Woke up this morning with a temperature, a vice-like headache, shivers, aches and pains and a constantly runny nose. What a way to start a new year. We welcomed in 2008 with mugs of tea and coffee rather than the champagne we'd planned, but I'd have taken the champagne hangover over this illness every time, not least because by lunchtime I'd have felt like a greasy fry-up.
A peculiarly Scottish new year (or Hogmanay) tradition is that of first-footing. Ideally, the first person to cross your threshold in the new year should be a tall, dark, handsome man bearing gifts of coal and shortbread.
Now, for the past two years (since we were married), the ethical husband and I have spent New Year's Eve together, just the two of us. A little difficult to first-foot, as Paul would have to be outside for the bells and I like to be able to kiss him on the stroke of midnight. So we rigged up something last year with a box of shortbread.
A peculiarly Scottish new year (or Hogmanay) tradition is that of first-footing. Ideally, the first person to cross your threshold in the new year should be a tall, dark, handsome man bearing gifts of coal and shortbread.
Now, for the past two years (since we were married), the ethical husband and I have spent New Year's Eve together, just the two of us. A little difficult to first-foot, as Paul would have to be outside for the bells and I like to be able to kiss him on the stroke of midnight. So we rigged up something last year with a box of shortbread.
Now, this year, we didn't have any shortbread, so we got a box of chocolate chip cookie mix as shown:
And we tied a length of string round it:
We put the cookie mix outside our front door:
And shut the door, ensuring there was enough string inside the front door that we could grab and pull without having to put any part of us outside:
The bells rang, we wished each other happy new year, and then Paul went to the front door to drag in the box:
And there you go - one successful first-footing!
Suppose we should have strapped some barbecue briquettes to the top...
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