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.