Happy New Year everyone, OK so it's almost a week into 2008 but in some cases this will be the first you've heard from me, and it's my first post of the new year so it seemed apt to start with that.
I had a brilliant Hogmanay - Al and Steve (my little sis and her fella) came to stay and we went sightseeing round the city together before spending the night itself with some of my Edinburgh gang, ending up on Princes Street for midnight. The fireworks were good until the smoke obscured them and (with the exception of one dozy fifer woman being incredibly rude) the whole evening was a friendly and happy experience. I love getting to share this place I've made my home with people I care about and I was really pleased that Al and Steve could see what I see in the place.
The rude woman upset me... Leaving Princes Street we all had our hands linked in a long chain so as not to lose anyone. Part way through the crowd this woman came staggering toward me shouting Happy New Year with her hand out wanting to shake mine. So far so friendly, and I smiled acknowledging her as best I could (without letting go of anyone who might have become lost in the heaving crowd) I nodded and wished her a Happy New Year back... at which point her face screwed up as if she'd smelled dog shit, and she started yelling "English!" as if it was an accusation... I so rarely encounter anti-English sentiment that it shocks and upsets me when I do, especially since I consider myself more Scottish than English*, place of birth notwithstanding. That this brainless drunkard took offence at my accent and decided to make me feel unwelcome in my own home city put a smudge on an otherwise shiningly happy day. It also embarrassed me in front of my guests (who are both very English and quite happy about that thank you) Still other than that it was the usual happy friendly New Year crowd I'm used to.
Anyway as I said it didn't really spoil the evening, just smudged it. So far the new year has been pretty good, the past few days there's been snow reaching into the city centre and for the first time in years I can just enjoy that rather than having to worry about the conditions on the A70 over the Pentlands... sadly not enough has yet fallen and settled for me to make a snowman but I'm optimistic.
I realise I've said this before too but I will endeavour to post more regularly this year - the tail end of 2007 was pretty hectic one way and another and while I'm sure I could have found the time to post, some of the time I couldn't have reasonably posted what was on my mind, and others I simply didn't make the time. Hopefully this year I'll get better at making the time, for myself as much as anything: I've really been enjoying re-reading my Australia posts recently... It's incredible to me that it's now a year since I came home from my adventures down under, and much as I love life here I really miss some of the people and places I discovered there...
2008 seems to have very little in it as yet - this point last year my head was crowded with things I had to do and find, this year things are much more settled... at the start at least! (doesn't do to take these things for granted) I'm really looking forward to finding out what this year holds, and as I said I'll try to do a bit better at documenting it.
* Because I chose Scotland as my home, rather than winding up her by an accident of birth. I've been living here for well over a decade, pretty much my whole adult life, I'm a Scottish tax payer, a Scottish voter and a borderline Scottish Nationalist. If asked where I'm from my instinctive reply is "Edinburgh" because this is the place my soul feels at home.
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