First Kilted Adventure

[Valencian Kilted]

Well, as some of you know, I was kilted yesterday for New Year's eve, at a mountain hostel, dressed in a quite "casual" way, with my Glasgow Celtic F.C. striped green & white t-shirt. It was not the first time I weared the kilt here in Spain, but it was my first time with my spanish friends. I usually wear it when I meet my english friends for a lunch or a football match at TV.

So I put on my black kilt, with a belt & buckle, my new furry sporran ( I know it was not a "dressy" evening nor my aspect was like dress at all, but it matched perfectly to my eyes with all the rest,...so excuse me purists of the sporran) and my hiking boots with bottle green wool socks that I let go down except during the few moments on the street) I'll put photos here as soon as I got them!.

Well, after spending the whole dinner and party from 8PM to 6AM, I can say this,...
- The first person who saw me was the restaurant owner, and she looked me from head to toes and exclamed: Uffa, that's a real man! U got a pair of b...cks, guy!

- Then during the dinner everything was quite good (ten starters and roasted lamb leg as main dish), the only comment I heard from people was saying:
" hey! it's not a fancy dress, that is a REAL ONE!" at the times I went up to the toilet.

- after the dinner we got the bells counting ceremony (in Spain we eat a grape for every bell and following the clock rithm in order to ensure a good luck for all over the year), and then it was the "free bar" times,... and everything was a little confusing just after this moment, but I still remember that my first drink was a Cardhu (the only available single malt there), and that as Robin said once, all the girls were really interested in me (questions about the underclothing, of course, an attempt to be sure of it by a more expeditive way, and also caring for my legs temperature ..."oh look, he says it's warm and it's really warm!"...) and of course, their boyfriends were not really happy with that,... in fact the only thing I remember before going to bed was smthg like "...I'll kill that m....r f..c.r of the wee skirt! however big he is!!!"... In my defense I have to say that I was the only single at all the party, and I didn't do anything rude, or discourteous, nor even make the same to the girls that were asking or interested in my "physicall welfare"!

So I think it was a nice party, I danced and jumped with my favourite classics from the eighties (from U2 to Dire Straits, from New Model Army to Simple Minds, from Deacon Blue to The Waterboys or The Pogues) , and my kilt pin suffered the consequences as it fell off and was lost, unfortunately,... (Robin, if u read this, I have to say that it was the same as that of urs that u said was not going to be used... u know what this means! )

I'll repeat it as soon as I can, but, as I said, litle by litle!

¡Salud!

T O N O

[NewKilt]

Phil,

Congratulations on your first kilt outing. Being confident, and looking people straight in the eye, does the trick. I've had more men call me "sir" when kilted than not. The ladies smile, and often give you compliments. I think you will also find that you will have conversations with people that, otherwise, would not have taken place. Enjoy your new Stillwater, I sure love mine.

Darrell

[macwilkin]

Stand tall, walk proud, look them in the eye, and smile.

Ron, have you been listening to the "great Celtic hero" Val Doonican? ;)

Walk tall, walk straight and look the world right in the eye
That's what my mama told me when I was about knee high
She said son, be a proud man and hold your head up high
Walk tall, walk straight and look the world right in the eye

Those of us who are "Boglies" on the board will recognise this as Golly's advice to Duncan on one of the early episodes of "Monarch of the Glen"! ;)

And here's more about Val Doonican:

http://www.valdoonican.co.uk/

Cheers,

Todd

[JayFilomena]

I did get a few comments - from moms and grandmoms with kids in tow. They were mostly - "hey look honey he's wearing a kilt!"

My wife and i were at a ski lodge two years ago, and attended an evening show featuring a magician. There was a young boy, 11 or so, pointing at me trying to get his grand mothers attention. The woman began to scold the boy for noticing me! I smiled at the woman, and told her in my soft voice, let him stare, let him ask questions, that is how he will learn. She smiled at me, and realized I was not offended by the boys excitment of seeing a grown man "in a skirt" and allowed the boy to talk to me about being kilted.