Back To Reality: Scotstober

Back to reality or at least to a lot of laundry and kids' issues both at school and at home. Life always seems to trip you up when you try to take a break from it.

My trip to Fife was amazing, mainly because it was so laid back. I wandered the beaches when the weather was beautiful, the woods when it was a bit grayer and museums and churchyards when it was raining. I got to stand as close as I dared to the Forth Rain Bridge which I'm a bit obsessed with. None of these things would entertain my kids, so it was a good chance to entertain myself.

Here's a few new Scotstober posts, some inspired by my recent holiday in Scotland. I've combined them to catch up on those words I missed, although I haven't been unable to come up with anything poetic for Day 6 - boak - to throw up, the feeling you're going to throw up. That may be beyond my poetic ability.

#scotstober Days 7, 8 and 12 tap - top lang - long jouk - a quick movement, to evade Cloods tap thi hills thi firth bleacht siller an white thi lang stretch av beach bowlin wide dugs lowsed tae thi saunds joukin in an oot thi rocks up an doon thi stair Days 9, 2, 10 and 11 haver – to talk nonsense, to gossip dicht – to tidy up thole – to bear or endure bile - boil naebody tae haver wi naebody tae dicht up efter ah can thole thi seelence av a tuim hoose ah lang fae its echa in thi bile av thi kettle Days 13, 15 and 16 howff – a favourite place puddock – a toad cuddie – a stupid person ah sall gae tae Birnam Wid an staun in thi hert o thi aik ye’ll cry me a witch in mah howff wrunkelt as a puddock but yer a cuddie afeart o a wumman wi ideas Days 9, 14 and 17 haver - to talk nonsense gowster - to storm with wind and rain lum - a chimney a gowsterous day thi wind howlin thi rain blatterin oan thi windaes but thi lum is drawin weel an ahm haverin wi mah freends

Days 18, 21 and 22

tuim - empty
sook - to suck
heid - head

ahm tuim av thochts
staundin in thi wat leaves
thi wind sookin at mah skin
hair beelin around mah heid 

I'll try to catch up some more before the end of the month, but it's been so busy at work it's unlikely.

I've had some work published in Scotland recently. My poem 'Writing for Mr Stangeland' has been published in From Glasgow to Saturn, a magazine connected with the University of Glasgow, my alma mater. I can't wait to see a copy.

And my Fibonacci style poem 'Found in a Goniatite Ammonite' was published in Poetry Scotland. It contains such a great mix of poems from Scotland and abroad. A great wee read.  

Scotstober 2024

I'm on holiday in Scotland and I can't wait today for my first wander. I woke up to a pale sunrise and an alpaca in the field below my window. 

I was here twice over the summer, once with a school group and once with 3 of my kids, but this time it's just me. I have no plans really. I'm staying in the East Neuk of Fife where I've only visited once, besides St Andrews, decades ago. Summer was so stressful and dictated by others, I hope to just visit some of the coastal villages, do some writing in cafes and just chill. 

And maybe catch up on the Scotstober posting. Every year, Scotstober celebrates the Scots language on social media by posting a Scots Wird o thi Day, a new Scots word every day that posters can use creatively, writing their own poems or sentences, finding famous or humorous uses of the word, just sharing the love of Scots. 

Here's a list of the words

I don't speak Scots naturally. I lived in Scotland for about 17 years and I studied Scottish Literature. My ability to use Scots is like most of my languages, I can read better than I speak. But sometimes I can hear Scots in my head and that's the voice that I want for a poem. 

I'm way behind on my posting of the words, but here's my start. I tend to write snippets of poems and then try to stitch a poem together at the end of the month. 

#Scotstober Day 1 -  tyne - to lose, to suffer the loss. 

ah hae tint thi mune
deep in thi tangles
av thi epple trees

Day 2 - dicht - to tidy, to wipe up

Ah dicht thi rottin fruit
thi lace-leafslien on thi egress
abandont by thi rashin saison

Day 3 - noo - now.

ah hae tint thi mune an its story
in thi doctors an lesson plans
noo clutherin
mah mind

Day 4 - haar - a sea fog

memories
hingin oan lik a haar
saft an lawoer thi gairden

Day 5 - clype - to tell tales

but nane will clype oan me
if ah dae nae work thi day
no thi maggie
or thi hare

I'll head off soon, but I'm enjoying the slow start to the morning, even if the internet is dodgy.