Musings from the Merse
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Count Down to HogmanayAs the deep freeze intensifies in the Merse- a sighting of a snowplough yesterday may be some kind of portent-its off to the Isle de France, Greater Paree, for Christmas with half the family and 50% of the grandchildren-the other 50% having opted for a Welsh celebration.We will however be back for Old Years Night, Hogmanay and the rest of the Scottish end of year festivities. As Dr Johnston once said, or was it Boswell-'New Year in Scotland is like New Year in England, but with extra vomit' With the usual crack down on drinking and driving in the Borders the vomit may be confined to walking distance from the Cross and other hosteleries and towns with many pubs-Coldstream, Duns, Eyemouth, pools of the stuff may be confined to within the 30mph limit. Huttonian is glad to be in bed well before ten pm by which time, anyhow, the New Year is well advanced in Sydney, Wellington and Mumbai.
The French are determinedly and officially secular but Christmas is as evident in say L'Etang La Ville (The Town Pond apparently) as it is in Regent Street. It will be fun but we will miss the wild scenes of enthusiasm in Fishwick where (according to a Hutton Think Tank puff) the main street is a pedestrian only zone between 2 and 6am, long after the rush hour traffic has been parked before the dangerous corner and the cavorting fishermen, well away from their cherished 4x4s dance in thigh length waders to canned hits from the 50s and 60s. New Year is even wilder and an alternative to the massive Hogmanay Bash in Embra-see image above of the fireworks last year. No doubt Fishwick, the odd damp squib always excepted, will put up a similar display of pyrotechnics
Labels: Christmas lights, Fishwick Bypass, Hogmanay, Merse
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
As a PS to the post immediately below Huttonian's cameraman has reurned cold foot from Duns after a photographic safari with a few images of the lights in the Market Square. The Christmas Tree has an unusual feature: a gigantic cracker (the kind to pull, not to eat) with a collection slot for cash 'towards the cost of the Christmas decorations' I wonder how many p that will attract?
You will note the prominence given to the Town motto-perhaps the cracker has one inside as well?
Labels: Christmas lights, Duns, Duns Dings A
The Wynsome Mayde, no less, has switched on the Duns Christmas Lights-and what message of seasonal good will is blazoned out in glowing carbon positive letters of the deepest Red? 'Happy Christmas'?, 'Oh come all ye Faithful'? ,'Peace on Earth?'
No, none of these:
'DUNS DINGS A'
What's that again?
The official history of the town sheds some (non seasonal) light:
Percy, the Earl of Northumberland, invaded Scotland in 1377 and seemingly met little opposition. Upon reaching Duns, he relaxed his vigilance. The townspeople saw that the English were off their guard. The Scots made "a kind of rattle, made of dried skins distended round ribs of wood that were bended into a semi-circular form and fixed at the end of long poles". When shaken, they produced a horrendous racket that frightened the English horses, causing them to bolt. The Earl's men fled and were subsequently routed by local people. It may be from this episode that the town takes its design for the Burgh Arms and motto "Duns Dings A'".
The English had long memories as the history goes on:
The English razed Duns to the ground in 1544, 1545 and 1558.
So Duns Dings A' can be translated as 'Duns beats them all'
Stirring stuff. If not always accurate. As a glance at the recent playing record of the Duns Rugby Club illustrates.
But as a general statement reflecting the general desirabity of the Burgh vis a vis other Border Toons:
Fair comment.
(The image is of last years Christmas Tree. Borrowed from Flikr. Thankyou JDSTYNX)
Labels: Christmas lights, Duns, Reivers
