A Strange Town, Indeed

My views on the week long festivities that is Lanimer week are well known to those who need to know and to the rest of the world who don't know what Lanimers is they don't matter.

It used to be the case that I would do anything rather than stay in Lanark on the Thursday in question but these past three years have seen my take the time off of work due to Max being either an Egyptian, a painter or this year a mushroom in the procession and I have to admit that I have quite enjoyed the the floats and the Pipe and Brass bands, it's just what comes after and the whole undercurrent of the thing that annoys me.

Another thing which fills me with bemusement about the whole thing is the amount of people who return for the festivities.  Over the last few years I have seen people that I haven't seen since school and people who now live all over the world but who get this pull to come back to the Royal Burgh for the week. I don't really understand this not being from the town and not really having an affinity for the place, it is just where I live.

It is really strange but seeing all of these people who I once went to school with me, only emphasises whose who aren't there, not those who through choice stay away but the others, this may sound a little melodramatic but it is honestly how I feel.

In particular I think of a school mate who I was great friends with up until an incident when we were sixteen which saw a parting of the ways of three close friends and new allegiances formed. A few years later we sort of reconciled our differences but were never close again.

It's not due to the Lanimers that I think of John  but because of the time of the year. I can't remember if he did enjoyt he celebrations but I bet that he did being born and bred in the town.

So anyway, this one's for Span.

Big Country - In A Big Country

Happy Lanimers!

About 100% of you will not know what I'm going on about but today was Lanimer Day in Lanark.

Between you and me it's a big Gala Day, with a twist, it's held on a Thursday as oppossed to the tradition of a Gala Day being on a Saturday. But never, ever tell a Lanarkian that, to them it is so much more. So much so that, and this is the truth they tried to get Thatcher to re arrange the 1987 General Election because it was going to fall on the same day as Lanimers, I shit you not.

Anyway, I have never seen as many underage drunks in my life as I saw today. You see another of the quaint customs, is that the pubs open at six in the morning and that the law of the land, stating that you cannot drink openly in the street is waivered on this day and so you see teams of teenagers openly wandering around the town drinking Buckfast and MD20/20 with impunity.


Still, it's all for the kids.

Nouvelle Vague - Friday Night, Saturday Morning