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Just to show I am still around, a self re-blog for Halloween.

Scottish Halloween

Stuff you may or may not want to know.

Did you know that Halloween originated in Ireland and came across to Scotland very early on? It is, of course, named for the shortened All Hallows Eve, and was originally the festival of Samhain where the veil between worlds was lifted and spirits could roam the mortal realm.

How do we do Halloween in Scotland?

Well Trick or Treat is a new thing brought to the world from American movies and TV shows but long before that and still for many in Scotland we have our own traditions. Trick or Treat is known as 'guising' (disGuising), where we dress up and go around the neighbours doors looking for sweets or other Halloween goodies. Most often it was fruit and nuts we were given, not sweets. The art of guising is to confuse spirits and allow children to 'blend in'. The poem we recited on a door being opened was "The Sky is blue, the grass is green, anything for my Halloween" At this we were instructed to work for our goodies, we had to sing, dance, tell a joke or say a poem, so rather than evil tricks for sweets we entertained for them. If we knew the neighbours well or if it was family we could go inside where they would have apples bobbing in a bucket and you could 'dook' for an apple, hands behind backs. This is a reference to the Druids seeing apples as sacred. More often than not they had strings with bread hanging from them covered in treacle and you were to take a bite (hands behind your back), obviously you were in a terrible state by the time you got home, (it's supposed to be scones but I was raised in a poor area). We carved turnips (neeps) and never pumpkins, which are easy, turnips are extremely difficult to carve, neep lanterns are also known as 'tattie bogles'.

You can throw a nut on the bonfire and if it quietly fizzles you will have a relaxed life, if it pops and cracks you need to change something in your life.

Hanging scissors on the back of your door can keep out evil spirits. Quite often bonfires are lit to keep the spirits away or the fire of a candle inside a neep lantern. Some in Scotland and Ireland still celebrate actual Samhain.

In the 1700's the eating of pork was banned under the witchcraft laws, so often people serve up sausage rolls or other pork pastries, I think it was around the 1950's before the law was repealed.

Just some rubbish to fill your brain with from an old Scottish woman.

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Still here

Came in today for the first time since January, hadn't realised I was away so long, too much going on and I'm still in the process of moving house.

I noticed I have a few hundred more followers. I am coming back, I have a nice new mesh to work with to make shop signs and I do want to do them. I haven't reinstalled my games yet, since my PC died, and they are packed waiting for my move.

See you all soon. xx

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I'll be back

Sorry I haven't been around folks, PC issues. Got one thing sorted then had to get another thing fixed, I haven't reinstalled all my games yet because they are all packed away for moving. I do intend to come back and create for you again, I promise. Life is just.........................

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Thanks for tagging me @wanderingsimsfinds

🖤 Favorite Three Ships 🖤

I don't have favourite ships

🖤 Last Song - I surrender - Eddie Holman

🖤 Last Movie - Lost City - Sandra Bullock. I was bored

🖤 Currently Reading - these questions

🖤 Craving - An end to the constant Scottish windstorms we are having this year.

🖤 Relationship Status - Single

🖤 Last Thing I Googled - a location on google maps

🖤 Current Obsession - hmmm, lol

🖤 Tagging - everyone who follows me

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Scottish New Year and Hogmanay traditions. Bliadhna mhath ùr (Happy New Year)

Scottish New Year

We all know around the world that the Scottish New Year is highly significant and steeped in traditions. Mostly stemming from pagan and even Norse traditions and customs, they are ingrained in us, well us old folk anyway. You all know this because our song 'Auld Lang Syne' (times long past), by Robert Burns, is used all over the world, which has always surprised me. There are many traditions at New Year but I'll stick to the ones I know about and practiced through my life. Auld Lang Syne, do it properly. You should be in a circle around the dancefloor to sing it, holding hands in the normal way, at the last verse you cross your arms over your chest and take hands with those on either side of you again, I see foreigners crossing the arms all through and that's wrong. When the song ends everyone should run onto the dance floor still linked together, then you all have to twist under your arms without letting go so that you face outward from the circle.

Haud Hogmanay

Hogmanay is our biggest night, the above is how to say Happy Hogmanay in Scots. This happens on 31st December as midnight approaches. Major preparations are in place for this event and right now people are scurrying about making sure their houses are absolutely spotless, Redding the House, that all the dirt from the old year is out. You should have all debts paid before the bells too but this is nigh on impossible in todays economic climate. We also call this 'The Bells' When the bells ring at midnight you should be doing several things. Here where I live we do still have the horns from the shipyards going off at midnight but usually you hear church bells too. As they ring you should be spotlessly clean, house clean, food ready for guests, you should be holding a drink in one hand and food in the other, you must have money in your pocket. This is to ensure food will be there all year long. Whatever you are doing at the bells is what your year will bring. Once the bells have rung out, signifying the start of the new year, you should open a window to let the old year out and the new year in. This is when people step out of their homes and go 'first footing'. Also as soon as the bells ring you must turn your calendar over to the new one. My new one is currently on the wall under the old one, I will remove the old one when the bells ring.

First Footing

Your first foot is the first person who will cross your threshold in the new year, it is hoped that this person will be dark haired, I wasn't allowed out of the door until we had a first foot because I was blonde, just in case I came back before a first foot, a dark haired person brings luck, a male is preferred. Obviously in old times dark haired people were few and far between in Scotland and the Norse areas, which favoured blondes and red heads. Now this person is also charged with traditions and they must have 3 things. Food, drink and a piece of coal. It is also lucky if they bring a coin with them. This is them bringing prosperity to your home. Never turn up at a Scots house in the week after New Year empty handed, on the off chance you are their first foot.

Food for Hogmanay

Many things are traditional, cock a leekie soup, even Cullen skink (fish soup, yuck), Haggis Neeps (turnips) and tatties (potatoes), most commonly steak pie is made for the bells. This came from a time when Hogmanay wasn't a holiday (it still isn't) and there was no time for food prep so often the steak pie was bought from the butchers. A meal will be enjoyed with the family and there should be enough for any unexpected guests, never run out of food or drink at New Year, yes we do have a whisky. Shortbread of course and my favourite 'bun', this is a type of cake, we have Madeira (plain), sultana or my favourite, which I just had, cherry bun. Clooty dumpling is also very much a part of it all, the leftovers from this can be fried in the morning for breakfast, I don't think many people make the dumpling from scratch now but I do remember my gran and mum doing it. The dumpling would have a coin in it , wrapped in greaseproof paper, it was considered lucky to find the coin. For some odd reason as a kid I always got the bit with the coin from my grannies clooty dumpling, I was the first grandchild, it was rigged. At that time it was a sixpence, which I called a wee shilling, if you don't get that, you never will.

Bonfires, yes we did but not sure this still happens, old pagan thing. Fireworks are loud just as the bells ring and they go on for too long in my opinion.

The celebrations can go on for a full 3 days and sometimes still do, people in a family pick a day they will host, we always did the 2nd when I was a kid. I remember in the morning waking up and finding the living room full of sleeping people while my mum would be in the kitchen making French toast for them all, along with some of that fried leftover clooty dumpling. It's not as busy at New Year as it was back then, with many people just staying up to hear the bells and just going to bed, like I'll be doing tonight, don't worry I do have my cherry bun and a wee dram of Jura Whisky to 'bring in the Bells'.

Ramblings and memories of an old Scottish Woman.

Translation of above Scots

May the best you've ever seen be the worst you'll ever see. May a mouse never leave your (pantry, larder, food cupboard) with a tear in his eye, May you be healthy and strong until you're old enough to die. May you always be as happy as we wish you to be.

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Reblogging my Scottish collection seeing as it's Hogmanay. Here's the link to the missing paintings I forgot I had done to match.

The Scottish Collection

100+ followers gift, thank you for liking my stuff.

Patterns and paintings. I see these in homes but also in cafes and restaurants. I was going to do a room set up to show you how good these things all look together but this has taken me days.

The patterns. The floral ones are lovely as half walls with wainscoting below or as full walls, matched with tartan table cloths, etc they are a winner.

The paintings. I did some paintings from some lovely illustrations I got to match the colour scheme of the patterns. Each painting started as a .png with transparency and the backgrounds were done separately.

Animals in Tartan

Scottish animals

Sadly some we don't have here anymore and there is one that's unique to Scotland, the Capercaillie.

Set 1

Set 2

Set 3

Scottish Illustrations

Set 1

Set 2

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Merry Christmas all who celebrate

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yep

4 Disney Christmas Paintings

I've had one of the Tinkerbell ones in a folder since 2009, lol. It came out when I recovered my old hard drives.

4 Disney Christmas paintings for Children. EA mesh 4 in 1.

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I know, lol, lazy me

Xmas Paintings Collection

Making this the end to my Christmas contribution for 2022, just couldn't resist doing these ones.

2 sets of 4 Christmas Paintings and 2 individual wreath paintings.

To all Scots, Blithe Sowans Nicht.

Xmas Paintings 1

Xmas Paintings 2

Xmas Wreath Painting 1

Xmas Wreath Painting 2

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Children's Xmas Paintings x 4

4 paintings on one EA mesh. Move up and down wall.

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3 deer paintings

3 Christmas themed paintings of deer on one mesh, cloned from Hi End Loft HE Tech, in UK this is Design & High Tech.

Move up and down wall and frames are recolourable.

Artwork by Betidraws on Pixabay.

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yep, another one

Children Christmas Paintings 1

Slide up and down. 4 paintings one frame.

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yet another self reblog, sorry

Christmas kids Paintings

slide up and down wall. 5 paintings one frame.

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Another self reblog, I know I'm still not doing anything. Had a bad year with a back injury, dog died and now I'm trying to clear my house a bit because I'm expecting to move soon.

Christmas Ribbon Christmas Decorations

Today I bring you two sets, it's probably best to download both because you will use them together more than likely. I really wanted those dangly decorations to hang at the front door in the side lights, so here they are. Also some decals for the windows. You definitely need MOO to place them in windows and doors. I haven't play tested these to be sure Sims can get through doors so if there's an issue let me know. One or two of them have left side, right side and centre so you have options, others are just single. The window ones are individual, I just put them like that for the screenshot. These slide up and down to help you place them on most windows using 'alt'

I'm making more of these Christmas stickers so if you like them come back later for the rest.

Christmas Ribbon Decoration (part one)

Christmas Ribbon Decorations 2

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another self reblog, sorry

Snowmen Decals Large

These can move up and down. They can be placed on windows, stood in the garden and made to fly over roofs by using MOO and alt. Large size decals 5 in 1.