The last post

will be played tonight - played for the year 2019. We head into the "twenties" tomorrow. 
The year 2019 has been an "up and down" sort of year and I am not particularly looking forward to the rest of today. It's "the one day of the year" as far as I am concerned. (Those of you who know Alan Seymour's play will understand.
I wonder what the "twenties" will bring? The Senior Cat isn't old enough to remember the "roaring twenties" well. He was born in 1923 and has only vague, boy like memories of that time. For him it is more about starting school and going to the beach. 
His parents were not party goers although Hogmanay was celebrated at the Caledonian Society - where my grandfather was a member of the committee and, I think, the treasurer, for many years. There was folk dancing there - ball room dancing not being quite the thing for the Presbyterians.  My grandfather could play the violin and "do a great sword dance" according to his sister. My great aunt would play the piano, another great-uncle played the pipes. Other people helped to supply the music. There were sandwiches, cakes, cups of tea and a bit of whisky was brought in - "just for the night".
The Senior Cat remembers this only vaguely. I heard more about it from his mother. My paternal grandmother had been young, lively, and fit back then. She was a "stay at home" mother of course, like so many mothers were. That didn't mean she didn't work hard. She did. 
The Senior Cat can't remember them entertaining people as such.He does remember "strange people" coming for meals occasionally. They would have been the young sailors my grandfather would bring home for a meal. He was meticulous about asking my grandmother first because there had to be enough food available. Once that was done however he would invite a lonely young sailor home for a meal. They were often Muslims. Heading for the nearest pub was not an option for them. Grandpa's mother had been doing the same thing for years. The young men would simply turn up at her door. They knew, by word of mouth, that she would listen, give advice and help. Ship's captains were not above sending someone who needed the advice of a mother to her. My grandmother was expected to do some of the same. She was a good listener.
I thought of all those things this morning. One hundred years ago my grandmother was starting out on married life. She would have been to her first city ceilidh with my grandfather. They were hoping for a large family but that didn't happen.
What did happen in the twenties was the birth of two boys, the elder of whom is the Senior Cat. That is something for which to be grateful. Today though is really just another day.