I thought it'd be only fair to dedicate it to the thing I love the most - Bonnie Scotland! After years of longing for permanent residence in the beautiful land of Haggis, my dreams finally came true and I moved up there in September 2010. Of course, things never seem to turn out the way you want them to. I hit my quarter life crisis; I dropped out of uni, ran out of money and had to return to England (and daddy) with my tail firmly between my legs.
I do think it's the best decision for me at this moment but that does not stop me from longing for the place I will forever call home. Plus my cat still lives there. I would also like to add that my cat is ginger and called Haggis. If you're already all Scottish-ed out, I would advise you to stop reading here. As I am British, I do love a good list. So here is one detailing all the reasons why I miss Scotland:
Numero Uno - The Accent!
Ohhhh, the accent. Other than being half Scottish myself, the accent has got to be the main reason for my unconditional love of Scotland. It's. Just. So. Beautiful. I'm also proud that I've been there long enough now to be able to differentiate between all the different Scottish accents. Most people are, as I once was myself, unaware that there are so many! It's taking a lot of getting used to hearing Lincolnshire accents all the time again. I've recently been reading lots of Irvine Welsh books to satisfy my cravings; take this excerpt from 'Trainspotting' for example:
''Ma heid's gaun doon. It jerks up so suddenly and violently, ah feel it's gaunnae fly oaf ma shoulders ontae the lap of the testy auld boot in front ay us. Ah haud it firmly in baith hands, elbays oan ma knees."
Do you know how hard it was to find an extract without swearing in it? Welsh is a legend. This leads me nicely on to...
THE MEN.
That is all.
Gigs in Scotland
I love love LOVE going to gigs. I am extremely passionate about music and there is nothing better than going to see your favourite (or any decent) band live, in my opinion. I recently went to see Babyshambles in Manchester which was my first gig in about a year. Amazing. Yes, Peter was a shambles, but the clue's in the name... Although the show was fantastic, there was something missing. Before the band came on, the crowd started chanting, 'PETE! PETE! PETE!' No, no, no. If you haven't been to a gig in Scotland, you'll have no idea what I'm talking about. Up there, before (and sometimes during) a set, all you can hear is crazy, drunken shouts of, 'HERE WE! HERE WE! HERE WE F*CKIN' GO!!' Shout that in your head in a Scottish accent and imagine hundreds of people joining together in a deafening chorus. It's magical! Gigs in Scotland just seem altogether crazier, as a lot of bands would agree. All is not lost though as my sister bought us tickets to see You Me At Six in Glasgow this November. I will be screaming louder than anyone and I won't be taking the chants for granted this time!
BUCKFAST!
Although it is brewed in England, I haven't actually seen it sold anywhere south of the border. A tonic wine with enough caffeine to knock out a small giraffe, Buckfast is not for the fainthearted! I can only describe the taste as 'unique' and it's of an almost tar-like consistency. The effects, however, are wondrous!
What's on the menu?
I recently watched a TV documentary called 'Scotland the Fat'. Need I say more? Deep fried burgers, deep fried mars bars, deep fried pizza, pretty much deep fried everything. There are a lot of unhealthy choices up there. I LOVE IT. I do have to be honest and admit that I have never actually tried a battered burger or pizza because I'm afraid for my arteries, but deep fried chocolate bars are delicious! Proper 'heart attack food' as I like to call it. I always remember the first time I ordered from a chip shop, it was a sausage supper. I was unsure as to what the 'supper' would entail but I thought I'd have a try. Two HUGE battered sausages and a portion of chips big enough to feed the whole family were served to me. All for about £2.50. Wow. I obviously ate the whole thing but I was still amazed. Scotland also introduced me to chips, cheese, doner meat and curry sauce. All I'm saying is don't knock it until you've tried it.
A picture is worth a thousand words...
Out of all the many different reasons to love Scotland, the thing I miss most is my sense of belonging. Possibly due to my blatant insanity or my undying love for all things tartan, I always feel right at home there. Although, if Dorothy could lend me her ruby red slippers for a day, I do sometimes wonder where they would actually take me...
O Flower of Scotland, when will we see your like again?
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