Brilliant things about Scotland

[JennyPiccolo]

Just cos I love Scotland.

The banter
Irn bru
Men who look like they grew out of the ground
How everyone sees going out and having a good time as some kind of fundamental human right
Edinburgh fringe festival
The barrowlands ballroom
Whisky

thanks witchofthenorth, but we have experienced quite a lot of anti-English abuse here, despite living here nearly all of my life. I have a lot of wonderful Scottish friends, but have been told by other Scots "to fuck off back to England", been called a "fucking English bitch" and been spat on for being English.it's not just me, several other "incomers" have received the same treatment. I agree with the previous posters that there are many wonderful things about Scotland , but there is also a dark side of bigotry and sectarianism that has no place in modern Scotland.

Let's keep this thread positive! It's been lovely to read and to feel posters' enthusiasm: I've even surprised myself with the contributions I've made!

Please don't let this degenerate into a thread saying negative things about Scotland/the Scots: start a new thread if you feel so inclined.

Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Brilliant!

I am sorry you have had such horrible experiences demented, but why do you need to bring it up here? This is a light hearted thread brilliant things about Scotland, everyone of us here are enjoying that if you need a platform to discuss racism please start that thread and people will respond! Having lived in Scotland so long surely you have good stuff to say about it too?

in chippy that a single fish=2 fish

SM - In my youth I was once heard to say in the pub "I'm away for a single fish". So uncouth.

I've been wandering around today with tartan tinted eyes. I loved everyone and everything today having seen this country differently. It is a brilliant thread.

Just back from Newburgh, Fife where they set fire to a muckle big bear on the hill and salmon fishermen had a boat race where they rowed up the river.

Can I bring up the Scottish name thing where generations are all called the same name eg when you are named after a Granny or Grandad.

Thank you, scottishmummy for the 'Taysiders in Space' link. It cracked me up seeing it again.

William McGonagall, poet and tragedian .."Beautiful silvery Tay,
With your landscapes, so lovely and gay,
Along each side of your waters, to Perth all the way;
No other river in the world has got scenery more fine,
Only I am told the beautiful Rhine,
Near to Wormit Bay, it seems very fine..."

GentleOtter My dad grew up with three other Georges in his family.

There were:
Himself (Oor George)
His Grandfather (Auld George)
His uncle (Dod)
His other uncle (his auntie's husband) (George)

There were three names given to males in the family, and you just worked your way through the list as each new boy was born.

My dad rebelled by giving DB a name that had NEVER been used in the family!

Gentleotter in parts of the highlands everyone has nicknames because e.g all the men are called Iain, with the same surname, one nickname sticks in my head "Iain the Gate"

Iain the Gate!

I am almost tempted to phone my Uncle Iain to find out how Iain the Gate got his name.

It's like that here Tapsel, except the most popular name is Donald.

I remember getting a lift from "John the Shop" on Lewis.
He had a mobile shop van that sold everything.

In village that I am from in the Highlands, the families had 'by names' so there were generations known as eg The Johnny Gugas, The Johnny Pockets's etc.

Some folk were ok with their by names but some took mortal offence despite having them for a long time.
It could be confusing if they were being discussed until the by name was whispered....Oh aye, yon Johnny Guga!

aye,donald buckets.ken him
im scared how he got to be called buckets

saying how to mean why

TapsalteerieO - please phone your Uncle Iain so as we know how Iain the Gate got his name.

Being Scottish and proud of it - it's in the DNA

My friend's relative emigrated to Australia in the 50's, had successful business and all his kids were born there. He was getting on and didn't think he had long left - but wanted to come 'home' to Scotland to die.

Someone else I knew emigrated to Canada and said that whenever he heard bagpipes he'd start crying - he moved back here in the end.

I can understand how hearing the pipes can make folk cry - they finish me off completely. This used to vex my son who is a piper.

park bar in kelvingrove,folk used to play pipes there

We have an annual Highland Gathering in Derbyshire. Just watching and hearing the massed bands gives me goosepimples.

The scots are always very friendly towards us geordies and the magnificent scenery and the pipe bands marching gives me a shiver down my spine. Love love love Scotland and the scots.

bibi that would be the Magnum then

demented Im sorry to that you experienced abuse because you are English but you get get numptys of all nationalites, much the same as my friend got for being Scottish when she lived in England for 8 years sadly.

I dont think you can say Im looking at football through "rose coloured spectacles" though when Im only speaking for myself and friends and family - its a standing joke amongst us we are glorious failures, no-one I know is out threatening people because they are English.

scottishmummy - you made me laugh so much there with the comment about getting info out in less than a minute, so true

I am SO enjoying these.

Must make one correction tho' - there IS a village called Findo Gask, the other wee ones are Nether Gask and Trinity Gask.

My own particular favourite things are - first, that no matter where you live in Scotland you can get to the coast or the hills within an hour or two. Second, it is the accents, all different but all recognisably Scottish. Why does the accent change so dramatically at the border? I also appreciate the 'new' accents such as Italian/Scottish and Pakistani/Glasgow. Used to have a French (Parisienne) friend who learnt her 'English' in Dundee. Try 'gaun yersel hen' with a French accent to capture the sound.