Jock Alexander's Scottish New Year Hogmannay Parties!

Michael Alexander · July 27, 2007, 08:20:51 AM

How many of you where ever at one of my dad's scottish new year parties? My folks would go to the Moths New Year do and then come 02h00 , everyone came back to my dad's house for the Scottish new year, I was a kid, but i kid you people not , the cars were parked bumper to bumper on both sides of the road, back and front,, for 5 houses at E7-1st avenue, there were characters there , people playing musical instruments, irish coffee's, massive bonfires, even a guy that ate all my mom's glasses and light bulbs.....these parties lasted 2 days, they just moved to different houses...

I was woken up one of those morning's with a pisscat having a leak in my bedroom, behind the door, thats the problem with having your bedroom opposite the toilet..door...

;D

SandyB · July 27, 2007, 01:27:35 PM

Mike . Problem was that it was regarded as good luck to arrive at a scotsmans home with a lump of coal on new year , of course you were rewarded with hospitality .. My parents had similar stayover / stayovers and weekend long parties when they were younger ... remember many of them .. must dig out pictures .. anyhow I remember the one time they crawled home partied out and tired .. new year was now over .. all they wanted to do was sleeeep ! no sooner had they drawn the blinds and crawled into bed than a landrover filled with more coalbearing jolly people who did not know when to call it a day arrived at our gate ... I had to answer the front door and do the white lie " My Mommy and Daddy are not home " off went the landrover load of disapointed folk looking for the next home to descend upon ... talk about the parties I see you got a pic of Frank Robinson .. what happened to them

Michael Alexander · July 27, 2007, 05:36:46 PM

Sandy, it's Keith Robinson, married to Pat Robinson, he was a blacksmith on the mine, and went by the name of "Scouse", played a little black squeezebox..... he is still in touch with my dad via the postal service and lives in Albany , Western Australia...

;)

Clint Ebstein · July 27, 2007, 07:15:41 PM

Real heavy New Year, don`t ever remember been sober during that time

Sharon · August 10, 2007, 10:16:57 AM

I remember one of those parties, or maybe two, my dad Roy Fields, played the spoons and mouth organ whilst your dad played the guitar and the bonfire's just kept going and I remember my dad braaing boerewors. I also remember the pool u guys had in the front of the house, remember mike when you through me in. and the parties you had in your gurage.... Jackie (Godbold) not sure how to spell her surname was there, and we were singing to some music as well as drinking.....great fun. I remember the puppet show's me and Pual used to do with his green frog Kermit and my seal. hee hee

Debbie MacDonald (Wallace · October 24, 2007, 09:31:37 PM

Mike

Just read your post about your dads Hogmanay parties the guy who ate glasses and light bulbs was a contractor nick named Panga Pete eating glasses was his party trick

Michael Alexander · October 25, 2007, 04:00:53 AM

Thats Right, Panga Pete, my mom was'nt very happy with him.....1st of January there were no glasses to wash...... ;D

Donald Duck · October 25, 2007, 06:15:06 PM

Heather and moi were there for I think 3 over 15 years. The kids were young so we tended to have "gentle" New Years or we were on leave and out of town.
You Dad, but especially your Mum were always delighted to see us.......;D ;D
(Shit, your old man could pour a whisky :o :o)

Donald Duck · October 25, 2007, 06:29:27 PM

Just an after thought........ :P
The first New Year we had in Oranjemund, we ended up at the Off Road Club.
The Argentanion I think, organised the whole thing. We went with the "Big Yun" - Brian Marsterton - and we pitched tents outside the clubhouse for all the wee yuns whilst us "adults" had adult conversations inside.
I specifically remember just after midnight, the "Irish Bastard" Paddy Conran dragging me outside and forcing me to serenade him with "Oh Danny Boy" and "Cockles 'n Muscles" on his sons guitar that only had five strings. I of course, did my thing. Then he started to cry. I thought "Oh, shit Kenny, he's missing his wife and kids so much and look now what you have done." Then I realised that the wanker was crying with laughter at my pathetic way of trying to sing and play on unplayable instrument whilst being pissed.
In fact, I sort of remember stopping off at some big fellow countrymans house on the way home for a "wee dram".

Remember, we'd only been in town for about 2 weeks......

Michael Alexander · December 17, 2008, 01:38:23 PM

THose New Year parties have long since been silenced, once the expats who believed in the hogmannay tradition of wishing in the New year left Oranjemund...... the events went quieter.. Off the top of my head, I reckon there are only

3 true Scots
5 true English people
2 Irishmen

left in Oranjemund........

SandyB · December 17, 2008, 09:40:37 PM

New year will be brought in the company of good and caring friends huraah !! ... my sadness is that our traditional Christmas lunch at David .. my good friend of 33 years and of John 35 + years seems not to be ... we had a spat about my departure to Thailand .. long story .. but i got this guilt laden trying to pass on to guilt me SMS ( something i refuse to subscribe to ) .. to which i did not do honour of response .. since coming back I have emailed ... casually .. then offering reasonable explanation ( no reason for apology from either side ) and the hand out to just forget and move on ... to date no response .. and tonight i did a last ditch SMS really prodding around in the undergrowth thing .. again no response .. I understand he has issues with the universe and God for taking away his friend so suddenly .. but to harden your heart and not be able to see any reason and to realise that his pain and journey ( if there has been any such thing ) has no compare to wthe journey i have lived through and overcome .. is indeed a selfish thing .. so i just said I am tired of this game and have my own lfe to rebuild ... so be it .. I still hope for a positive outcome ... but yes I have already made my alternate arrangemnts which shall be sealed in the next couple of days ...
Oh for the joy of unconditional good friends ... and Mike I salute your folks in their heyday .. they were indeed that ... i have a story or two to recount .. but yes in the safety of around a braai ( veggie andless fatty red meat ) one day ...