising show.  We even had some boys come back, over and over, switching hats, or coats, and tell us they weren't the same people.  They didn't come back after I gave them apples.  

Anywho - now that I know the drill, I will be PREPARED next year.  I just can't wait.  I'm buying loads of candy, sharpening my riddle answering skills, and gonna settle in for a night of laughter and fun.  Maybe I'll even get Oma to come back and experience it all with me.  

Life is good!  Eat the treats!

Kandy Karamel Keltic Kitty

 

Birthday Blog - Levi turns 16 (and has a future in stand up)

 It has been a while since I have written one of these and almost nothing really noteworthy has happened since, but here we go.

So my birthday was in the past weeks and I got to go to a really fancy restaurant, wear a nice suit, and just hang out with Kitty and Jackson. It was really nice, so I will just describe the day.

I woke up and noticed gifts on the table wrapped creatively in socks and towels, and I asked Kitty if I could open them now. She said to get Jackson so I brought him down and I opened them all. I was gifted some lovely cards and words from friends and family as well as money for my savings account. I got some nice snacks, a book, and my absolute favorite was a picture of an artists rendition of an irn bru drink set, double framed. Very cool.

Next we just hung out pretty much, I ate some of the caramel waffle snacks and just chilled with the cats, until around dinner time where we had a reservation at Cail Bruich. So we all got into our fancy clothing and took an uber there.

We were a little early so we went to the nearby park to take some pictures. Once we were done taking an unnecessarily large amount of photos we went back to the restaurant and sat down. In this place you do not order, you get served like 13/14 small dishes that are preselected. Everyone gets the same thing.

I cannot remember a lot of the dishes but I remember there was what could only be defined as a fancy cheese ball, fancy strawberry ice cream , fancy square inch of steak, and a fancy piece of fish that was cold for some reason. That one I didn’t like too much, of course I don’t eat fancy food like ever so I cant appreciate it as much as others may.

Here is the chefs tasting menu:

Either way we were there for 4 hours just hanging out and talking about what we learned in the past years and what we liked about each other. (No idea how we got to that topic…) The dishes took like an average of 10 – 15 min per to be served and then eaten in around 10 seconds. Most of them were very good though.

One thing about the place I liked is how the bathrooms had small rolled towels in a basket  that you use to dry your hands and then put the used towel in a towel basket, I guess I didn’t expect anything less from a Michelin star place.

Overall, a very nice place and a calming setting, but a very lengthy stay.

Once we returned home, we all just went our separate ways and yeah. It was a very nice day and quite pleasant.

Also I can now legally drive a tractor.

-Levi

Getting out and living life

Whew, the last couple of years have certainly been nothing I ever suspected, and I can't say I'm sorry to see them gone.  While there were many gifts from the covid years; this extraverted, travel loving, party going soul, found it a long and often tough road.  Soooooooooo.......  

I'm ready to live life and have some fun!  I think that finding joy is what it is all about (more so now than ever).  So here is how I'm locating it with my hardhat on and ready for adventure.  

First up, right after returning from Spain, a dear friend Karyn texted the WEG's to see if anyone would like to use a couple of tickets to see Diversity.  You don't know who that is, REALLY, okay, so neither did I.  But I started googling and found it to be something that was right up my alley.  I got my date all situated and off we went.  

This was my first trip to the Kings Theatre in Glasgow and I was pumped.  This is a treat as I've been wanting to go to this theatre for ages.  

It did NOT disappoint!!!!  

It was so fun to meet Karyn's mum and to hang out for a while before the show.  I didn't even care how it went, as I was out and enjoying life.  

And then it started....

and BLOODY HELL - it was beyond brilliant!

It was some of the best dancing, and creativity, all wrapped up in a powerful message, that I have ever experienced.  I seriously walked out a changed person.  

I must say, you all should watch Diversity on Youtube, it is so incredible!  They won Britains Got Talent in 2012, and have risen to super stardom since.  And they deserve every minute of the fame.  

Thanks Karyn - it was (to use my overused American phrase) A W E S O M E !!!!!

Next up was an American Women in Glasgow meet up!  So exciting to get together with new people and hear their stories of how they got to the land of fresh air, no mass shootings, whiskey, rolling hills, castles, bagpipes and kilts.  

Mary is my American cat friend who started this group, and I just love hanging out and finding things in our own backyard.  We were off to Pollok Country Park.  It's massive, right here in Glasgow and for any of you thinking of visiting, it is a must!  

The Burrell Collection is housed in the Park.  It is a massive collection (9000 items) of a shipping magnate of Glasgow named Burrell of course.  

Mary

Degas, Cezanne, Manet, and the list goes on.

Rodin, the thinker in miniature.

It's a new build, but elegantly done!

Pollok Park is 360 acres and is a belter!  This 'house' was owned by the Maxwell family, which was a family of 3, that had 46 servants.  Now that would be nice..........

I don't know if this is the front or back of the house

But this is what it leads to

My favorite room, the library.

Front?

Reminiscent of 44 Fitz.....but much grander!

and the walled gardens were to die for.

with wee paths leading everywhere

Not only did we meet some lovely American/Scottish women and made new friends, but we even got to pet some Highland Cows.  Now seriously, it can't get much better than this.  (unless you get tickets to Diversity, do that first, and then this.....). 

a wee baby

don't you love the hair!!!  

Then to wrap up this week with a game night hosted by the lovely Effie!  Boy did we have jolly good fun, with lots of laughter, sugar, and companionship.  

Gru won pass the buck, but we won't talk about his Guessture skills!  

Hugo

She made baked Alaska, who does that?  It was phenomenal!

I have to say, I'm loving life and I hope you are too, because why not, it's too short not too.     

the celtic cow lady

Kitty

and here is Rafe, my date!  

I'll

end

with 

this

It's actually 26 years ago in Scotland...

just saying......