*** Opened channel log for #adf at 04/01/2015 2:05:27 PM [14:05] [Owlhawk] hello. [14:05] Thank you, Rovena! How are you? [14:05] *** webchat18373 (webchat@d20ace3b.094.219.pools.707183a9.de.hmsk) has joined #adf [14:05] Wonderful [14:05] Good to have you back with us, Owlhawk. How are you? [14:05] *** webchat18373 (webchat@d20ace3b.094.219.pools.707183a9.de.hmsk) has quit IRC [Client Quit] [14:06] *** Ellie-Ishtar (webchat@d20ace3b.094.219.pools.707183a9.de.hmsk) has joined #adf [14:06] That's good to hear, Rovena. The holidays were good then, I take it? [14:06] Hello *waves* [14:06] Hi Ellie! Great to see you - happy New Year! [14:06] Best of my life [14:06] [Owlhawk] Good. the neighbour bought a snowblower, so he's doing our drive now [14:06] Wow. We want to hear all about that, then, Rovena! [14:06] Brother got his liver transplant [14:06] That's nice, Owlhawk! [14:07] Oh wow, Rovena, that's amazing. And he's doing well? [14:07] Okay. Still on feeding tube but alert [14:08] That's great! What a wonderful holiday present. [14:08] Yes [14:09] When did he find out? [14:10] He got called Christmas eve and had the surgery that day [14:10] Oh wow, that's amazing. [14:10] Sorry, I seem to be repeating myself, but it really is! [14:11] He only had 3 months left to live so yes it is amazing [14:12] Well, I hope you will have many more holidays with him now. [14:12] And Ellie, how are you? [14:12] Thank you [14:17] I guess Ellie had to step away for a minute. [14:18] So our topic this week is New Year's customs. Does anyone have any interesting ones to share - family customs, hearth culture ones, local ones where you live? [14:18] Hi, sorry, needed to go scold the kids ;-) [14:19] Happy new year! :-) [14:19] No worries, Ellie! How are you? [14:20] Family tradition is to eat blackeyed peas, cornbread, and cabbage [14:20] So, just got reading through...... Rovena, what a great present for your brother! really wonderful! [14:21] Thank you [14:21] customs, well we usaully have the one that there is no work, specially washing, during the 12 nights and I like to inscence the house and bake a King's cake. [14:22] I like the sound of that tradition, Rovena! I love cornbread. [14:22] Haven't done any of it this year, but inscencing and baking is still possible with a bit of a time variation :-) can't be picky when preparing for exams ;-) [14:23] I used to do the "no work for 12 nights" thing when I was Asatru, Ellie. [14:23] never tried cornbread, just googled it, and it looks quite good [14:24] We have three family traditions for New Year. 1) Watch Dinner for One - Ellie will know all about that, it's something I brought back from Germany with me ;-) [14:24] Family is Kansas farmers so farm yradition [14:25] Eilidh, we have legends about Holle and the wild host, they are even supposed to rest in mountains near by, so even not Asatru, it seems right to follow as an hommage to the Gods of the land [14:25] Oh yes, a pretty secular but very important one, watching dinner for one! :-) [14:25] But for the non-Germans, it's a silly slapstick sketch that became a cult hit somehow and is always shown on German TV on NYE - I have it on DVD though! [14:25] Absolutely appropriate, Ellie :-) [14:26] 2) As we wait for midnight, we eat Dundee cake (a Scottish fruit cake with almonds on top) and shortbread. Both Scottish NYE traditions. Also nuts, but my mother may have added that one herself. [14:27] 3) We have brunch the next day, with lots of canapes and Bucks Fizz to use up the champagne that's left over from NYE. That was definitely my mother's invention, after I got to the age when I wanted to go out with my friends on NYE - that way we could still have a joint family celebration the next day. My kids love it, so we've kept it up. [14:30] Next year I might try to get or make some marzipan pigs for my daughter, too - another German tradition, she learned about it from my mother and now she wants to try it! [14:31] What I dislike is all of the fireworks, it's something Germans do a lot. In the country it's ok, but in the big cities I really used to avoid it [14:31] oh that is true, we have them as well. I thought everyone has them? [14:32] Fireworks are big here too [14:34] Fireworks are spreading to the UK too, and in London it's really bad because they start in October for Halloween and Diwali, continue for Guy Fawkes in November, then again for New Year, and often one of the Eids is around the same time - and it seems to go on a week or two either side of each holiday, so from October to January it's almost constant. Our poor dog gets very intimidated and refuses [14:34] to go out to toilet, which isn't good for her :-( [14:35] Fireworks are only legal at July 4th and New Yeras [14:35] Ellie, no, we don't get marzipan pigs here. Marzipan fruit is sold by the more expensive confectioners, but usually not animals and not for any specific holiday. Our traditional Christmas cake has a layer of marzipan between the cake and the icing, but it's not as good. [14:36] Many parts of US don't do it at New Years [14:36] I think they're legal all year here, although it's easier to find them in the shops in the autumn. I wish we had more restrictions for the sake of the animals - people who don't have pets don't realise how bad it gets, I think. [14:41] Fireworks are legally defined as explosives thus contolled [14:41] Ellie, do people still do Bleigiessen in Germany? I remember some of my friends' parents doing it when I was growing up. [14:41] [Owlhawk] And we are now back down to only 3 cats!!!! [14:42] (That's dropping molten lead into cold water to divine the year's fortune from the shapes it makes, by the way.) [14:42] What happened to the others, Owlhawk? [14:42] sry, kids terrible this evening [14:42] [Owlhawk] My brother just picked up his 2...and drank one of my bottles of stout [14:42] Hurrah [14:43] last day of holiday ..... [14:43] [Owlhawk] That molten lead divination sounds interesting [14:44] Some do Bleigießen, not altways though. We didn't do it this year [14:44] Interesting method [14:46] Another Scottish tradition is first-footing, where the first person to cross your threshold after midnight is supposed to determine your luck for the year. The idael first-foot is a tall, dark and handsome young man who should bring a lump of coal so that you will never be cold, something edible so you will never lack food, and whisky so you will never lack good cheer. My cousins fit the description, [14:46] so people used to pay them to visit just after midnight! [14:47] ideal [14:48] This is interesting, never heard of it. [14:48] [Owlhawk] I've heard of that one before. [14:48] In Germany many people go for a walk on the first najuary [14:49] One of my grandmothers had a reputation for keeping visitors standing in the cold if they arrived after midnight and were not tall/dark/handsome enough ;-) [14:50] [Owlhawk] lol [14:50] Interesting, Ellie. I think in the UK people tend to think of Boxing Day (the day after Christmas Day) as a traditional day for a walk, or some also do it on the afternoon of Christmas Day itself. [14:50] [Owlhawk] does gender matter for the first footing? [14:51] Traditionally yes, it had to be a man, but many people accept women doing it now. [14:54] Oh, and of course it's traditional in Scotland to sing Auld Lang Syne at midnight and to cross hands during the last verse (I think in other countries they adopted the tradition but often cross hands from the start, which is considered "wrong" in Scotland itself) [14:54] We did that this year, but don't always - it depends how many people we have who are prepared to sing ;-) [14:54] [Owlhawk] I generally fall asleep before midnight [14:55] Understand that! [14:56] In Scotland New Year used to be a bigger event than Christmas until recent media/commercial influences, so I guess it's ingrained in me to stay up. Been doing it since 4 yo :-) [14:56] [Owlhawk] Well, I do now that I don't have to drive cab on New Years Eve... [14:56] May we got quiet [14:56] Oh, I didn't know you used to drive a cab, Owlhawk! [14:56] [Owlhawk] for a decade. [14:57] NYE would be a high-earning night, I bet. [14:57] [Owlhawk] I used to be the dispatcher on NY's eve as well most years. [14:57] [Owlhawk] best of the year [14:57] [Owlhawk] When the phone battery died, we went home. generally between 5 and 6 that happened. [14:57] Two things almost impossible to get in London on NYE: cabs and babysitters ;-) [14:57] [Owlhawk] lol [14:57] Both can name their own price :-) [14:58] sry, kids terrible today..... [14:58] [Owlhawk] my tips, in a small town, were usually well over 200 dollars. we have a flat rate price for cabs [14:58] It's why I started staying in on NYE, so hubby could go out. Found I liked it so carried on. [14:59] There's a music show here called Later with Jools Holland that does a great NYE edition - I curl up in front of that with my nibbles and a nice drink and whichever kids are home, and just mellow out. [15:00] Jools Holland is a really good r&b pianist and band leader, but he invites guest musicians from all genres, and it's really interesting to see how they interact. [15:00] [Owlhawk] We watched the USA - Canada world junior hockey game and then the Leafs game, after which I fell asleep [15:04] Oh, that's right, New Year's sports are a thing here too. There are some high-profile football (soccer) matches, and ski enthusiasts like my husband watch the Four Hills Tournament (ski jumping). [15:05] Ski jumping is one of the sports I kind of wish I'd tried before my back got too bad, but oh well... [15:05] [Owlhawk] I forgot about the EPL games, so I missed them this year. [15:05] [Owlhawk] I caught one of the boxing day games [15:07] My team actually won on Boxing Day for the first time in ages, so that was great! [15:08] [Owlhawk] \which team? [15:09] Leyton Orient, They are our local team and play in League One, two levels below the Premier League. [15:11] [Owlhawk] I've heard the name [15:13] Could be a few reasons - they're the oldest team still remaining in any of the English leagues, had the first black professional player in the English league, first ground where a red card was shown, and almost got promoted last year. [15:13] ok guys, I'm really sorry, but this evening is really difficult. They have difficulties sleeping due to the changed rhythm. I hope to soon have more time for you and hopefully see you next week [15:14] take care! [15:14] *** Ellie-Ishtar (webchat@d20ace3b.094.219.pools.707183a9.de.hmsk) has quit IRC [Quit: Page closed] [15:14] See you soon, Ellie! It's lovely that you managed to join us at all. [15:14] Darn, missed her! [15:14] I need to go soon as well. I have an early start tomorrow. [15:15] Okay take care [15:16] See you next week for the start of our series on the Hallows! [15:16] *** eilidhns (eilidhnics@14055b0e.6ca5ed1e.62.49.imsk) has quit IRC [] [15:17] Owlhawk I will miss Tuesday night [15:18] Last committee meeting for this year [15:19] Should have my PC back by the following chat [15:20] [Owlhawk] alright. good news on the pc [15:21] I hope so Haven;t heard back from my guy but he is very good and very reasonable. [15:23] [Owlhawk] enjoy your committee meeting [15:27] *** RovenaWindsor (Mibbit@14055b31.6ca5ec7e.174.33.imsk) has quit IRC [Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client] *** Closed channel log for #adf at 04/01/2015 3:27:14 PM