Bringing in some light

[Lidlfix]

It's hard for everyone right now, by varying degrees granted, and sometimes it's nice to blether. I'd like a thread that doesn't turn into political debate. A Chat if you like with a Scottish perspective that has a gentler vibe. I admire the posters with strong political views, knowledge, interests and thick skins - qualities I lack. But it's not for everyone.

My fig and blackberry candle is lit and my nice coloured gin bottles have wee LED lights in. I feel refreshed after my two week hols but worried about the term to come. Come share what you're doing to bring in some light, your wee treats, autumn booze concoctions or just blether.

I was watching back in time for dinner and they showed dripping - my dd could not believe people used to spread it on toast, cook with it etc. It's amazing how fast things change, my parents used to fry bread and chips in dripping when I was a kid, tasty.

Oh I love you all. Happy memories of neep lanterns and the coal fire. Sigh.

I’m really in the doldrums, my teens don’t really need me and I took the week off to be here over the holidays but have just been a bit lonely. Not seeing folk anything like as much as normal and no parties to look forward to.

Need to get the SAD lamp on, I reckon! Have about a million candles so will get those on.

Would love to get away, had nothing planned because of Covid but actually might have to for the good of our sanity!

@anon444877

I was watching back in time for dinner and they showed dripping - my dd could not believe people used to spread it on toast, cook with it etc. It's amazing how fast things change, my parents used to fry bread and chips in dripping when I was a kid, tasty.

A fry up wasn't complete without fried bread. Also fond memories of my grandad making scones with actual real butter, we didn't have butter at home, just margarine. And his porridge drawer... yum!

I also remember going to a friends and having lunch. Tinned tomato soup and bread. But hold on, absolute gamechanger, the bread was spread and not just a couple of dry squares of pan loaf....actually spread so that when you dipped it in, little globules sat on the top of the soup - delicious.

My DC are so middle class, never experienced soup with dry bread!

@nibdedibble, sorry you are feeling so down. I am also in general feeling like that but the few days away and just being somewhere else, even if one day we virtually didn't leave the cabin, was sooo good.

I still have no optimism and am not really looking forward to anything but I'm trying to focus on the positives - like being able to afford to spread butter on my bread, being able to do what my mum never experienced, put what I like in my food shopping.

So many people in a bad place at the moment, financially and emotionally and health wise, i'm trying to count my blessings (in an atheist way ).

We're off to pick pumpkins tomorrow and they've got a little farmer's market organised so hopefully will get some lovely local bits.

Dc1 and I made ghosts for the ancestors tree today. Each one symbolises a family member no longer with us and we looked at photos/spoke about each one as we put them on the tree. It's now in the window surrounded by candles and will stay there till after All Souls day. In the past 2 years we've lost both my Grandmothers and my dad so it was bittersweet but important for the kids, especially dc1 who adored my dad.

They might think it was a crouton! My dd was moaning about preferring pecorino to parmesan today and it definitely wasn't a proud mummy moment...dh and I talk about this experience gap, so much of life perspective and expectations is shaped in childhood.

What a lovely idea the ancestor tree is, I'm going to have to do one of those

@anon444877

They might think it was a crouton! My dd was moaning about preferring pecorino to parmesan today and it definitely wasn't a proud mummy moment...dh and I talk about this experience gap, so much of life perspective and expectations is shaped in childhood.

I think values do win out in the end.

DS2 is away at Uni and has struggled to be able to replace his glasses that he lost just before lockdown. Long story short, I said I'd pay for them but not to go mad and definitely not more than £500 (i've been to the opticians with him before and know how tempted he gets). He collected them today and said he got 2 pairs for £89. I said I'd pay for a shopping delivery the other week to stock up on heavy stuff etc. He'd only put about £50 worth of stuff in the basket. I think the value of money has finally kicked in.

[quote WaxOnFeckOff]@nibdedibble, sorry you are feeling so down. I am also in general feeling like that but the few days away and just being somewhere else, even if one day we virtually didn't leave the cabin, was sooo good.

I still have no optimism and am not really looking forward to anything but I'm trying to focus on the positives - like being able to afford to spread butter on my bread, being able to do what my mum never experienced, put what I like in my food shopping.

So many people in a bad place at the moment, financially and emotionally and health wise, i'm trying to count my blessings (in an atheist way ).[/quote]
Yes to all this, and me too (and omg globules of butter on the tomato soup 😭 I wish I was five again!)

(and omg globules of butter on the tomato soup 😭 I wish I was five again!)

I had that for lunch yesterday... In case it wasn't obvious, I'm older than 5.

I’d like to add gently to the chorus of stories about kids who don’t really know what it was like for us as (70s?) children in Scotland. I have to educate dh as well, he’s from another world 😂

My kids have no idea about cold mornings before the fire was put on, that sort of thing. Though my heart lifted when dd asked if we could have white pudding with our stew the other night 😂

reckon that must be right about values - it sounds like your ds2 is absolutely getting it.

I started with my SAD lamp last week and have done it most mornings this week. Am also taking vitamin D tablets! Candles sound good - must try one night cause I do have a few, including some hippy dippy ones from Tir nA nOg...

I think values do win out in the end. think it depends whose values - DD takes after me and has multiple savings accounts, ISAs, etc whereas DS takes after DH and cannot spend his money fast enough

We were a large family brought up in poverty but both my parents worked really hard, no real benefits around in those days but it was a rough area and my mum told us that a woman she knew (i wont call her a friend) told her she was really lucky since she had all those kids and none of us had gotten into trouble or prison etc. She drew herself up to her full height and said "luck has nothing to do with it, they've been brought up knowing life owes you nothing, with a social conscience and knowing right from wrong - there is no magic wand".

I know there are parents who do everything they can and their DC still end up trouble so I don't entirely agree with her, but her 12 adult grandchildren all still seem to have good values too, so something must have stuck.

DS takes after DH and cannot spend his money fast enough

How old is he @Sturmundcalm? DS2 was like that up to about 14 and then didn't like spending his own money and now at 19 he's realised that he doesn't like spending other people's either!

@WaxOnFeckOff - only 13 so fingers crossed he goes through the same transformation!!

Another one who remembers the smell of burning turnip! And how hard they were to carve.
I also remember having just one coal fire in the house - bedrooms were always freezing.
One Halloween memory is the year it fell on a Sunday. My job was to keep the minister talking while my accomplices raided his apple trees. They nearly got caught, as it didn't take him long to explain that he didn't "celebrate" Halloween (it hadn't occurred to us ).

DH, being urban, held to the "it's begging/American" school of thought. See what he missed!

My granny was telling me how all the local men would dress up - I guess this was the 60s or late 50s and go guising with the kids. Made me greet a wee bit remembering my fun loving granda.

Hello all.

We were chatting in school today about how the low key Halloween we're planning actually sounds much nicer than the hectic discos etc. Same for Christmas.

And she only telt me that a few weeks ago - she’s sitting on all these old stories about rural life that will be gone when she goes 😭

@WaxOnFeckOff We seem to have had a similar childhood! Getting the bus into town to go to the baths, minding my younger siblings despite a coal fire indoors and the Forth not 20 feet from the door! We all learned to swim in that - it’s a miracle we didn’t drown or get jobby poisoning!

My team in work think its hysterical when I am going out to a meeting and leaving them to their own devices. I repeat my mother’s mantra:
Play nicely, don’t fight, don’t answer the door to any strangers and stay away from the fire!

They now all chorus, yes mum!

Yes, that's true, it might be different but that doesn't mean it's worse.

I have great memories of estate bonfires growing up, usually just organised by the older kids and anyone with fireworks would bring them along and set them off for all to see. We turned up with tin foil wrapped tatties which we places at the bottom of the fire and then ate when it died back a bit, burnt on the outside and raw in the middle, no doubt resulting in sore tummies everywhere. We used to go round the houses asking for any wood or stuff that would burn. It had to be guarded after it was taken to the site as bonfire raids amongst rival fires were common.

My own DSs experiences are more of attending bonfire events or a couple times we had our own fireworks in the garden, i'm sure they will still remember them as being good fun.

It's good to try to collect all these memories now. My Dad's parents died when he was 7 so I didn't have grandparents on that side and my mums parents died when I was 6 and 11. DSs dad died before we were married, my dad died when Ds1 was only a few months old and DSs mum died when my two were toddlers. They only had my mum growing up and we didn't live locally. She died a few years ago so unfortunately my DC don't have grandparents either. It makes me really sad, DH and I have also both lost siblings so the amount of people around to love my DC is dwindling. It is what it is though and can't be helped.

Definitely a similar childhood @dementedma. We had similar rules but they were never obeyed :o

DH learned to swim in the tweed. a relative later drowned in the same area trying to rescue his little dog that had got caught in a wild bit.

Gosh, I’m sliding back in time to fried bread, shared baths with multiple siblings to save the water, ice on the inside of the windows in the mornings, getting dressed under the covers. Drying my long hair in front of the coal fire, hardboiled eggs chopped up in a cup with butter. A twin tub washing machine with a rubber spiders web in the spinner part and wooden tongs, terry nappies folded and airing on the fire guard. A bike with no helmet, no lights, and usually no brakes, climbing trees, playing conkers and poldies and five stones. A detention in school meant a skelped arse when you got home. Sent to bed with no dinner. Always referring to adults as Mr and Mrs Somebody, or aunt and uncle somebody, fireworks were sparklers and so exciting, treacle toffee. All travelling on the back seat of the car without a seat belt between us and taking turns having the window.Being scared of Daleks and Cybermen and wanting a Blue Peter badge......

My ds got out of bed last night to make fried bread 😁 I’m low carving but it smelled sooooo good (all night).