Canny lass

Would that be the two in the picture?

It'll keep you out of mischief!

So much for Christmas, let's see what we know about New Year traditions and celebrations! 1. Where in the world on New Year’s Eve do people dress in white, run into the sea at midnight and jump over seven waves while making seven wishes for the year to come? 2. In which country are 12 spoonfuls of lentils eaten at midnight on New Year’s Eve, one spoonful for every chime of the clock? 3. The ‘redding of the house’, involving giving your home a thorough clean before midnight 31 December in order to sweep out the bad luck of the passing year, is a New Year’s tradition in which country? 4. The island of Bali celebrates New Year (on varying dates) with a strict day of silence designed to ward off evil spirits by making the island appear deserted. All businesses, shops and even airports are closed and NO ONE is allowed to leave their home or hotel. What is the name of this day of silence? 5. In another country where silence is a tradition, the last 12 seconds of the old year are spent in silence making a wish for the coming year. Where? 6. An empty suitcase plays an important part in the New Year traditions of which country? 7. China is also a country which celebrates new year on varying dates. In 2026, the year of the Wood Snake will end on China’s New Year’s Eve. On which date will this occur? Bonus point if you know which animal will replace the Wood Snake. 8. In some cultures, round objects symbolise good fortune and prosperity so, to ensure a happy new year, they wear polka-dot clothing and eat round fruits. Where would you be able to observe this tradition? 9. What is thrown out of houses during the countdown to midnight 31 December in Cuba? 10. Which country also celebrates Independence Day on New Year’s Day? 11. The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, usually falls in September and is followed a week or so later by the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur. Between the two it is impossible to get married. Why? 12. Who, literally, jumps into the New Year (from a chair or sofa)? 13. What do children do on the stroke of midnight in the Philippines in the belief that it will make them grow taller in the new year? 14. What New Year tradition do the Italians, Spaniards and Chinese have in common for warding off bad luck? 15. Nouruz (or Nowruz), even called the Persian New Year, isn’t either celebrated 31 December. However, it is officially recognized as New Year’s Day in many countries including Iran, Afghanistan and Azerbajdzan. When is Nouruz celebrated? 16. L’home dels nassos, (the man of many noses) has as many noses as there are days left in the year. He appears on 31 December and, if you find him, he’ll grant you a wish. Where would you go if you want to try and find him? 17. The Irish have many New Year traditions, including setting an additional place at the dinner table for any loved ones lost during the year and having a spotlessly clean home into which to welcome the New Year. They also bang on the outside walls of their house to keep bad luck away. With what do they bang on the walls? 18. What do Greeks hang above their door to welcome good fortune, and even fertility, into their home? 19. Who are what is a Hoppin’ John and where would you find him/it on New Year’s Eve? 20. And finally, where, on New Year’s Day would you be able to witness the “Loony Dook? I'll bet you didn't know: During the 1930s farmers in Canada hitched horses to their cars because they couldn’t afford petrol. Answers Sunday January 4.

Answers to the Christmas quiz: 1. Ardennes 2. Nautical mile 1 852 metres (English mile 1 609 metres 3. Miss Moneypenny 4. Smoking bishop is a type of mulled wine especially popular in Victorian England at Christmas time. It is mentioned in Dickens' 1843 story A Christmas Carol. Smoking bishop was made from port, red wine, lemons or Seville oranges, sugar and spices such as cloves. 5. Walker 6. Veterinary Surgeon 7. 1984 8. Anglia 9. A butterfly 10. A grape 11. In a dictionary 12. 8 (No Rudolph!) 13. Czech Republic 14. 6 15. Kevin 16. Ukraine 17. Berlin 18. New York 19. Noddy Holder 20. A life jn spinsterhood

OK, I know it's not Friday but it is 'officially' Christmas now that Wilf has come out of hibernation so here's a little quiz to keep you out of mischief: Which mountain range between Belgium, France and Luxembourg has the same name as a breed of horses? Which is the longest: an English mile or a Nautical mile? What is the name of the female roll figure who is secretary to M in most James Bond films? Who or what is Smoking bishop? What does the initial W stand for in former President George W Bush’s name? If you have the letters FRCVS after your name, what would be your profession? In which year was ’Last Christmas’, by Wham, released for the first time? What was the Latin name for England? What sort of creature is a painted lady? (Keep it clean!) The Spanish see in the New Year by swallowing what on each of the 12 chimes at midnight? When does December come before November? How many reindeer are featured in the poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas?” Which country has a Christmas tradition of breaking an egg into a glass and inspecting the egg-white to see into the future? How many colours on a Rubik’s Cube? What is the forename of the boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, in Home Alone 1 and 2? In which country is the Christmas tree decorated with spider-webs and artificial spiders ("pavuchky"), instead of baubles and glitter? The 1916 Olympic games were cancelled due to WW1. Where were the games scheduled to take place? In which city do they erect, every year, an enormous Christmas tree in Rockefeller Square? Who is the singer in Slade, who sings ’Merry Xmas’? A common sight at Christmas is Mistletoe. KIssing under the Mistletoe was, many years ago, a way for women to protect themselves from something. What? I’ll bet you didn’t know …. The albatross can sleep in mid-air and can glide for six days without beating its wings. Answers on 30 December.

Whoopee, Wilf is here so it's officially Christmas. Let the festivities begin!!!

A woman's work is never done - not even when she's Mother Christmas! Just look at all that washing, it'll never dry in this weather! Merry Christmas everybody and all the very best for 2026.

Nice!

Same here! I'm usually up to the knees and swinging a snow shovel every morning by now but, apart from a couple of inches in mid November, there's been nothing. Couldn't agree more about the cause and its source.

Go for it Mal!!!

Done! Good luck with this project, Malcolm. What a boost it would give to the area.

And finally, there was bank manager Edward Mostyn Gibson. What happened to him? He has been extremely difficult to find and here’s the reason why. In September 1936 Edward Mostyn’s wife, Mabel, dies at the age of 51 years. Her address is then given as Middleton Street, Blyth. One can only wonder why. After a great deal of searching I eventually found the first trace of Edward Mostyn’s whereabouts in 1939 – and possibly a reason for his wife being in Blyth. He was at that time a patient in St Georges Hospital, Morpeth. How long he had been there is impossible to say. Mental Health Care wasn’t exactly at it’s best in 1939 and admissions were more frequent than discharges. What I can say with certainty is that Edward Mostyn died in St George’s Hospital though, again, it’s impossible to say how long he had been there. At the time of his death, he did however own a home in Bedlington – 106 Rothesay Terrace – next door to his brother at 105 (106 was vacant in the 1939 register when Edward M was in hospital). Those effects are worth only £14,745 today. A sad end to an enterprising family and a big piece of Bedlington’s history. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed researching it.