Hogmanay
“Here in this place,
Of angled streets and northern light,
Under this particular moon, with Scotland
Quiet and sleeping behind and around us;
Of what may I speak but friendship,
And of our human wish for love—not just for me
But for friends too, and those who are not my friends;
So if you ask me, now, at this moment,
What is my wish: it is for love over Scotland,
Like tears of rain—that is enough.”
What an Incredible Night!
The evening was marked with fireworks every hour, on the hour, leading up to midnight. The Pet Shop Boys were super fun (I knew a lot more of their songs than I realized). They played from 11 pm until about 11:50, when the countdown began. And then Wow!—what a display of fireworks they unleashed from Castle Rock! 💥 💥 💥
Afterward the entire crowd sang Auld Lang Syne (literally: “Old Long Since” or loosely translated: "for the sake of old times"). We had no idea until the wee hours of this morning that the song had so many verses. How moving it was to sing the Roberts Burns/old Scottish folksong, in Scotland, on New Year’s Eve. ✅ ✅ ✅
The crowd was large but everyone was in good spirits. The Pet Shop Boys returned to the stage and played until about 12:45. Afterward we walked home in the Scotland rain. A night we shall cherish forever and not soon forget!
(If you’re only interested in the fireworks in the video below, move to the 3-minute mark.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckiW5X4QGKM
